“One of the Top Ten TV Triumphs of 2004.”
PEOPLE MAGAZINE
“Millions of people…will be entertained within inches of their lives…Six hours may sound like a long time; in fact, it flies by like a daydream — one that is particularly dreamy. Listen to the lullaby of Old Broadway.”
WASHINGTON POST
“A love letter to Broadway musicals… Kantor links America’s gift to theater — the Broadway musical — to the historical, sociological and political realities that fed into it.”
MIAMI HERALD
“A dazzling six-hour documentary…If you liked “Show Boat” but don’t know the significance of Jerome Kern’s book as a turning point in musical theater history; if your knowledge of Fanny Brice is limited to “Funny Girl”; if you’ve always wondered why female impersonators make such a big deal about Ethel Merman – Michael Kantor’s film is eye-opening. The miniseries is calibrated to appeal to casual visitors as well as hardcore Broadway buffs.”
DENVER POST
“A love song to Broadway…a fabulous historical overview.”
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
“A superb new documentary…At the heart of this rich, absorbing and smartly judged six-hour series lies the conviction that popular entertainment, the Broadway musical in particular, matters. With its extravagance and unwitting revelations, its seductive charms and blinkered limitations, it measures what we are collectively, how we dream and where we fail…The film presents an indigenous American art form as an inexhaustible expression of the people who made and molded it… Above all, and as it should, BROADWAY entertains.”
SAN FRANCISCO CHRONICLE
“For three nights, succumb to the lullaby of Broadway, as PBS devotes six buoyantly entertaining hours to BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL…this long-overdue and all-too-brief BROADWAY melody makes a convincing case both for the musical’s impact on our cultural heritage and for its continued vibrancy today. Produced by Michael Kantor and hosted with effortless elegance by Julie Andrews, BROADWAY mixes new interviews with old pictures to provide a salute to the greatest entertainers of our age — often caught in clips you can hardly believe exist.”
USA TODAY
“One of the richest and most entertaining reality series ever conceived. That’s not hyperbole, folks. It’s the history of the Broadway musical. BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL, Michael Kantor’s dazzling six-hour production, hits all the right notes as it presents a living, breathing history of the stage…BROADWAY is a proud and glorious salute to the American songbook, with music intact…More important, the series savors the role the musical played in 20th-century American life. It shows how art not only reflects society but can also prick its conscience.”
HOUSTON CHRONICLE
“This thorough, lively and sometimes moving six-hour result, BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL is highly satisfying…the heart, excitement, variety, wit, melody and artistry are all there, almost alive again as the documentary proceeds frame by frame. Devotees and experts may find themselves learning a new tidbit, sneering detractors may be surprised at Broadway’s immeasurable cultural contribution and everyone is likely to relive past joys associated with the Great White Way — a phrase, shrewdly, the documentary never employs.”
CHICAGO TRIBUNE
“BROADWAY: THE AMERICAN MUSICAL places the work on Broadway stages at the center of American history…What makes BROADWAY such a great documentary is Kantor’s ability to anchor the stage magic and stardust to the street and the city life around it.”
BOSTON HERALD
“This lovingly crafted six-part series is in itself a milestone. Probably the most comprehensive documentary analysis ever assembled on Broadway musicals, this illuminating study traces the evolution of the popular art form over the last century, articulately and intrinsically reflected through the history of America and of New York itself.”
DAILY VARIETY
“You’ll laugh, you’ll cry. It’s better than Cats!”
U.S. NEWS AND WORLD REPORT
“Filmmaker Michael Kantor… has done for Broadway what Ken Burns did for baseball and jazz.”
LIZ SMITH, NEW YORK POST
“This is undoubtedly the best documentary ever done on the American musical.”
PLAYBILL
“This is it folks. The ultimate series of the fall season on Public Television … Broadway: The American Musical.”
NEWSDAY
