Broadway's Lost Treasures [DVD]

Description

Product Description Joel Grey, Carol Channing, John Raitt, Patti LuPone, Yul Brynner, Zero Mostel--these greats are among the original-cast performers featured in this unique filmed compendium of Broadway showstoppers. Seen only once in their original Tony Award® telecasts (1967–1986), these 22 knock-out performances come with new introductions by some of the featured performers, including Angela Lansbury, Jerry Orbach, and Chita Rivera. BONUS: Both DVD and VHS formats feature five extra performances not seen on PBS! Program includes: BROADWAY DIVAS Vivian Blaine, "Adelaide's Lament," Guys and Dolls Patti LuPone, "A New Argentina," Evita Angela Lansbury, "Worst Pies in London," Sweeney Todd Carol Channing, "Before the Parade Passes By," Hello, Dolly! Julie Andrews, "Send in the Clowns," A Little Night Music LEADING MEN Zero Mostel, "If I Were a Rich Man," Fiddler on the Roof Yul Brynner, "Shall We Dance," The King and I John Raitt, "Hey There," The Pajama Game Robert Preston, "Trouble," The Music Man Paul Lynde, "Kids," Bye Bye Birdie DANCIN' Joel Grey, "Willkommen," Cabaret Tommy Tune, Twiggy, "Chasin' the Clouds Away," My One and Only Gwen Verdon, Chita Rivera, "All That Jazz," "Nowadays," Chicago Jerry Orbach, "Lullaby of Broadway," 42nd Street RECORD BREAKERS Andrea McArdle, cast, "Tomorrow," Annie Cast, "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," Annie Betty Buckley and cast, "Jellicle Songs," "Memory," Cats BONUS PERFORMANCES! Both DVD and VHS formats include five additional performances not seen on the PBS pledge-special broadcasts. Ann Miller, Mickey Rooney, "McHugh Medley," Sugar Babies Patti LuPone, "Buenos Aires," Evita Barbara Harris, "Movie Star Gorgeous," The Apple Tree Bonnie Franklin, "Applause," Applause Dorothy Loudon and cast, "Easy Street," "Tomorrow" (reprise), Annie .com Broadway's Lost Treasures delivers what the title promises: 21 historic performances of great moments in American musical theater televised on the Tony Awards between 1967 and 1986. (Five were not included when the program was broadcast on PBS in 2003.) Unlike some other arts, theater has rarely been well-documented, so it's a treat to see these numbers performed by the original artists rather than experience them through audio recordings or tepid movie adaptations. Sure, sound and picture quality are only adequate, some of the numbers are minimally staged and some appear to be lip-synched, and some of the performances that do have excellent film counterparts (Yul Brynner in The King and I, Robert Preston in The Music Man, Joel Grey in Cabaret) seem rather lackluster here. But those are minor drawbacks compared to the chance to see Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera perform "All That Jazz" and "Nowadays" from Chicago, or John Raitt, a stage legend who's woefully underrepresented on film, singing The Pajama Game's "Hey There." The most electrifying excerpt is from Evita, anchored by the powerhouse trio of Patti LuPone, Mandy Patinkin, and Bob Gunton, the most surprising is Julie Andrews singing "Send in the Clowns" (she wasn't in the cast of A Little Night Music), and the most touching is a 12-year-old Andrea McArdle breaking hearts in Annie's "Tomorrow." An indispensable record of a quintessential American art form. --David Horiuchi