Research Catalog

Title

[Interview with Frank Rich : raw footage] [videorecording] / [directed by Michael Kantor]

Publication

New York, 2003.

Items in the Library & Off-site

Details

Additional Authors

• Rich, Frank
• Kantor, Michael, 1961-
• Squires, Buddy
• Broadway Film Project, Inc, donor.
• Thirteen/WNET, donor.

Description

2 videocassettes (VHS) (74 min.) : sd., col. SP; 1/2 in.

Summary

• Raw interview footage used for the documentary Broadway, the American musical. Frank Rich, op-ed columnist for the New York Times, and its former drama critic discusses the Broadway musical. Rich speaks about the effects on Broadway's business of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, as well as the Iraq War which began in 2003; the rising costs of producing musicals on Broadway, and the growing involvement of corporations, who tend to produce "safe" shows derived from previously existing shows or movies; the difficulty for young composers in bringing new material to Broadway; the Broadway musical as an idiosyncratic and ephemeral form of American entertainment which incorporates an amalgam of music, dance, and drama; the hit show A chorus line, created by choreographer/director Michael Bennett, which revolutionized the theater in its rejection of elements traditionally thought of as being necessary for a musical; the Broadway shows he wishes he had seen; choreographer Jerome Robbins who demonstrated in his musical West Side story that dance could be used in an exciting and electrifying way to convey character and plot. Rich discusses the Broadway musicals of the 1960s exemplified in the sophisticated, integrated musicals produced by Harold Prince or written by Stephen Sondheim and in the lighthearted shows like Hello, Dolly! and Funny girl, which were "throwbacks" to the musicals of the1920s. Rich speaks about what he views as the landmark qualities of Stephen Sondheim's 1970 musical Company, which concerned a single man and his circle of married friends; his impressions of the musical Cabaret after attending its tryout in Boston, and the show's refinement and transfer to New York, where it became a hit; Broadway's general failure to take note of the cultural and social developments of the 1960s; the advent of rock-and-roll and its effect in pushing Broadway music out of the mainstream; Harold Prince's work with Sondheim on a string of serious minded shows like Company, Sweeney Todd and Pacific overtures, which gave audiences "wonderful" songs and intellectual stimulation, but were not commercially successful. Rich discusses the qualities of Sondheim's musicals; the development of A chorus line in a series of workshops at the downtown theater of producer Joseph Papp, and his impressions after attending its opening performance. Rich then speaks about his experience covering his first major Broadway show as drama critic for the New York Times, the 1980 production of 42nd Street, produced by David Merrick. Discussion on tape one concludes with audio only discussion for about a minute on the show Company and his experiences seeing shows in tryouts as a college student in Boston.
• Discussion resumes on tape two with more on his coverage of the opening night of 42nd Street; "the last great Broadway producer" David Merrick, who had the ability to achieve the kind of quality he wanted, but who was also known for his ruthlessness; Broadway producers of today, and how they work; the Sondheim musical Sunday in the park with George, which he admired, and the importance as a critic of trusting your own response to a show; the impact of a variety of forces including jazz, the stock market crash, and the invention of the talking picture on early 20th century theater; the relative ease and inexpensiveness of producing shows on Broadway during the 1920s. Rich goes on to speak about the ebb and flow of Broadway's fortunes following its "meltdown" after the late 1920s. Broadway picked up again, Rich says, during its "golden age" around World War II, but never regained the level of production seen in the 1920s. Television brought new competition to the theater. Although shows continued to be created through the 1960s and beyond, this era marked the end of Broadway as a "mammoth" production center. Discussion concludes with Rich's views on the future of the musical theater. "It won't dry up," he says, the idea of the Broadway musical still inspires young people and these artists will continue to create despite the obstacles. Finally, he speaks of Sondheim's importance as an artist, and the themes which he addresses in his musicals. Last minute contains audio-only discussion on Sondheim.

Alternative Title

• Broadway, the American musical
• Broadway: the American musical : Frank Rich

Subject

• Rich, Frank > Interviews
• Hamlisch, Marvin
• Bernstein, Leonard, 1918-1990
• Sondheim, Stephen
• Kander, John
• Warren, Harry, 1893-1981
• Merrick, David, 1911-2000
• Theater > New York (State) > New York
• Musical theater > New York (State) > New York
• Musical theater > Production and direction
• Theater critics > Interviews
• Dramatic criticism
• Mass media and theater
• Theater and society
• Broadway (New York, N.Y.)

Genre/Form

• Documentaries and factual works.
• Musicals.
• Unedited footage.

Note

• This interview is one of a group of interviews with 90 individuals used in making the documentary Broadway, the American musical. The completed production is available on NCOX 2058.
• Credits for completed production from pbs.org: A film by Michael Kantor ; produced by Jeff Dupre, Michael Kantor and Sally Rosenthal ; written by Marc Fields, Michael Kantor, Laurence Maslon, and JoAnne Young ; directed by Michael Kantor.
• Time code on frame.
• Contains various takes, at occasional brief intervals, audio continues without sound.

Credits (note)

• Cameraman: Buddy Squires.

Performer (note)

• Interviewer: Michael Kantor. Interviewee: Frank Rich.

Event (note)

• Videotaped in New York, N.Y., probably at Frank Rich's residence, on July 16, 2003.

Biography (note)

• Broadway, the American musical, which aired on PBS in October 2004, is a documentary chronicling the entire history of a unique American art form, the Broadway musical. Each of its six episodes covers a different era in American theater history, and features the Broadway shows and songs which defined the period. The series draws on feature films, television broadcasts, archival news footage, original cast recordings, still photos, diaries, journals, first-person accounts, and on-camera interviews with many of the principals involved in the development of the genre.

Call Number

NCOX 2156

OCLC

141252999

Title

[Interview with Frank Rich : raw footage] [videorecording] / [directed by Michael Kantor]

Imprint

New York, 2003.

Credits

Cameraman: Buddy Squires.

Performer

Interviewer: Michael Kantor. Interviewee: Frank Rich.

Event

Videotaped in New York, N.Y., probably at Frank Rich's residence, on July 16, 2003.

Biography

Broadway, the American musical, which aired on PBS in October 2004, is a documentary chronicling the entire history of a unique American art form, the Broadway musical. Each of its six episodes covers a different era in American theater history, and features the Broadway shows and songs which defined the period. The series draws on feature films, television broadcasts, archival news footage, original cast recordings, still photos, diaries, journals, first-person accounts, and on-camera interviews with many of the principals involved in the development of the genre.

Local Note

Gift of Broadway Film Project, Inc. and Thirteen/WNET, 2005.

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Added Author

Rich, Frank, interviewee.

Kantor, Michael, 1961- interviewer.

Kantor, Michael, 1961- director.

Squires, Buddy, cameraman.

Broadway Film Project, Inc, donor.

Thirteen/WNET, donor.

Research Call Number

NCOX 2156