Broadway bares all: PBS's six-hour documentary on the Great White Way is more than just another op'nin', another show.Broadway: The American Musical * Produced and directed by Michael Kantor * Written by Kantor and Laurence Maslon * PBS PBS in full Public Broadcasting Service Private, nonprofit U.S. corporation of public television stations. PBS provides its member stations, which are supported by public funds and private contributions rather than by commercials, with educational, cultural, * October 19-21, 9 P.M.-11 P.M. Eastern (check local listings) At six hours, the new PBS documentary Broadway: The American Musical is far too short. You realize this especially in the last hour, which tries to gallop through 1980-2004, with nods to the AIDS crisis, the showmanship of producer Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Mackintosh (born 17 October, 1946) is a successful British theatrical producer. Born in Enfield, London to a Scottish father and a Maltese mother, Mackintosh was raised in his mother's Roman Catholic faith and educated at Prior Park College in Bath. , the rise of corporate backers like Disney, the passing of Jonathan Larson, 9/11, the megasuccess of Andrew Lloyd Webber Noun 1. Andrew Lloyd Webber - English composer of many successful musicals (some in collaboration with Sir Tim Rice) (born in 1948) Baron Lloyd Webber of Sydmonton, Lloyd Webber , Wicked, Hairspray, La Cage aux Folles, and a little show called The Producers. Still, it's one of the most in-depth looks at Broadway ever attempted, and cowriter director producer Michael Kantor dutifully du·ti·ful adj. 1. Careful to fulfill obligations. 2. Expressing or filled with a sense of obligation. du covers the high points--if he doesn't speak to stars like Carol Channing, Harvey Fierstein, Ethel Merman, Nathan Lane, Stephen Sondheim, Fred Ebb, Al Jolson, Tommy Tune, Chita Rivera, Joel Grey, and countless others, you can be certain you'll see clips of them performing. Airbig October 19-21, it's hosted by Julie Andrews (reason enough to tune in for some), and Kantor does a good job of showing how Broadway led and reflected popular culture from the Ziegfeld Follies through the early '70s. That relevance fades away in the last two episodes, of course, since Broadway no longer chums out popular tunes that dominate the radio or stars who tower over the culture. Now hit songs come to Broadway via ABBA's Mamma Mia! and Billy Joel's Movin' Out, while movie and TV stars pop in only for a visit. Nothing here is revelatory, but Broadway gets the job done. If nothing else, its makers have certainly unearthed Unearthed is the name of a Triple J project to find and "dig up" (hence the name) hidden talent in regional Australia. Unearthed has had three incarnations - they first visited each region of Australia where Triple J had a transmitter - 41 regions in all. a treasure trove TREASURE TROVE. Found treasure. 2. This name is given to such money or coin, gold, silver, plate, or bullion, which having been hidden or concealed in the earth or other private place, so long that its owner is unknown, has been discovered by accident. of footage. (One complaint: Kantor should have identified exactly what we're looking at, since it's not always clear--rehearsal footage? Opening night? A Tony Awards performance? A TV special? Who knows?) Still, anyone who cares about the Fabulous Invalid will be happy to hear that its songs (like "I Could Have Danced All Night") and its stories are as thrilling as ever. Giltz is a regular contributor to several periodicals, including the New York Post The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and the oldest to have been published continually as a daily.[3] Since 1976, it has been owned by Australian-born billionaire Rupert Murdoch's News Corporation and is one of the 10 . |
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