As theatergoers prepare for the return of Broadway after an unprecedented absence of 18 months, an all-star cast tells the inside story of the last time Broadway came back from the brink. A new documentary from Oren Jacoby, On Broadway shows how this revival helped save New York City, thanks to innovative work, a new attention to inclusion, and the sometimes uneasy balance between art and commerce.
The new documentary features brand new interviews with legends of the stage and screen, including Hugh Jackman, Helen Mirren, Christine Baranski, August Wilson, James Corden, Alec Baldwin, John Lithgow, Viola Davis, and Ian McKellen taking us behind the scenes of Broadway’s most groundbreaking and beloved shows, from A Chorus Line to Hamilton. Archival clips of iconic performances by Lin-Manuel Miranda, Patti LuPone, Bernadette Peters, James Earl Jones, and Mandy Patinkin punctuate this hurly-burly ride through the main street of American show business. Now that New York City is facing an uncertain path forward in its recovery from a devastating pandemic, this documentary from Academy Award-nominated director Oren Jacoby and the producers of RBG shows how Broadway led the way in the city’s last great rebirth and provides a model of how it can come back again.
“As a lifelong New Yorker, I was drawn to the surprising story of how an industry and an art form on the verge of extinction, not only avoided collapse but managed to reinvent itself and come back stronger, in astonishing ways,” says director Oren Jacoby. “Today, after an even more devastating crisis, I realize that the story of that comeback can show us all a way forward.”
On Broadway is now playing in select theaters and virtual cinemas nationwide. Find showtimes and information here.