Adam Jacobs was the original "Aladdin" in Disney's smash Broadway musical, with a list of other hits like Les Miserables and Something Rotten, but this docu-concert – filmed as a special one-night-only performance – explores his emotional personal journey, from growing up as a Filipino American in California to landing the role of a lifetime.
When Marvin Hamlisch passed away in August 2012 the worlds of music, theatre and cinema lost a talent the likes of which we may never see again. Seemingly destined for greatness, Hamlisch was accepted into New York’s Juilliard School as a 6-year-old musical prodigy and rapidly developed into a phenomenon. With instantly classic hits ‘The Way We Were’ and ‘Nobody Does It Better’ and scores for Hollywood films such as The Swimmer, The Sting and Sophie’s Choice and the Broadway juggernaut A Chorus Line; Hamlisch became the go-to composer for film and Broadway producers and a prominent presence on the international Concert Hall circuit. His streak was staggering, vast, unprecedented and glorious, by the age of 31 Hamlisch had won 4 Grammys, an Emmy, 3 Oscars, a Tony and a Pulitzer prize: success that burned so bright, it proved impossible to match.
This intimate documentary explores the life and career of the stage legend Stephen Sondheim through six of his best-known songs.
As PlayhouseSquare celebrates its first 90 years, “Staging Success: The PlayhouseSquare Story” pays tribute to the people who were instrumental in saving the theaters and shows how the community worked together to create a cultural showplace in the heart of downtown Cleveland. This new documentary, a production of WVIZ/PBS, in collaboration with Think Media Studios, reveals a Cleveland rags-to-riches tale as dramatic as any on Broadway.
A documentary about a 78-year-old Indian woman in New York who is the world's most passionate theatergoer. Nicki Cochrane has been seeing a play every day for more than 25 years, acquiring free tickets using a variety of ingenious means.
This concert program, from the London Palladium, begins with Minnelli singing “New York, New York” as an encore number to her show, then reflecting back 90 minutes to when she began the performance. Upon taking the stage, Minnelli opens with a medley of “Pick Yourself Up,” “Blue Skies.” and “I’m So Excited.” Next, Minnelli sings “Old Friends,” followed by “Wherever He Ain’t,” “Sad Songs (Say So Much),” “I Don’t Care Much,” “When the Sun Comes Out,” “I Couldn’t Be Happier (for You),” “London Town,” “I Don’t Want to Know,” “Some People,” and “Here’s to the Band.” After telling of how she recently turned forty, Minnelli sings “The Saga of Emma Finch”. Minnelli finishes singing “You’ve Let Yourself Go,” “He’s Funny That Way,” “I Love a Piano,” and “New York, New York.” Following a standing ovation, Minnelli is greeted backstage by her sister, Lorna Luft. Minnelli then encores with “Cabaret.” Finally, Minnelli returns to the stage for a final song: “The World Goes ‘Round.”
To celebrate the 90th birthday of Broadway songwriting great Stephen Sondheim, an A-list group of performers sing songs of inspiration from his songbook in a concert event filmed in their homes. Hosted and co-produced by Raúl Esparza, the acclaimed one-night-only event was created as a benefit for ASTEP (Artists Striving to End Poverty).
A study of the Group Theatre, a company that changed the face of American drama. The Group was founded in 1931 by Cheryl Crawford, Harold Clurman and Lee Strasberg, who were strongly influenced by the naturalistic acting of Konstantin Stanislavski’s Moscow Art Theatre.
The golden age of the annual Tony Awards ceremony lasted from 1967 to 1986 — the period during which Alexander H. Cohen and his wife, Hildy Parks, were the producers of the show. This film offers a compilation of performances from Tony Award broadcasts during those years. They are presented with color-corrected footage and digitally re-mastered sound.
A made for TV documentary about the creation of Paul Simon and Derek Walcott's controversial and ultimately flop of a music, "The Capeman". Explores the story of the production of the musical as well also the story of Salvador Agron and the Capeman murders.
Biographical portrait of one of Broadway's most brilliant songwriters. Told through the use of archival material and interviews with the rich and famous that knew him, this portrait concentrates on his career and his public life events.
An all-star cast tells the inside story of the Broadway theater, and how it came back from the brink thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion and a sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Legends of the stage and screen—including Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, Hugh Jackman and Ian McKellen—take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. Iconic performances by Lin Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones and Mandy Patinkin lead the way on a hurly burly ride through Times Square, once again the main street of American show business in this documentary directed by Academy-Award nominee Oren Jacoby.
Documentary focusing on 25 year-old actress Jane Fonda as she and her director Andreas Voutsinas prepare a stage play called The Fun Couple for Broadway.
Pedal is a fast-paced documentary film about surviving in the streets of New York City as a bicycle messenger. It features messengers from all walks of life as they battle traffic in a race to make their next delivery on time. Directed by Sutherland and produced by Ana Lombardo, Pedal the documentary lets viewers live the spectacle of the delivery itself. It premiered in 2001 at the South by Southwest film festival, and was later acquired by the Sundance channel, where it aired until 2004.
A profile of composing team John Kander and Fred Ebb, who have written many Broadway musicals. Highlights include interviews with Lauren Bacall, Joel Grey and others, as well as the two men themselves, plus clips of performances of their songs.
Rejoice in the astonishing all-new footage of Spielberg at work in documentary filmmaker Laurent Bouzereau’s revealing The Stories of West Side Story. Composed of Opening, Prologue, Sharks & Jets, Dance at the Gym, The Romance, America, Gee, Officer Krupke, Cool, From Quintet to the Rumble, I Feel Pretty, Somewhere, Finale, and Tribute.
Judy at the Palace. Sinatra at Carnegie Hall. Streisand at the Garden. Stritch on Broadway. Legendary performances come along so rarely. Elaine Stritch At Liberty is an autobiographical one-woman show written by Elaine Stritch and John Lahr. The show consists of spoken monologues from Stritch following her life and career, interspersed with showtunes and pop standards which compliment her stories. Many of these songs had been originated by Stritch in major Broadway productions, such as "The Ladies Who Lunch" from Company and "Civilization" from Angel In The Wings. Her experiences and relationship with show business are focal points, but she also explores more intimate, personal themes like her alcoholism and romantic relationships.
Combines footage unseen since WWI with original scores from the era to re-tell the story of Noble Sissle's incredible journey that spans "The Harlem Hell Fighters" of World War I, Broadway Theatre, the Civil Rights movement, and decades of Black cultural development.
Susan Blackwell breaks bread with the four leads of Broadway's FALSETTOS: Christian Borle, Stephanie J. Block, Andrew Rannells & Brandon Uranowitz.