Lovers of the Broadway musical and of the great American theatre of the 50s will be enthralled by the wealth of anecdote and reminiscence recorded here with a starry array of writers, directors and performers. “Enormously entertaining… Chock full of juicy, touching and hilarious tales.” — Playbill
Screened as part of NZIFF 2005
Broadway: The Golden Age 2003
Where other fans carry an autograph book, Rick McKay packs a digital camera. For five years he tracked down the stars who had lit up the stages of Broadway after World War II and before the early 70s, when rock operas and lapel mics changed everything. Lovers of the Broadway musical and of the great American theatre of the 50s will be enthralled by the wealth of anecdote and reminiscence he recorded with a starry array of writers, directors and performers. Their tales about the struggles, the camaraderie, their favourite performers and much more sparkle with humour and passion. McKay weaves in footage of performances from home movies and long-unseen TV appearances, and even a rare audio recording of Brando in A Streetcar Named Desire. “Enormously entertaining… Chock full of juicy, touching and hilarious tales from Hal Prince, Uta Hagen, Al Hirschfeld, Angela Lansbury, Stephen Sondheim, Chita Rivera, Carol Burnett, Jerry Herman and many, many, many others, plus some extremely rare footage of the old pros at work.” — Eric Grode, Playbill