ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway is a 2005 American documentary film, the first feature film directed by Dori Berinstein,[1] a Broadway Producer, Writer and Filmmaker. Berinstein completed the film in 2005. The film premiered at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was named one of the top 5 films of 2006 by the IDA (International Documentary Association) and received the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at the 2006 Florida Film Festival.[2] The film was released commercially in 2007, with the first such showings on 11 May 2007 in New York City.[3]
| ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Dori Berinstein |
| Produced by | Dori Berinstein |
| Written by | Dori Berinstein Richard Hankin |
| Starring | Alan Cumming Boy George Idina Menzel Rosie O'Donnell Kristin Chenoweth Raul Esparza Euan Morton George C. Wolfe Tonya Pinkins Robert Lopez Jeff Marx Tony Kushner Stephen Schwartz Stephanie D'Abruzzo |
| Music by | Jeanine Tesori |
| Cinematography | Alan S. Deutsch |
| Edited by | Richard Hankin Adam Zucker |
| Distributed by | Regent Releasing |
Release date | 2005 |
Running time | 102 min |
| Language | English |
| Box office | $151,708 |
Production
Berinstein filmed each principal musical on Broadway for her project during the 2003-2004 season, for about 600 hours of initial film footage.[4] She focused the film on four musicals, through the difficulties of pre-production, their openings, attendant publicity around the shows, and their reviews, through the 2004 Tony Award competition. The four musicals, three of which were nominated for Best Musical in the Tony Awards that season, were:
The film climaxes with the 2004 Tony Awards ceremony at which Avenue Q won Best Musical over Wicked and Caroline, or Change. In addition to coverage of the musicals themselves, the movie includes interviews with New York theatre critics, and footage of several theatre critics discussing in a restaurant the various musicals and their predictions for the Tony Award winners.[5][6][7]
Cast
Reception
Critical response
On Rotten Tomatoes the film holds an approval rating of 89% based on 54 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10. The website's critics consensus states: "Made with obvious care and attention, Showbusiness is an entertaining, insightful look into Broadway."[8] Theatre critic Michael Riedel received harsh criticism from actors and songwriters who were subjects of the film, after seeing his comments in the film.[4][6][7][9]
Release
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway premiered at the 2005 Tribeca Film Festival. The film was released on DVD on October 16, 2007 by Liberation Entertainment.[10]
References
- "ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway". Turner Classic Movies. United States: Turner Broadcasting System. Retrieved February 17, 2018.
- Roberta Hershenson (6 May 2007). "A Winning Producer Chronicles a Broadway Season on Film". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- Zachary Pincus-Roth (26 January 2007). ""ShowBusiness" Documentary — About Wicked, Avenue Q and Others — Gets Release May 11". Playbill Arts. Archived from the original on 22 February 2008. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- Michael Buckley (8 May 2005). "Dori Berinstein and Her "Show Business" Documentary". Playbill Arts. Archived from the original on 30 September 2007. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- Matt Zoller Seitz (10 May 2007). "Review of ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2005)". The New York Times. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- Charles McNulty (1 June 2007). "Review of ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- Philip Kennicott (22 June 2007). "'ShowBusiness': A Peek Behind the Curtain". Washington Post. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway at Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media. Retrieved December 11, 2020.
- Eric Grode (11 May 2007). "The Business of Broadway". New York Sun. Retrieved 2008-02-24.
- ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway. Liberation Entertainment. Los Angeles: Liberation Entertainment Inc. October 16, 2007. ASIN B000UAE7NG. Retrieved February 17, 2018.