Is it true what they say in Spamalot (“You won’t make it on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews”)? Tracing Broadway’s Yiddish roots, and exploring back-stories behind many landmark shows from Showboat to Wicked, filmmaker Michael Kantor chronicles the unique role of Jewish musicians in the creation of the modern American musical. This joyful and intelligent documentary features interviews with many theatre artists, rare archival footage and recordings from original Broadway productions, and unforgettable anecdotes (hearing about Ethel Merman’s irreverent behavior at a Passover Seder during the rehearsals for Gypsy will leave you in hysterics).
Recommendations
view all
Hamilton's America
28 Up
McQueen
Fuck
Listen to Me Marlon
Lovecraft: Fear of the Unknown
Love, Gilda
Sidney
Struggle: The Life and Lost Art of Szukalski
21 Up
The Summers of It - Chapter Two: It Ends
A Decade Under the Influence
Gilbert
Charlie: The Life and Art of Charles Chaplin
Marvel Studios Assembled: The Making of Hawkeye
John Candy: I Like Me
David Byrne's American Utopia
Directed by John Ford
Feminists: What Were They Thinking?
Halloween: 25 Years of Terror