Broadway:
The American Musical
Academy
Award-winning star of stage, film and television Julie Andrews
(pictured) 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 begins 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
ends 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, Jerry Herman, John Kander and Fred Ebb, Joel Grey, Harvey
Fierstein, Chita Rivera, Jerry Orbach, Harold Prince, Stephen
Sondheim, Tommy Tune and Ben Vereen -- with an extraordinary collection
of archival footage, newsreels, home movies, cast recordings,
photos, diary excerpts, and rare television and audio clips to
offer unique insight into this American art form, one that is
still going strong. October 19,
20 & 21 at 9 p.m. on TV12
Episode
Guide
|
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.
Listen to this show
tune sampler:
"Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'"
Oklahoma! (1943) Listen
»
"There's No Business Like
Show Business"
Annie Get Your Gun (1946) Listen
»
"I Wanna Be a Producer"
The Producers (2001) Listen
»
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, 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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