On Broadway

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2:01

On Broadway

2021

1h 25m

Documentary

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Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

76%

Tomatometer

21 Reviews

76%

Popcornmeter

Fewer than 50 Ratings

For anyone who loves theater, this contemporary history of Broadway is a pure joy! As audiences prepare for the return of live theater after an unprecedented absence of 18 months, an all-star cast tells the inside story of the last time Broadway came back from the brink. On Broadway shows how this revival helped save New York City, thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion, and the sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Interviews with legends of the stage and screen, including Hugh Jackman, Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, and Ian McKellen take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. Archival clips of iconic performances by Lin Manuel Miranda, Patti Lupone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones and Mandy Patinkin punctuate this hurly-burly ride through the main street of American show business. Now that New York City is facing an uncertain path forward in its recovery from a devastating pandemic, this documentary from Academy Award®-nominated director Oren Jacoby and the producers of RBG shows how Broadway led the way in the city's last great rebirth and provides a model of how it can come back again.

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Tom Long

Detroit News

Listening to Helen Mirren or Ian McKellen rhapsodize about the immediacy and intimacy of live theater is intoxicating.

Rated: B-

Oct 21, 2021

Full Review

Peter Rainer

Christian Science Monitor

Despite all the glitz and money talk, what the film unequivocally conveys is the elemental reason we are drawn to the theater in the first place.

Sep 3, 2021

Full Review

Joe Morgenstern

Wall Street Journal

This smart and spirited film reminds us that there's still nothing in American entertainment like the Broadway ritual of hundreds of live, superbly talented performers playing to thousands of live, rapt theatergoers six nights a week.

Aug 26, 2021

Full Review

David Reddish

Queerty

On Broadway doesnt exactly break new ground, but it does offer a fascinating blow-by-blow account of Broadways past 50 years.

Rated: 3/4

Mar 13, 2022

Full Review

David-Elijah Nahmod

Bay Area Reporter

On Broadway isn't the last word on the state of Broadway musicals, but it is a well-researched history of the ups and downs of the theater district's past 50 years.

Dec 2, 2021

Full Review

Pat Mullen

POV Magazine

The doc doesn't have an argument. It takes audiences through the vicissitudes of the theatre scene amiably, but somewhat aimlessly.

Nov 25, 2021

Full Review

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Juan A

Very informative film!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

10/28/21

Full Review

Glenn J

All-encompassing and important history wonderfully told!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

08/29/21

Full Review

scott e

Very entertaining and not bloated at all.

Rated 4 out of 5 stars

03/31/23

Full Review

PHB

Enjoyable and entertaining review of the Broadway scene over the past 50 years!!!

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/07/21

Full Review

Joan M.U.

A very enjoyable look at Broadway and its influence and influences. Makes me anxious for the upcoming reopening of Broadway.

Rated 5 out of 5 stars

09/06/21

Full Review

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On Broadway: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

For anyone who loves theater, this contemporary history of Broadway is a pure joy! As audiences prepare for the return of live theater after an unprecedented absence of 18 months, an all-star cast tells the inside story of the last time Broadway came back from the brink. On Broadway shows how this revival helped save New York City, thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion, and the sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce. Interviews with legends of the stage and screen, including Hugh Jackman, Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, and Ian McKellen take us behind the scenes of Broadway's most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. Archival clips of iconic performances by Lin Manuel Miranda, Patti Lupone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones and Mandy Patinkin punctuate this hurly-burly ride through the main street of American show business. Now that New York City is facing an uncertain path forward in its recovery from a devastating pandemic, this documentary from Academy Award®-nominated director Oren Jacoby and the producers of RBG shows how Broadway led the way in the city's last great rebirth and provides a model of how it can come back again.

Director: Oren Jacoby
Producer: Oren Jacoby, Holly Siegel
Distributor: Kino Lorber
Production Co: Storyville Films
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Aug 20, 2021, Limited
Box Office (Gross USA): $82.3K
Runtime: 1h 25m
Aspect Ratio: Flat (1.85:1)

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