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Movies / On DVD / Broadway: The Golden Age
Broadway: The Golden Age

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Broadway: The Golden Age (2004)

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Reviews Counted:44

Fresh:36

Rotten:8

Average Rating:7/10

Consensus: Broadway: The Golden Age is a breezy, affectionate tribute to a sparkling array of the era's best and brightest.

Runtime: 1 hr 51 mins

Genre: Education/General Interest

Synopsis: BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE is a labor of love from filmmaker Rick McKay to a bygone era stemming from his own experience of arriving in New York City in the early 1980s and discovering that the Great... BROADWAY: THE GOLDEN AGE is a labor of love from filmmaker Rick McKay to a bygone era stemming from his own experience of arriving in New York City in the early 1980s and discovering that the Great White Way of his dreams no longer existed. Almost 20 years later, McKay began interviewing the legends of Broadway in order to investigate whether or not the 1930s through the '60s actually constituted a "golden age." McKay interviewed more than 100 performers, composers, and writers over the course of five years with no crew and no budget, just moxie and his digital camera. The result is a compelling walk down memory lane, with anecdotes from the stars and creators of the finest musical and dramatic productions of yesteryear. Among those interviewed are Angela Lansbury, Chita Rivera, Ben Gazzara, Shirley MacLaine, Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince, Gwen Verdon, Uta Hagen, Bea Arthur, Jerry Orbach, Julie Harris, Robert Goulet, and Elizabeth Ashley. His interviews also result in the rediscovery of some long-forgotten stars. Peppered with clips of original Broadway performances, McKay's film preserves a period in the history of American theater that will likely never be repeated, and that should be celebrated. [More]

Starring: Beatrice Arthur, Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara, Uta Hagen

Starring: Beatrice Arthur, Elizabeth Ashley, Ben Gazzara, Uta Hagen, Julie Harris, Angela Lansbury, Harold Prince, Stephen Sondheim, Chita Rivera, Elaine Stritch, Shirley MacLaine

Director: Rick McKay

Director: Rick McKay
Screenwriter: Rick McKay
Producer: Rick McKay

[See More Credits]

Reviews for Broadway: The Golden Age

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1 - 20 (sorted by fresh rating; UK critics are listed first)
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Broadway buffs everywhere are sure to applaud.

Full Review Source: E! Online | comment Comment
07/09/04
E! Online

Whether it's Julie Harris weeping as she recalls an Ethel Waters performance she saw 60 years ago or Marian Seldes lamenting the cruelty of show biz or Ann Miller blithely carving a decade off her age, there's no arguing that these years were golden.

Full Review Source: St. Paul Pioneer Press | comment Comment
10/28/04
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
Chris Hewitt (St. Paul)
St. Paul Pioneer Press

Packed with priceless footage.

Full Review Source: Film Journal International | comment Comment
08/08/04
David Noh
David Noh
Film Journal International

The stories they tell in this warm, evocative documentary crackle with humor and glow with reverence. By listening to those stories, you'll glow too.

Full Review Source: Washington Post | comment Comment
08/06/04
Desson Thomson
Desson Thomson
Washington Post

That the speakers are themselves fascinating characters is unquestionable. McKay's film is about as thorough a record of their time spent in the golden age as anyone is likely to produce.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Daily News | comment Comment
07/02/04
Evan Henerson
Evan Henerson
Los Angeles Daily News

While less than artfully composed, Rick McKay's homegrown documentary about the glory days of the American theater represents an invaluable oral history.

Full Review Source: Hollywood Reporter | comment Comment
07/29/04
Frank Scheck
Frank Scheck
Hollywood Reporter
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

This is a picture that devotees of the American theatre will cherish.

Full Review Source: One Guy's Opinion | comment Comment
07/18/04
Frank Swietek
Frank Swietek
One Guy's Opinion

If you've ever fantasized about sitting in an all-night deli listening to veteran theater people dish and reminiscence about the Great White Way in mid-20th century bloom, filmmaker Rick McKay's cascading cavalcade of talking heads is the next best thing.

Full Review Source: Newsday | comment Comment
06/11/04
Gene Seymour
Gene Seymour
Newsday

The strength of McKay's film is not in identifying a cultural period, but in giving voice to so many great theater people.

Full Review Source: New York Daily News | comment Comment
06/11/04
Jack Mathews
Jack Mathews
New York Daily News

For theater lovers -- on both sides of the footlights.

Full Review Source: Minneapolis Star Tribune | comment Comment
10/28/04
Jeff Strickler
Jeff Strickler
Minneapolis Star Tribune

What makes Golden Age compelling cinema is the archival material that McKay has assembled to bind his loose and often casually unfocused interviews.

Full Review Source: Jam! Movies | comment Comment
09/24/04
John Coulbourn
John Coulbourn
Jam! Movies

It takes more than a fan to analyze the legacy of a period. But a fan is just what it takes to indulge in that legacy, which is exactly what Broadway: The Golden Age is all about.

Full Review Source: Globe and Mail | comment Comment
09/24/04
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Kamal Al-Solaylee
Globe and Mail

A look at show business through rose-colored glasses

Full Review Source: Film-Forward.com | comment Comment
06/11/04
Kent Turner
Kent Turner
Film-Forward.com

In what must have been a daunting challenge, given the richness of the material, McKay managed to cull from more than 250 hours of footage an admirably comprehensive and revealing documentary running a taut 110 minutes.

Full Review Source: Los Angeles Times | comment Comment
07/01/04
Kevin Thomas
Kevin Thomas
Los Angeles Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A delightful 'That's Entertainment' for the theater, offering priceless interviews with a who's who of entertainers and behind-the-scenes talent, as well as tantalizing snippets of long-ago performances.

Full Review Source: New York Post | comment Comment
06/11/04
Lou Lumenick
Lou Lumenick
New York Post

What could easily have been a sentimental, fannish exercise in musty nostalgia is in fact a lovely tribute to an era of feverish creativity that seemed as though it would never end yet now lives only in memory.

Full Review Source: TV Guide's Movie Guide | comment Comment
06/11/04
Maitland McDonagh
Maitland McDonagh
TV Guide's Movie Guide

McKay's straightforward cinematic valentine, which also includes rare archival stage footage, is a treat for those bedazzled by the idea of Broadway in its prime.

Full Review Source: Seattle Times | comment Comment
09/24/04
Misha Berson
Misha Berson
Seattle Times

[The subjects] eagerly unwind before McKay's one-man camera, reminiscing about everything from their finest hours to the days when ticket prices still ran in single digits.

Full Review Source: Toronto Star | comment Comment
09/24/04
Peter Howell
Peter Howell
Toronto Star

It's one for the time capsule.

Full Review Source: Rolling Stone | comment Comment
06/03/04
Peter Travers
Peter Travers
Rolling Stone

Click to read the article

Full Review Source: Austin Chronicle | comment Comment
11/13/04
Rachel Proctor May
Rachel Proctor May
Austin Chronicle
 
 
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