Show Business - The Road to Broadway

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Starring: Boy George
Rated: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Type: DVD
Studio: Liberation Ent
Release Date: 2007-10-16
Running Time: 104 minutes
The real drama happens behind the curtain in this fascinating and rare look at four high-profile Broadway musicals (Wicked, Taboo, Caroline, Or Change, and Avenue Q) and their fearless journey to the Tony Awards®. Including a star-studded cast, this entertaining film takes viewers on an unprecedented behind-the-scenes view of the creative process that captures all the heartbreak and hilarity of trying make it big in Show Business!

Curtain Up!
"ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway"

Curtain Up!

Amos Lassen

We love theater and we love Broadway but seldom do we get to know what goes on behind the scenes. Here! TV is screening the documentary "ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway" and it is an in depth look behind the scenes of four major Broadway shows--two successes, one bomb and one that almost became a hot ticket. All four shows--"Wicked", "Taboo", "Avenue Q" and "Caroline, or Change" were nominated for the Tony Award (Broadway's highest award) as best musical of 2004. The documentary takes us behind the scenes from the initial casting to the out of town previews and to the awards ceremony and gives us a look at the inner workings of the Broadway Theater. We have interviews with the principals, the actors, the creators, the critics. We have film of rehearsals and opening nights and we get an all around look at the world of theater.
Many feel that musical theater is as American as apple pie and mom. But musicals do not appeal to everyone as we have seen with the demise of musical motion pictures. But for me, there is nothing better than a Broadway musical. When the overture begins, I feel as if I am transported to another world and for the next two hours, I am on the stage with the show. Of course the Broadway Theater is not what it once was and the glorious musicals of yesteryear are not around any more except in revivals. However, there is still a life left in the theater as this movie shows us. Dori Bernstein has assembled a beautiful homage to theater after whittling down over 250 hours of film and we go where the action is--backstage, where creativity reigns. The documentary moves quickly and jumps from show to show. Nonetheless, we get a beautiful movie and a look at the theater we rarely see. Let's face it--the days of "My Fair Lady", "Showboat" and "Oklahoma" are no more but we have something else--a youthful creativity that is trying to revive a theater that is so important to all of us.
Here is an alterative look at theater. The shows features here are unique in their own way--one deals with racial relations in the South, one with the land of Oz. one with club kids and one is a glorified puppet show. We see how people finance the activity, how actors interpret the material and how changes are made. This is a fun movie and its intentions are noble and the documentary is at times highly emotional. I unquestionably love this movie but then I love theater.
To me going to the Broadway Theater is akin to going to a temple for prayer and I revere it and honor it. So does this film.

Fun!
I have wanted this for a long time, just didn't have the money. I finally got it and I am so glad I did. Although it is from a few years ago it was such a fun look behind the scenes, and a great look at how Wicked started out! I will watch it again and again and I definitely recommend it to Broadway and theater lovers!!

A business like any other
"Show Business" provides us with a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of four original musicals that debuted on Broadway during the 2004 season: "Wicked," an inside-out re-interpretation of "The Wizard of Oz," told from the viewpoint of the Wicked Witch of the West; "Taboo," a Rosie O'Donnell-backed chronicle of the life of Boy George; "Avenue Q," a parody of "Sesame Street," done with live actors and puppets; and "Caroline, or Change," a civil rights drama set in the Deep South of the 1960s.

The movie follows all four shows through their various stages of rehearsal, their opening (and sometimes closing) nights, their reception by audiences and critics, and their recognition (or lack thereof) by the Tony Awards. To bring this self-contained and exclusive world to life, director Dori Berinstein interviews a healthy dose of Broadway insiders and hangers-on, including producers, performers, writers, composers, fans and reviewers. The movie captures all the joy and heartbreak, along with all the pressures - both artistic and financial - that go into the creation of a Broadway show (there`s a reason, after all, why they call it "show BUSINESS"!).

This doesn't quite qualify as a must-see documentary, but fans of musical theater - and of these shows in particular - should relish all the juicy backstage info they'll find here.

Show Business: Road to Broadway
Excellent documentary DVD. Showed 4 musicals of the 2003-2004 season from casting calls to opening night and beyond, how a play/musical could become a winner or a bust with little reason. I liked hearing the critics talk about the shows and see how right or wrong they were in the end. It gave me a whole new insight into the bright lights and darker side of Broadway.

Entertaining, Informative Look at Broadway
This documentary which chronicles the life and history of four musicals that premiered in the 2004 theater season is amazing. It is highly entertaining but also highly informative. I love the theater and live in Boston. It made me yearn to live in New York where Broadway and the true heart of the theater is. It takes on a life of its own.

4 musicals are chronicled from creation to the Tony Awards - WICKED, AVENUE Q, TABOO AND CAROLINE, OR CHANGE. We get to go deep into the lives and thoughts of all involved - writers, songwriters, actors etc. The previews and Broadway premiers are shown and the great importance that lies with each step is shown. Very interesting is the conversations of some of the most influential critics as they discuss all the shows throughout all the processes. Interesting to see how their opinions varied so strongly.

Bottom line, if you love musical theater you will adore this educational piece of work. Even if you don't it is so well made that you will enjoy it immensely and learn a great deal.

The ending showing how different actors etc. moved on with their lives is very emotional. You truly see how for all the people involved musical theater is not a job but their life. They MUST do it. I also saw that all my thoughts on the Boy George musical TABBOO were incorrect and I wish it had been given its just due. I would have loved to have seen it. Each season to fill in the blanks, old musicals are reissued with a new look. This was original and obviously crashed not because the show wasn't good but for other reasons that are just a shame. I will let you discover them upon viewing this piece.

Highly recommended, entertaining and informative documentrary.