Broadway: The American Musical 

A six-part documentary about the Broadway musical

Stars:

Julie Andrews, John Lahr, Stephen Sondheim

Won 2 Primetime Emmys. Another 1 win & 5 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Julie Andrews	...	Herself - Host / ... 6 episodes, 2004
John Lahr	...	Himself 6 episodes, 2004
Stephen Sondheim	...	Himself 6 episodes, 2004
Philip Furia	...	Himself 4 episodes, 2004
Brendan Gill	...	Himself 4 episodes, 2004
Al Hirschfeld	...	Himself 4 episodes, 2004
Tommy Tune	...	Himself 4 episodes, 2004
Max Wilk	...	Himself 4 episodes, 2004
Joel Grey	...	Himself / ... 3 episodes, 2004
Stephen Hanan	...	Himself 3 episodes, 2004
Robert Kimball	...	Himself 3 episodes, 2004
Harold Prince	...	Himself 3 episodes, 2004
Jonathan Sheffer	...	Himself 3 episodes, 2004
Nancy Kathryn Anderson	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Mary Ellen Barrett	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Mel Brooks	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Kitty Carlisle	...	Herself 3 episodes, 2004
Carol Channing	...	Herself 3 episodes, 2004
Ted Chapin	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Jerome Chodorov	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Stanley Donen	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Ann Douglas	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Chris Ferry	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Jonathan Freeman	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
John Herrera	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Margo Jefferson	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Jane Krakowski	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Miles Kreuger	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Arthur Laurents	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
John McMartin	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Steve Nelson	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Dana O'Connell	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Jerry Orbach	...	Himself / ... 2 episodes, 2004
Frank Rich	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Jerome Robbins	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Mary Rodgers	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Jonathan Schwartz	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Peter Stone	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Julie Taymor	...	Herself 2 episodes, 2004
Ben Vereen	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
George C. Wolfe	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Jeffrey Wright	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Chip Zien	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Cindy Adams	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Dwight Blocker Bowers	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Anne Brown	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Carol Burnett	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Kristin Chenoweth	...	Glinda (in 'Wicked') / ... 1 episode, 2004
Betty Comden	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Graciela Daniele	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Agnes de Mille	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
André De Shields	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Doris Eaton	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Fred Ebb	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Michael Eisner	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Cy Feuer	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Harvey Fierstein	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Frances Gershwin Godowsky	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Adolph Green	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Michael Grief	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Michael C. Hall	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Mark Hamill	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Marvin Hamlisch	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Andy Hammerstein	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Ernest Harburg	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Sheldon Harnick	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
June Havoc	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Jerry Herman	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Erin Hill	...	Sandra Mescal 1 episode, 2004
John Houseman	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Kristin Johnston	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Gene Jones	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
John Kander	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Michael Kidd	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Rocco Landesman	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Nathan Lane	...	Himself / ... 2 episodes, 2004
James Lapine	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Baayork Lee	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Andrew Lloyd Webber	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Galt MacDermot	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Cameron Mackintosh	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Joe Mantello	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Jesse L. Martin	...	Himself 2 episodes, 2004
Audra McDonald	...	Herself 1 episode, 2004
Donna McKechnie	...	Cassie (in 'A Chorus Line') / ... 1 episode, 2004
Ron McLarty	...	Himself 1 episode, 2004
Idina Menzel	...	Elphaba / ... 2 episodes, 2004

Storyline

This six part documentary miniseries presents the evolution of the Broadway musical from its inception in 1893 to current day 2004. It presents those influential players both on stage and behind the scenes, as well as a variety of influential Broadway shows, a handful which are known to have transformed the musical into what the audience knows it to be today. The Broadway musical was often a reflection of what was happening in the world, but almost as often was meant to be an escape from problems of the world. Specific world events had a profound influence on the overall tone of Broadway shows, some of these events being wars (especially the world wars), Prohibition, the stock market crash, the Great Depression, and 9/11. Broadway musicals were also affected by the onset on various new media, such as talking movies and television. They in turn influenced other popular culture, especially what was known as the popular music of the day, especially up until the 1960s. Broadway musicals ...

---

Plot Keywords:

tv mini series | colon in title | four word title | new york city | manhattan new york city | 

---

Genres:

Documentary | Music

---

Details

Official Sites:

PBS [United States]

Country:

USA UK Japan

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 October 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Broadway: Az amerikai musical

Filming Locations:

Shubert Theater - 225 West 44th Street, Manhattan, New York City, New York, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ghost Light Films, Thirteen / WNET, NHK

Technical Specs

Runtime:

360 min (6 parts)

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

The unidentified two-strip Technicolor sequences used to illustrate "The Ziegfeld Follies" were lifted out of Glorifying the American Girl (1929). The star of this film, also unidentified although frequently shown in the clips, was 'Mary Eaton', sister of interviewee Doris Eaton.

---

Goofs

A two-strip technicolor clip of Dennis King and Jeanette MacDonald from The Vagabond King (q.v.) is used to illustrate the pre-Ziegfeld shows seen on Broadway before the turn of the century. The Vagabond King was not performed on Broadway until 1925, and the film was made four years later (1929) and released in 1930.

---

Connections

Features Funny Girl (1968)

User Reviews

superb mini-series

This in-depth mini-series (6 episodes) took the story of Broadway musicals from the vaudeville age and Mr Ziegfeld's spectaculars right up to the present day with Wicked! On the way, in the capable hands of presenter Julie Andrews, we remember Irving Berlin, the Gershwins, Rodgers and Hammerstein, Jerome Kern, Kander and Ebb, Jerry Herman, 42nd Street, Leonard Bernstein, Stephen Sondheim, Hair!, Andrew Lloyd-Webber, Rent, and La Cage Aux Folles.

There are tantalising clips from rare TV broadcasts and films (perhaps a weakness of the series is that people TALK over the clips - who wants to hear someone remember a show when you can see John Raitt sing Soliloquy from Carousel?) which are well-worth seeing the series in themselves. Contemporary and archive interviews bring the likes of Jerome Robbins, Kitty Carlisle, Jerry Orbach, and Tommy Tune into the story.

For my money, the best episodes were the first two, for the rare footage shown. But you'd have to have a heart of stone not to be moved by the toll of musical theatre back-room boys (and front-line artists) lost to AIDS.

A fantastic trip along the Great White Way - thanks to PBS for putting it together, and to BBC4 for airing it in the UK.