ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2007)

Going behind the curtain to capture the most controversial, passionate, risky and high-profile Broadway season in decades.

Director:

Dori Berinstein

Writers:

Dori Berinstein, Richard Hankin

Stars:

Alissa Anderegg, Kristen Anderson-Lopez, Rob Ashford

1 win & 1 nomination.

Cast

Credited cast:
Alissa Anderegg	...	Herself
Kristen Anderson-Lopez	...	Herself
Rob Ashford	...	Himself
Chris Boneau	...	Himself
Ben Brantley	...	Himself
Harrison Chad	...	Himself
Carol Channing	...	Herself
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Herself
Wayne Cilento	...	Himself
Hope Clarke	...	Herself
Jennifer Cody	...	Herself
Dioni Michelle Collins	...	Herself
Nancy Marlowe Coyne	...	Herself
Alan Cumming	...	Himself
Stephanie D'Abruzzo	...	Herself

Storyline

Follows the four high-profile productions that would eventually become Tony nominees for Best Musical of 2004: "Wicked," (currently the highest grossing musical of all time), the Rosie O'Donnell/Boy George musical brought from London, "Taboo," Tony Kushner's "Caroline, or Change," and a grown-up puppet show called "Avenue Q." Digging behind the scenes, from casting and out-of-town previews to the suspense-filled Tony Awards, "ShowBusiness" provides an engrossing look at the inner workings of Broadway musicals. Listening in to critics around the dinner table, interviews with the creators, footage of rehearsals and openings all combine to make this one of the most entertaining documentaries (and dramas) about the world of musical theater.

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Taglines:

The Real Drama is Behind the Curtain.

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Genres:

Documentary

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG for language and some sexual references

Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 April 2007 (USA)

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

$8,829 (USA) (11 May 2007)

Gross:

$151,792 (USA) (29 February 2008)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dramatic Forces

Technical Specs

Runtime:

102 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The song that Idina Menzel sings over the credits is a much-changed version of "Lullaby of Broadway," written by Al Dubin and Harry Warren. The song originally appeared in the Warner Brothers film Gold Diggers of 1935and won the 1936 Academy Award for Best Original Song. It was one of many Warren and Dubin songs eventually included in the 1980 musical "42nd Street" (based mostly, but not entirely, on their 1933 movie of the same name). The version that Menzel sings in this documentary was arranged by Jan Folkson and Jeanine Tesori and given an almost entirely new tune, as well as some new lyrics - a spoken interlude drawn from Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay's 1920 poem "On Broadway;" Billy Porter performed the McKay portion of the song.

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Crazy Credits

At one point during the end credits, the recording session for Idina Menzel's version of "Lullaby of Broadway" is shown.

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Soundtracks

"Laundry Finish"
Lyrics by Tony Kushner
Music by Jeanine Tesori
Sibble Songs and That's Music to My Ears, Ltd.
Performed by Kimberly Grigsby

User Reviews

Show Business

I would highly recommend this documentary for anyone interested in Broadway generally, and musicals specifically. It documents the entire 2003-04 Broadway season. It focuses primarily on four musicals: Avenue Q, Wicked, Caroline or Change, and Taboo. The unrestricted access to the musical process from casting to rehearsals to previews all through to the Tony Awards was amazing.

At our screening, we were surprised by the appearance of Dori Berinstein (writer/director/producer) and Jeff Marx (composer/lyricist of "Avenue Q"), for a Q & A. Dori revealed that they had over 400 hours of video, from which to produce this final product.

I'm looking forward to the release of the DVD which we were promised would include footage that didn't make it into the movie.