What Show Business Got Wrong

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 7:53pm

So I was awake at 3am the other night and caught Show Business, the "documentary" about the 03-04 Broadway season.

While it has some great footage and its always nice to have as much Broadway material on DVD, after a second watching, I find this film fails to do what great documentaries are meant to do: reveal the truth.

The end product feels more like a fluff piece than anything else. A few missed opportunities to really examine that season are lost:

1. How Avenue Q won the Tony. I don't want to get into this too much, as it's been discussed repeatedly here, but the documentary fails to acknowledge Avenue Q's "Vote Your Heart" campaign and how it has changed the voting process forever.

2. They never really dig into why Taboo failed. They blame Rosie's court battle more than her poor marketing, failure to issue discounts, and general mismanagement of what many consider a missed opportunity. They also fail to include Esparza's infamous meltdown.

In the end the filmmakers fail to dig into the why behind the successes and failures of the 4 shows. The editing never acknowledges Caroline's off-Broadway start, go into Wicked out of town troubles (they are mentioned, but Morse's firing isn't), and the general end product feels like the producers of the 4 shows (mainly Q, Wicked, and Taboo) demanding that the rawer, more vulnerable footage not be included.

It's a pleasant film but it could have been so much more.

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 8:18pm

They also fail to include Esparza's infamous meltdown.

Reminder, please...

[singtopher]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 8:26pm

I've actually never head what Esparza's meltdown was.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 8:29pm

Wasn't he just being a little prissy about the script changes? I don't remember it being a total meltdown.
Updated On: 5/21/09 at 08:29 PM

[ashbash1990]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 8:33pm

I think that Show Business was meant to be a sort of epic commercial for Broadway, so no unpleasantries...

[CurtainPullDowner]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 8:48pm

Oh God, here she comes....

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 10:57pm

First. I adore this documentary for its spirit and its ability to capture the magic present, but sometimes hiding in, the artistic process. But I agree that there are a lot of things left out. Granted, I know they couldn't include it all, but sometimes its focus seems to be a little bit skewered. Love it anyway, though.

Second, CPD. Good lord. F*ck off, I wasn't going to post if anything on the matter if you hadn't opened your pathetic trap. You are so quick to assume I'm going to defend him. I have absolutely no reason to. Your obsession with me is hilarous, and honestly, kind of sick. What is it, exactly, some kind of need to show off that you think you can like, summon me? Jesus. This is so unnecessary. You can't let a mention go without having to try to turn it into a personal attack on me, when UNDER NO OTHER CIRCUMSTANCES would it be otherwise. Get a f*cking grip, you insipid, pathetic, bottom-feeding asshole. Are you happy? Is that what you wanted? Again?

If anyone really wants to know, try a search... I know it's been discussed a number of times.

Updated On: 5/21/09 at 10:57 PM

[Scarywarhol]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 11:03pm

I LOVE BROADWAYWORLD!

[luvtheEmcee]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 11:08pm

And Broadwayworld ruvs you.

[blaxx]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 11:20pm

https://forum.broadwayworld.com/readmessage.cfm?boardid=1&boardname=bway&thread=988571#3759807

[humbugfoto]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 11:34pm

According to Raúl: Rosie wanted him to exit a scene sooner than he felt was wise for his character, in order to make a fancy costume change. Raúl felt he needed to be on stage for the remainder of the scene because the information in that scene was important to his character. They argued, Rosie ventured the opinion that his understudy could do the job as well as he could, he said "fine" and stormed out. Ultimately, Charles Busch and others talked him into coming back, with the end result being the costume change was cut and he stayed onstage for the whole scene.

I agree that Show Business pulled it's punches, that in trying to be even-handed they ended up being a little too even. Playground mentality, I guess. But this wasn't intended to be a Frontline or 60 Minutes expose. You should get the DVD and watch the special features ? there's an entire commentary with Alan Cumming and Dorie Berinstein that is a lot more critical than the film itself.

[jejr]

Posted: 5/21/09 at 11:39pm

It would take individual books on each of the shows to include everything about the productions. There are time limits for programs such as SHOW BUSINESS ( which I really like and enjoy watching and rewatching). Perhaps trying to put 4 shows in one program forced things to be left out, but we should be thankful for what is there.

[uncageg]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 12:31am

I saw it in a theater and knowing what went on during that season and voting time, it kept running through my head ehile watching. I was expecting something on the Avenue Q campaign but never got it. i think they could have extended the movie to two hours and included some of the things that happened. It would have made it a more interesting documentary, in my opinion.

I will now rent it for that commentary. I am curious to know if the Avenue Q thing is discussed in the commentary and what other things are discussed.

I haven't decided if I want to buy it or not.

Updated On: 5/22/09 at 12:31 AM

[frontrowcentre2]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:08am

but the documentary fails to acknowledge Avenue Q's "Vote Your Heart" campaign and how it has changed the voting process forever.

How? How did it change forever the voting process?

As I have said before Q got across the board raves. WICKED got mixed reviews with a lot of negatives. Voters had a choice: A small show that did everything well or a flawed spectacle. Most everyone expected Q to win. And still 5 years later peoel are still trying to blame WICKED's loss on this "campaign" which was done more for amusement and/or publicity. In the last 10 years there really hasn't been any win that one would call an upset.

[scott68]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:18am

It's not about how the campaign changed the course of the actual Tony voting patterns, it's about how they changed the official Tony regulations to prevent campaigning in the future.

I love Show Business, and I think it does an admirable job of tackling the season, although of course there's plenty that it misses. If I have one quibble, it's the after the fact critics' symposiums that are entirely fabricated. I don't think there's anything wrong with wanting to include them, and I think they add a lot to the movie, but placing them within the timeline of the documentary (which I don't think is accurate, but please correct me if I'm wrong) seems a little disingenuous to me.

[winston89]

Posted: 5/22/09 at 1:59am

frontrowcentre2, Avenue Q's Vote Your Heart song was the end of producers basically sweet talking the Tony voters to vote for their show. It ended the trend that the producers would give them gifts just to be able to win. I believe they changed it so that all each show can give the voters are a copy of the cast recording and a program and that is it. They will no longer accept fancy gifts as bribes for votes.