McKay wrote, produced and directed both films. He will be at the festival to introduce all three screenings and to do Q&A鈥檚 with some of the film鈥檚 cast members after each screening on January 7, 8 and 10.
Part one, "Broadway: The Golden Age," was filled with interviews and archival footage of Broadway shows from the earliest days through the 1920s and the World War II era, up to the 1959 season.
Part two will focus on the period from 1959 to 1983, and features rare and previously unseen footage and interviews with more than 100 Broadway stars including , , , , , , , , , and others. Among highlights are interviews with the original dancers whose lives became the story of .
The film uses the original casts of legendary musicals to tell the story of the creation of Bye, Bye Birdie; Fiorello; ; and 鈥� featuring appearances by Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, , Dick Van Dyke, Liza Minnelli, Ben Vereen, Candy Brown, , and many more. The original cast members and Robert Redford recount the casting and the opening night of 's long-running hit play .
Special attention is paid to minorities on Broadway, including the story of , whose father was the head of the NAACP in the 1950s when Jane went "white face" to play the queen in 1959鈥檚 . The show鈥檚 composer, , its star, Carol Burnett and White bring to life the story of the creation of Mattress and racism on Broadway.Original cast members , , and tell the story of the birth of Ain鈥檛 Misbehavin'. And Raisin in the Sun鈥檚 historic journey to Broadway with its groundbreaking creative team, is recounted by interviews with original cast members Lou Gossett, Jr. and , as well as the final interviews of producer and director .
Watch a sample of the latest film below:
