ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Infobox film
| name = ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
| image =
| caption = Promotional poster for ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway
| director = Dori Berinstein
| producer = Dori Berinstein
| writer = {{ubl|Dori Berinstein|Richard Hankin}}
| narrator =
| starring = {{ubl|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 = Jeanine Tesori
| cinematography = Alan S. Deutsch
| editing = {{ubl|Richard Hankin|Adam Zucker}}
| distributor = Regent Releasing
| released = {{Film date|2005}}
| runtime = 102 min
| country =
| language = English
| budget =
| gross = $151,708
}}
ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway is a 2005 American documentary film, the first feature film directed by Dori Berinstein,{{cite web|url=https://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/title/643949/showbusiness-the-road-to-broadway#credits|title=ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway|work=Turner Classic Movies|publisher=Turner Broadcasting System|location=United States|access-date=February 17, 2018}} 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.{{Cite news | author=Roberta Hershenson | title=A Winning Producer Chronicles a Broadway Season on Film | url=https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06peoplewe.html | work=The New York Times | date=6 May 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-24 | archive-date=2015-06-05 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150605041954/http://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/06/nyregion/nyregionspecial2/06peoplewe.html | url-status=live }} The film was released commercially in 2007, with the first such showings on 11 May 2007 in New York City.{{Cite news | author=Zachary Pincus-Roth | title="ShowBusiness" Documentary – About Wicked, Avenue Q and Others – Gets Release May 11 | url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/105235.html | work=Playbill Arts | date=26 January 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-24 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20080222224612/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/105235.html | archivedate=22 February 2008 }}
Production
Berinstein filmed each principal musical on Broadway for her project during the 2003-2004 season, for about 600 hours of initial film footage.{{Cite news | author=Michael Buckley | title=Dori Berinstein and Her "Show Business" Documentary | url=http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92817.html | work=Playbill Arts | date=8 May 2005 | accessdate=2008-02-24 | url-status=dead | archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20070930165108/http://www.playbill.com/news/article/92817.html | archivedate=30 September 2007 }} 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 at 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.{{Cite news | author=Matt Zoller Seitz | title=Review of ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway (2005) | url=https://movies.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/movies/11show.html | work=The New York Times | date=10 May 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-24 | archive-date=2024-09-10 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240910111328/https://www.nytimes.com/2007/05/10/movies/11show.html | url-status=live }}{{Cite news | author=Charles McNulty | title=Review of ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway | url=http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-show1jun01,0,1951957.story | work=Los Angeles Times | date=1 June 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-24 | archive-date=2008-05-13 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080513045702/http://www.calendarlive.com/stage/cl-et-show1jun01,0,1951957.story | url-status=live }}{{Cite news| author=Philip Kennicott | title='ShowBusiness': A Peek Behind the Curtain | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/21/AR2007062102322.html | work=Washington Post | date=22 June 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-24}}
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."{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |id=show_business |type=m |title=ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway |accessdate=December 11, 2020}} Theatre critic Michael Riedel received harsh criticism from actors and songwriters who were subjects of the film, after seeing his comments in the film.{{Cite news| author=Eric Grode | title=The Business of Broadway | url=http://www.nysun.com/article/54316 | work=New York Sun | date=11 May 2007 | accessdate=2008-02-24}}
=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.{{cite AV media|url=https://www.amazon.com/Show-Business-Broadway-Boy-George/dp/B000UAE7NG|title=ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway|work=Liberation Entertainment|publisher=Liberation Entertainment Inc|location=Los Angeles|date=October 16, 2007|accessdate=February 17, 2018|asin=B000UAE7NG}}
References
{{Reflist|30em}}
External links
- [http://www.showbusiness-themovie.com "ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway" Official Site]
- [http://imdb.com/title/tt0456004/ Internet Movie Database]
- [http://www.broadwaycares.org/events/ShowBusiness2007.cfm Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS]
- [http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/5976%20 Theatermania Review by David Finkle]
- [http://www.theatermania.com/content/news.cfm/story/5976%20 BroadwayWorld Photo Coverage]
- [http://www.slantmagazine.com/Film/film_review.asp?ID=2957 Slant Magazine Film Review]
- [http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/show_business/ RottenTomatoes - ShowBusiness]
- [http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/2007/0SBSS.php The Numbers.com, page with box office data]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Showbusiness: The Road To Broadway}}
Category:American independent films
Category:Documentary films about Broadway theatre
Category:American documentary films
Category:2005 documentary films
Category:2005 independent films
Category:Films scored by Jeanine Tesori
Category:2000s English-language films