Synopsis
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway is an American documentary film, directed by Dori Berinstein, a Broadway Producer, Writer and Filmmaker. Berinstein filmed each principal musical on Broadway for her project during the 2003-2004 season, for about 600 hours of initial film footage. 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 documented for the film were: Wicked, Taboo, Caroline or Change, Avenue Q.
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Cast
- Kristin ChenowethSelf
- Alan CummingSelf
- Stephanie D'AbruzzoSelf
- Raúl EsparzaSelf
- Edie FalcoSelf
- Boy GeorgeSelf
- Hugh JackmanSelf
- Nathan LaneSelf
- John LeguizamoSelf
- Idina MenzelSelf
Recommendations
- 88
New York Daily News
What stands out, not surprisingly, is the work and passion that goes into the shows. But seeing all this from the inside creates an extraordinary level of empathy for those involved. - 83
The A.V. Club
ShowBusiness is a smart, highly entertaining piece of cinema-reportage, but it never quite rises to the level of penetrating insight or emotional catharsis. - 80
Village Voice
Producer/director Dori Berinstein knows her way around a Broadway show -- she's produced 11 of them, including her latest, Legally Blonde -- and her insider status no doubt helped secure behind-the-scenes access as she tracks one season in the life of four musicals, and explains the unusual level of intimacy between interviewer and subjects. - 75
TV Guide Magazine
It's riveting to watch the shows' respective creators work, clash, whine, celebrate and commiserate as the season and their stories unfold. - 75
Christian Science Monitor
Following the shows from rehearsals to Tony Awards night, she gets behind the scenes and does a good job conveying the incessant anxieties and glee of the talents involved. - 75
Chicago Tribune
Much of this strikingly human, rapidly paced and laudably well-rounded film is fascinating. - 70
The New York Times
ShowBusiness is packed with telling details that the director, Dori Berinstein, was lucky to catch on camera. - 70
Los Angeles Times
The film is a love letter to theater and the people who make it.
