Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy

Is it true what they say in Spamalot (“You won’t make it on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews”)? Tracing Broadway’s Yiddish roots, and exploring back-stories behind many landmark shows from Showboat to Wicked, filmmaker Michael Kantor chronicles the unique role of Jewish musicians in the creation of the modern American musical. This joyful and intelligent documentary features interviews with many theatre artists, rare archival footage and recordings from original Broadway productions, and unforgettable anecdotes (hearing about Ethel Merman’s irreverent behavior at a Passover Seder during the rehearsals for Gypsy will leave you in hysterics). Is it true what they say in Spamalot (“You won’t make it on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews”)? Tracing Broadway’s Yiddish roots, and exploring back-stories behind many landmark shows from Showboat to Wicked, filmmaker Michael Kantor chronicles the unique role of Jewish musicians in the creation of the modern American musical. This joyful and intelligent documentary features interviews with many theatre artists, rare archival footage and recordings from original Broadway productions, and unforgettable anecdotes (hearing about Ethel Merman’s irreverent behavior at a Passover Seder during the rehearsals for Gypsy will leave you in hysterics). Is it true what they say in Spamalot (“You won’t make it on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews”)? Tracing Broadway’s Yiddish roots, and exploring back-stories behind many landmark shows from Showboat to Wicked, filmmaker Michael Kantor chronicles the unique role of Jewish musicians in the creation of the modern American musical. This joyful and intelligent documentary features interviews with many theatre artists, rare archival footage and recordings from original Broadway productions, and unforgettable anecdotes (hearing about Ethel Merman’s irreverent behavior at a Passover Seder during the rehearsals for Gypsy will leave you in hysterics). Is it true what they say in Spamalot (“You won’t make it on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews”)? Tracing Broadway’s Yiddish roots, and exploring back-stories behind many landmark shows from Showboat to Wicked, filmmaker Michael Kantor chronicles the unique role of Jewish musicians in the creation of the modern American musical. This joyful and intelligent documentary features interviews with many theatre artists, rare archival footage and recordings from original Broadway productions, and unforgettable anecdotes (hearing about Ethel Merman’s irreverent behavior at a Passover Seder during the rehearsals for Gypsy will leave you in hysterics).