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Favorite Broadway Documentaries?

Favorite Broadway Documentaries?

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Edna Turnblad
#1Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 10:02pm

What is your favorite Broadway-related documentary? Like Every Little Step, Broadway: The American Musical, Show Business: The Road to Broadway, Life After Tomorrow, etc. I can't decide about mine, but I would be interested to know all of yours.

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kchenofan
#2Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 10:13pm

I love Show Business: The Road to Broadway. It's the only thing permanently on my TiVo.


kchenofan's computer is broken right now. This is her fridge. Now, you can leave a message, but say it slowly, so I can write it on a post-it note and stick it to myself.

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frontrowcentre2
#2Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 10:34pm

COMPANY: ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM which condenses the marathon 18 hour recording session into just under an hour, giving insight into the way cast albums are made, showing 8 of the albums 15 numbers being recorded in whole or in part. Made in 1970 and unseen for many years it finally came out on DVD and is a must for any Sondheim fan. Best of all there is Elaine Stritch's famous meltdown as she attempts to record "Ladies Who Lunch."


Cast albums are NOT "soundtracks."
Live theatre does not use a "soundtrack." If it did, it wouldn't be live theatre!

I host a weekly one-hour radio program featuring cast album selections as well as songs by cabaret, jazz and theatre artists. The program, FRONT ROW CENTRE is heard Sundays 9 to 10 am and also Saturdays from 8 to 9 am (eastern times) on www.proudfm.com

Gothampc
#3Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 10:52pm

I agree that it has to be the Company documentary. All the others that came after that seemed to be too "obvious".

And I've often wondered about the Elaine Stritch meltdown. Was that a real moment or did Elaine do it on purpose to get more screen time?


If anyone ever tells you that you put too much Parmesan cheese on your pasta, stop talking to them. You don't need that kind of negativity in your life.

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CapnHook
#4Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 10:56pm

I enjoy the six-part Jonathan Larson/RENT documentary found on disc 2 of the RENT film DVD. I believe it's over an hour long?

Independently, I favor BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE above all else.


"The Spectacle has, indeed, an emotional attraction of its own, but, of all the parts, it is the least artistic, and connected least with the art of poetry. For the power of Tragedy, we may be sure, is felt even apart from representation and actors. Besides, the production of spectacular effects depends more on the art of the stage machinist than on that of the poet."
--Aristotle

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tellybox
#5Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 11:06pm

Ditto the 'Company' DVD. Pure magic.

I'm a fan of 'Every Little Step' as well, simply because it offers a wealth of material for the avid 'Chorus Line' fan (the recordings of the sessions, anyone?)

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theatreguy
#6Favorite Broadway Documentaries?
Posted: 5/30/10 at 11:16pm

Moon Over Broadway, about the Broadway production of Moon Over Buffalo, is another good one.


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