PBS on Broadway

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 10/22/04 at 10:08pm

What did people think of the series and the way theater has evolved since the late 1800'a until the present? I enjoed the 3 part series very much but lost interest with some of the newer musicals. It is just not the same anymore.

[Poppy]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:46am

I, too, enjoyed it very much. The 50's and 60's segments brought back some happy memories of New York City for me. It was good to hear and see those great stars again.

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 12:43pm

I am just a tad dissapointed at the theater today. It seeems ti have lost some of it's charm and tradition from the good old days.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 7:06pm

I was in tears during the last 3rd, but mostly because it reminded me of my 24 years in Manhattan. Every show was era defining. Bit truthfully, the first two parts had a lot more archival info, and seemed more balanced and thorough. Without starting an argument ... who thought WICKED deserved such a hallowed place in this series (and don't beat me up--I'm a fan.) I would've liked more on COMPANY, more on FOLLIES, two shows that really did change the form. Yet altogether, the series is quite a lovely journey through musicals. The footage of Brice and Merman, to name but two, made it unmissable.

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 8:20pm

Auggie, I agree with you. True, I am sure Wicked is a good musical but it doesn't have the timeless energy of some of the "oldies".

[Dollypop]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 9:13pm

I think the series summed it up when Julie Andrews stated that once the Cameron MacIntosh era began, Broadway was geared more for tourists than for real theater-lovers. It was just around then that my satellite dish started acting crazy so I shut of the television and went to bed.

[Gothampc]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 9:17pm

The clips for "A Chorus Line" are wonderful. Some are from the original commercial, but some of the clips I've never seen before.

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 10/23/04 at 9:19pm

The series ended with a lengthy bit about Wicked. They gave more emphasis to that show than to classics like Oklahoma, Hello Dolly, South Pacific, The Music Man, etc. I think Wicked may come and go, but the classics will be here for generations to come.

Updated On: 10/23/04 at 09:19 PM

[grownupgroupie]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 1:37am

I adored the clips they showed from the original I heart NY ad campaign in the 80s with all the different shows' cast members.

[joeyjoe]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 12:11pm

my favorite footage was of Jonhn Raitt, Helen Morgan (singing "Bill"), and Fanny Brice
Updated On: 10/24/04 at 12:11 PM

[SideShowMan]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 2:09pm

loved the David Merrick segment.....a showman. I also enjoed the Rodgers and Hart piece....the hell with it...I loved it all

[zoran912]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 4:51pm

I really loved seeing Ethel Merman. What a talent she was.

[The Grovers Corners Yenta]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 6:34pm

Zoran.I saw Ethel Merman in Hello Dolly. They had to to build a runway from the stage so she could sing away from the rest of the cast and not deown them out. She was incredible.

[Auggie27]

Posted: 10/24/04 at 6:49pm

Yes, yes, the original I Love NY commercials moved me, seeing them again. Especially when juxtaposed with the crowd in Duff Square after 9/11. As did the Chorus Line and other footage. A lot of it is very precious, and lapses in balance and focus in individual sequences highlighting eras (like the infomercial angle on WICKED) should probably be overlooked.