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On Broadway

Play trailer 2:01 Poster for On Broadway 2021 1h 25m Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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76% Tomatometer 21 Reviews 72% 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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On Broadway

Critics Reviews

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Tom Long Detroit News Oct 21, 2021
B-
Listening to Helen Mirren or Ian McKellen rhapsodize about the immediacy and intimacy of live theater is intoxicating. Go to Full Review Peter Rainer Christian Science Monitor Sep 3, 2021
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. Go to Full Review Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal Aug 26, 2021
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. Go to Full Review David Reddish Queerty Mar 13, 2022
3/4
On Broadway doesnt exactly break new ground, but it does offer a fascinating blow-by-blow account of Broadways past 50 years. Go to Full Review David-Elijah Nahmod Bay Area Reporter Dec 2, 2021
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. Go to Full Review Pat Mullen POV Magazine Nov 25, 2021
The doc doesn't have an argument. It takes audiences through the vicissitudes of the theatre scene amiably, but somewhat aimlessly. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Juan A Oct 28, 2021 Very informative film! See more Glenn J Aug 29, 2021 All-encompassing and important history wonderfully told! See more scott e @smestes49 Sep 28, 2021 Very entertaining and not bloated at all. See more PHB Sep 7, 2021 Enjoyable and entertaining review of the Broadway scene over the past 50 years!!! See more Joan M.U. Sep 6, 2021 A very enjoyable look at Broadway and its influence and influences. Makes me anxious for the upcoming reopening of Broadway. See more Read all reviews
On Broadway

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Cast & Crew

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Oren Jacoby

Director

Alec Baldwin

Self

Christine Baranski

Self

Alexandra Billings

Self

James Corden

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Hugh Jackman

Self

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On Broadway

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On Broadway

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Movie Info

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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