Research Catalog

[Interview with James Lapine : raw footage]

Title
[Interview with James Lapine : raw footage] [videorecording] / [directed by Michael Kantor]
Publication
New York, 2003.

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Moving imageRestricted use NCOX 2164Performing Arts Research Collections - TOFT

Details

Additional Authors
  • Lapine, James
  • Kantor, Michael, 1961-
  • Squires, Buddy
  • Broadway Film Project, Inc, donor.
  • Thirteen/WNET, donor.
Description
1 videocassette (VHS) (42 min.) : sd., col. SP; 1/2 in.
Summary
Raw interview footage used for the documentary Broadway, the American musical. Theatrical director and librettist James Lapine discusses the artistic sources of the American musical, and his creation with composer Stephen Sondheim of the 1984 musical Sunday in the park with George. Lapine speaks about his inspiration for the show in the painting by Georges Seurat known as Sunday afternoon on the island of the Grande Jatte; meeting Sondheim, and their early collaboration on the project; what the show is about; and how they structured the work. Lapine speaks about his inexperience on Broadway when he began work on the project, his earlier experiences in the theater, how he and Sondheim approached their work, and their decision to aim the show at a Broadway run. He discusses his feeling when he first heard the song Finishing the hat, introduced by Mandy Patinkin, and the song's expression of the joy of artistic creation; the show's difficult preview process, and the qualities of the show which made audiences find it difficult to appreciate. Lapine then speaks about the current state of musicals on Broadway, and what he hopes to see there in the future; and why reviving Sunday in the Park with George would be difficult. He also discusses Passion and Into the woods, the two additional shows on which he collaborated with Sondheim. Into the woods was an effort to do an intricately plotted work which would appeal to children, while the creation of Passion was driven by Sondheim's love of its operatic material. Lapine discusses Sunday in the Park's numbers Putting it together, which is about the artist having to sell his work commercially, and Color and light, which contains two reveries reflecting the love of two people for each other and for their work; his direction of the show and the collaborative process of its creators; its critical response, and the various ways audiences respond to the show; the basis of its story in the life of Seurat; and whether the show is a "watershed" in Broadway history. Lastly, Lapine discusses Broadway shows during the past season; the musical as a reflection of America and its culture; the state of producing on Broadway; more on his work with Sondheim; and the role of producers and others in creating new works for the Broadway stage.
Alternative Title
  • Broadway, the American musical
  • "Lapine" : Broadway: the American musical
Subjects
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: James Lapine.
Event (note)
  • Videotaped in New York, N.Y. on August 26, 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 2164
OCLC
145567639
Title
[Interview with James Lapine : raw footage] [videorecording] / [directed by Michael Kantor]
Imprint
New York, 2003.
Credits
Cameraman: Buddy Squires.
Performer
Interviewer: Michael Kantor. Interviewee: James Lapine.
Event
Videotaped in New York, N.Y. on August 26, 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
Lapine, James, interviewee.
Kantor, Michael, 1961- interviewer.
Kantor, Michael, 1961- director.
Squires, Buddy, cameraman.
Broadway Film Project, Inc, donor.
Thirteen/WNET, donor.
Research Call Number
NCOX 2164
View in Legacy Catalog