Broadway:
The American Musical
Academy
Award-winning star of stage, film and television Julie Andrews
hosts this landmark six-part series -- the first comprehensive
documentary on the history of the American musical ever created
for television -- which tells two stories: the 100-year history
of musical theater and the story of its relationship to 20th-century
American life. Filmmaker Michael Kantor takes a chronological
approach, beginning with the immigrant experience at the turn
of the century, when a melting pot of voices and styles gave rise
to a popular new form of entertainment, and ending with today’s
Broadway, where big-budget new productions and revivals of classic
favorites compete side by side for box office success. The film
brings these stories to life by combining a host of first-person
accounts from writers, lyricists, producers, performers, directors
and scholars -- including Mel Brooks, Carol Channing, Kitty Carlisle
Hart, Jerry Herman, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Joel Grey, Harvey
Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach, Arthur Laurents, Harold
Prince, Gerald Schoenfeld, Stephen Sondheim, Tommy Tune and Ben
Vereen -- with an extraordinary collection of archival footage,
newsreels, private home movies, original cast recordings, still
photos, diary excerpts, personal correspondences and rare television
and audio clips to offer unique insight into this unique American
art form, one that is still going strong. October
19, 20 & 21 at
9 p.m. on TV12
Episode
Guide
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Broadway:
The American Musical
A
filmmaker's Broadway odyssey: Michael Kantor reflects on the
decade-long process of making this six-part series.
A
Mirror of American Life: A timeline of major events in the
history of American musical theater.
In
Their Own Words: Broadway legends share their musical theater
memories.
Broadway
Resources: More information about the Great White Way.
Coming
Soon to TV12:
Julie
Andrews stars in Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella
Before
she won her way into the hearts of movie fans as Maria Von Trapp
and Mary Poppins, a 22-year-old Julie Andrews cast a spell on
viewers as the title character in a live musical production of
the beloved fairy tale Cinderella written by Broadway
legends Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein specifically for
television. A record audience of 107 million people watched this
1957 black-and-white broadcast on CBS, which was the first and
only airing of the made-for-TV classic until now. Just in time
for the holidays, Great Performances
presents a newly restored version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's
Cinderella, which includes such charming tunes as "The
Prince Is Giving a Ball," "In My Own Little Corner,"
and "Impossible." Andrews
-- who was also starring in the Broadway hit My Fair Lady
in 1957 -- hosts the presentation and recalls her fond memories
of this exciting original live production. Also sharing their
thoughts are Andrews' co-stars Jon Cypher (Prince); Edie Adams
(Fairy Godmother); and Kaye Ballard (Stepsister).
Rodgers
& Hammerstein's Cinderella airs in December on WHYY
TV12.
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