Broadway - The Golden Age
Jul. 28th, 2004 08:30 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
dancerjodiWe made the 6:50 movie last night. Wow, did I like it quite a bit. I must own this when it comes out on DVD this fall. If you are a fan of theater, music, or the history of American entertainment you must see this movie. Its slow-moving at times (given that its made up of a series of interviews) but we both enjoyed it quite a bit (even Brian, who could care less about musical theater, but said it was a thought provoking movie for other reasons).
Note, sorry for typos - I'm being lazy :)
The movie is a documentary of the start, heyday and demise of the "golden age" of theater in NYC. They point out that this art form has been the only uniquely American one (in addition to Jazz music). The director starts out stating how he had grown up watching old black and white movies on TV and poured over newspapers to learn as much as he could about musical theater. In the 80's he made it to NYC to try his hand at the art, and found a Broadway much different from what he had seen in the movies. He seeks to answer the question of, was there ever a golden age of Broadway. He does this by interviewing a lot of the old greats who where there to make it happen, and throws in old home movies and photos provided by his interviewees.
There were a few key themes that came out to me in the movie. First, was the "small town kid goes to the big city, works their ass off, and hopes to get a break" theme. These performers lived in cramped apartments, learned all of the places to get a free meal, pooled resources to buy one dress that 4 women would share when they had auditions (like Carol Burnette and her roomates did), and became great friends with those performers around them. They all describe how they'd find work, how much they were paid, how much things cost, and how they'd network, hang out, and keep up on the news going on. All point out that the atmosphere in NYC was much different than in Hollywood - where nobody talks to anyone.
A second theme was the emphasis on Broadway theater being real. Performances are live, with live music, and don't have the benefit of re-takes, re-touching, computer generated anything or canned applause. Shows would tour over the summer elsewhere where they'd be changed as needed (based on audience reactions). The shows you'd see in Broadway weren't the shows that they started out as. In the end of the movie people mourn the loss of the golden age of Broadway, of the old styles of music (So long Rogers and Hammerstein, hello rock musicals like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar - and later, Rent). One fiesty actress (I can't remember who) bitches about how performers today have it so easy - that they were NEVER out of work unless they had a serious injury. Now people will stay home over a broken fingernail, and have the luxury of pre-recorded (i.e. "canned") music, fancy lights, and an audience who has become numb and spoon-fed their entertainment. I loved the fact that she also added "and hats! nobody ever wears hats anymore"! :) She had hers (of course) artfully tilted over the right eye.
A last key theme was how the cost of entertainment has increased so much. All of them talk of how they used to sneak into theaters as young actors - that they saw all shows in the theater district for free many times. Even if they *did* pay for a show (say, on a date or something) it cost less to go to the theater than it did to go to a movie. It was something acessible to everyone. It also wasn't a huge ordeal (like going to the theater is now). It was natural - everyone did it. They complain about theater prices now, and how its $100 for a ticket each, another $30 for a program, $20 for a hamburger, add in parking and a baby-sitter and you're looking at $400 or more for a night. Now the theater is an event in itself. One actor notes that people always give standing ovations, because given all the money they've spent they want to enjoy the show, and want to be a part of it.
The movie ends with the director and various interviewees talking about where they think theater is going. Many seem to think there is a resurgence, and that there is hope for the art. All of them think though, it will never be as good/large/amazing/bright as it once was. Skill set requirements have changed (you can't just be a singer or a dancer - you need to do both). Years ago the number of shows had shrunk but it seems to be growing again. A host of hollywood actors and actresses are making their way to New York to experience something more real, more to the roots of their craft.
I think the director did a good job conveying how things were back then, and god, did it make me wish I had been around to see what Times Square used to be like, to hang out in those drugstores with all of the performers, and to party till 10:00 AM at afterclubs (after performing in a show, and meeting up to read the review of said show). I'm really looking forward to the second part of this documentary (which picks up on theater in the 70's, 80's and 90's).
Our society is too focused on the ideal, that we've forgotten about what's real. As such, it becomes more and more difficult to entertain ourselves. I think musical theater serves to show us how talented people can be on their own without technological accompaniement. We're just doing ourselves a disservice by letting that kind of theater go for the technologically created music, computer generated graphic, unrealistic crap that most "art" of today is. That's not to say that it doesn't take some creativity to put those things together, but in my opinion - putting those things together is more of a craft than an art.
If you do make it to see this movie make sure you stay through the credits. As they are rolling you get to see some of the old greats singing some of their old standards. Brian kept laughing at me as I joined them: "I'll go home and get my panties you go home and get your scanties and away we'll go, ooooh ooooh ooooh. Off we're gonna shuffle - shuffle off to Buffalo."
I need to hit a tap class (must check schedule).
Note, sorry for typos - I'm being lazy :)
The movie is a documentary of the start, heyday and demise of the "golden age" of theater in NYC. They point out that this art form has been the only uniquely American one (in addition to Jazz music). The director starts out stating how he had grown up watching old black and white movies on TV and poured over newspapers to learn as much as he could about musical theater. In the 80's he made it to NYC to try his hand at the art, and found a Broadway much different from what he had seen in the movies. He seeks to answer the question of, was there ever a golden age of Broadway. He does this by interviewing a lot of the old greats who where there to make it happen, and throws in old home movies and photos provided by his interviewees.
There were a few key themes that came out to me in the movie. First, was the "small town kid goes to the big city, works their ass off, and hopes to get a break" theme. These performers lived in cramped apartments, learned all of the places to get a free meal, pooled resources to buy one dress that 4 women would share when they had auditions (like Carol Burnette and her roomates did), and became great friends with those performers around them. They all describe how they'd find work, how much they were paid, how much things cost, and how they'd network, hang out, and keep up on the news going on. All point out that the atmosphere in NYC was much different than in Hollywood - where nobody talks to anyone.
A second theme was the emphasis on Broadway theater being real. Performances are live, with live music, and don't have the benefit of re-takes, re-touching, computer generated anything or canned applause. Shows would tour over the summer elsewhere where they'd be changed as needed (based on audience reactions). The shows you'd see in Broadway weren't the shows that they started out as. In the end of the movie people mourn the loss of the golden age of Broadway, of the old styles of music (So long Rogers and Hammerstein, hello rock musicals like Hair and Jesus Christ Superstar - and later, Rent). One fiesty actress (I can't remember who) bitches about how performers today have it so easy - that they were NEVER out of work unless they had a serious injury. Now people will stay home over a broken fingernail, and have the luxury of pre-recorded (i.e. "canned") music, fancy lights, and an audience who has become numb and spoon-fed their entertainment. I loved the fact that she also added "and hats! nobody ever wears hats anymore"! :) She had hers (of course) artfully tilted over the right eye.
A last key theme was how the cost of entertainment has increased so much. All of them talk of how they used to sneak into theaters as young actors - that they saw all shows in the theater district for free many times. Even if they *did* pay for a show (say, on a date or something) it cost less to go to the theater than it did to go to a movie. It was something acessible to everyone. It also wasn't a huge ordeal (like going to the theater is now). It was natural - everyone did it. They complain about theater prices now, and how its $100 for a ticket each, another $30 for a program, $20 for a hamburger, add in parking and a baby-sitter and you're looking at $400 or more for a night. Now the theater is an event in itself. One actor notes that people always give standing ovations, because given all the money they've spent they want to enjoy the show, and want to be a part of it.
The movie ends with the director and various interviewees talking about where they think theater is going. Many seem to think there is a resurgence, and that there is hope for the art. All of them think though, it will never be as good/large/amazing/bright as it once was. Skill set requirements have changed (you can't just be a singer or a dancer - you need to do both). Years ago the number of shows had shrunk but it seems to be growing again. A host of hollywood actors and actresses are making their way to New York to experience something more real, more to the roots of their craft.
I think the director did a good job conveying how things were back then, and god, did it make me wish I had been around to see what Times Square used to be like, to hang out in those drugstores with all of the performers, and to party till 10:00 AM at afterclubs (after performing in a show, and meeting up to read the review of said show). I'm really looking forward to the second part of this documentary (which picks up on theater in the 70's, 80's and 90's).
Our society is too focused on the ideal, that we've forgotten about what's real. As such, it becomes more and more difficult to entertain ourselves. I think musical theater serves to show us how talented people can be on their own without technological accompaniement. We're just doing ourselves a disservice by letting that kind of theater go for the technologically created music, computer generated graphic, unrealistic crap that most "art" of today is. That's not to say that it doesn't take some creativity to put those things together, but in my opinion - putting those things together is more of a craft than an art.
If you do make it to see this movie make sure you stay through the credits. As they are rolling you get to see some of the old greats singing some of their old standards. Brian kept laughing at me as I joined them: "I'll go home and get my panties you go home and get your scanties and away we'll go, ooooh ooooh ooooh. Off we're gonna shuffle - shuffle off to Buffalo."
I need to hit a tap class (must check schedule).
