Analysis Of The Movie ' Broadway '

Broadway was one of the first forms of entertainment. Before there were television programs, or movies, there was Broadway. Broadway originated in New York in 1750, when actor-manager Walter Murray built a theatre company at the Theatre on Nassau Street. A musical would show about once every weekend. The shows were very male based, and would commonly show a relationship between young boys and their fathers. Women were slowly integrated into Broadway, and as society changed its point of view on women, so did theatre.

It changed the characteristic of broadway, from blackface to Tin Pan Alley era where most of

When the United States entered World War II in 1941, it was commonly believed that the war was “America’s golden age, a peak in the life of society when everything worked out and the good guys definitely got a happy ending” (2), which is a direct result from Hollywood’s glamorization of the war. During the war, the film industry began to boom, using the war as inspiration for making movies. Lifeboat (1944) and The Moon Is Down (1943) for example, makes it clear who the enemies were because the enemies were always “…cruel, devious, and unprincipled…” (11). It was also clear who the good guys and heroes were. The film industry even glamorized how people died in the war. In these movies whenever an American died their death was quick, painless, and clean. However, when the

A trip to 42nd street circa 1990 was certainly no destination fit for a family. Walls of graffiti adorn the peeling awnings of storefronts and theatres promise private dances and live nude women. Porn shops dotted the city block with colorful invitations to sex hotlines and signs prohibiting entry to anyone under the age of eighteen (Wollman 445). Decades earlier, during the Prohibition era, speakeasies and brothels lined the city, creating New York’s red light district. Today’s Times Square, however, bares no hint of resemblance to its former image of sleaze and mystery. Neon lights that once illustrated silhouettes of burlesque dancers have since been fashioned into the welcoming faces of cartoon characters. Signs visible

So what did the people have to rely on for coverage of the war? They relied on Hollywood to tell of WWII’s heroic stories. The movie industry had taken over this generation as we became less of an intellectual and relied more on visual effects and entertainment for information. In the movies, viewers were lead on to believe that most wars scenes were about killing the evil bad guy and reigning in patriotic glory. While the “bad guys” got blown into oblivion, American soldiers rarely died, got injured, even bled for that matter. But not only did the movies warp how American’s viewed war, but the media had a twisted input on it as well. “But the news wasn’t manipulated only by censors. John Steinbeck, a tough minded writier who exposed human misery during the Depression, admitted that as a war reporter he deliberately slanted his stories to omit anything that might shock civilians. He didn’t report on the rotten conditions suffered by the infantry… (Adams 9). Eisenhower even said that “public opinion wins wars” (Adams 10). The news was altering the truth, and reporting it back to their loyal audiences all across America. Magazines like the Reader’s Digest boomed in the 1930’s with short and sweet stories that offered optimistic views towards the war (Adams 11).

In the film “A Streetcar Named Desire”, the producers do an excellent job of showing how the film plays with light and dark, illusion and reality, and brutality conflict. Blanche, Stella, Stanly and Mitch successfully portray the concepts of light vs dark, illusion vs reality, brutality conflict through various transitions of each.

Kander and Ebb took a great risk in using the framework of a minstrel show to tell the story in their musical The Scottsboro Boys. Various sources argue that the use of the minstrel show in Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro Boys hinders the audiences experience and undermines the importance of this trial. This argument is one of many and goes to show that Kander and Ebb took many risks in using the minstrel show to tell the story of the Scottsboro Boys. Other sources argue that the humor and stereotypes of the minstrel show perpetuate the boys’ lack of individuality. In the article, “Too big for Broadway?:
The limits of historical and theatrical empathy in Parade and The Scottsboro Boys,” it is argued that this lack of characterization “makes it feel as though ‘the Boys’ are being victimized, not by American racism, but by Kander and Ebb” (Stahl 76). With all of the dangers involved in the use of this racist form, it is understandable how the intention of the minstrel show can be misconstrued.

My grandfather, Julian Hall, was a young boy during World War II. He was born in October 1937, and lived in nearby Nedrow, New York. In 1937, Nedrow was much smaller than it is now, being a typical small town in the North East where everybody knew everybody. Some of his first memories are about the war, which dominated life from the time the U.S. joined in 1941 until the war ended in 1945. Being a young child, he had many different views of the war than adults, since he didn’t fully understand everything that was happening around him.

“Sure as the day, follows the night, sure as the sky turns to blue, this much I know, this much is true, above all else in whatever you do, to thine own self be true.” This quote, written by John O'Farrell and Karey Kirkpatrick for the musical Something Rotten, is a play off of Shakespeare’s Hamlet. Carrying on Greek and European traditions of live theatre, Broadway entertains our current generation with two and a half overpriced hours of sitting in the dark surrounded by strangers. At least, that’s how my mother describes it, as she despises my expensive hobby.

When I went to go see The Lion King on Broadway a few words came to mind after the play; amazing, stunning, and unbelievable! I was a little unsure at first, because I thought I was too young to see something from a Disney World production. I was also wondering how Disney was going to manage putting a film starring non-human characters, into a three-dimensional stage. However, using all their “Disney magic” with a little help from a great stage producer The Lion King Musical kept my attention all the way through with their; voice and diction, staging, and many other elements.

Annie Hall, an American romantic comedy released in 1977 retells the story of a man named Alvy Singer (portrayed by Woody Allen) and his attempt at comprehending why his relationship with Annie Hall failed. Annie Hall incorporates many cinematic techniques into its story which help solidify its place regularly on lists of best comedies (Snider). It uses conflict, different types of narratives and a classic three act structure. The movie beautifully conveys a story in New York in which one really feels the characters are actual citizens and not actors (Barsam 166).

Going to the Abbey Theatre was a magical experience. As someone who has worked for a social justice theatre company the past two summers, theatre companies created with a purpose for political and social change are fascinating. Art is supposed to make people uncomfortable, it is supposed to make people think in some type of way. W. B. Yeats and Lady Gregory, two of the main founders of the theatre—did just this. They opened the theater with some of their most famous political shows despite their efforts and talk of attempting to keep the theater non-political. One modern element that is present for the Abbey Theatre and not in America is the governmental funding of theaters and the arts.

This past weekend, I watched the production of the play the 39 steps at the Great American Melodramatic Theatre in Oceano. The original playwright, Patrick Barlow, wrote this play based off of the 1935 Alfred Hitchcock film. The play is comical and unrealistic with the intent to entertain the audience. This production was directed by Dan Schultz and consisted of a cast of 4 actors: many, of which, played multiple parts in the play. It was impressive that they were able to take on multiple roles in a comical way. Being that the play was comical, it would not have been as enjoyable if it were not for the incredible acting of each performer.

At the end of World War I, an excited America was poised for a cultural renaissance; patriotism was on the rise, the strong concept of Manifest Destiny had passed its peak of influence, and, most importantly, there had not been a clear shift in culture for decades. The Jazz Age of the 1920s was about to dawn, bringing with it youthful, risqué morals and a carefree look on life. From these ideals, a new, strongly American form of entertainment would emerge: musical theatre. Most commonly found in New York City on Broadway even to this day, musical theatre became an escape from reality and an entry into the imagination. The grand and splashy components that make up what is considered a classic Broadway musical can ultimately be traced back to Cole Porter. Porter’s writing, albeit at times controversial or raunchy, was able to harness the frantically beating heart of the Jazz Age and turn it into treasured shows. Using his unique melodies, romantic or idealistic lyrics, and his pioneering of writing about the human experience, Cole Porter shaped American music and theatre from the 1920s through the 1940s.

Literally five minutes ago I was sitting on my couch, trying to figure out what I was gonna do this weekend and then I get a phone call telling me I have won two tickets to see a Broadway production. At first I am excited but then I automatically started freaking out about who I was gonna take. All my friends are going to a music concert that I can not afford, but then I start thinking I can take a family member. I began to think it over and I decide I am going to take my grandmother because she never really gets out and just goes on a randomly fun trip. Now that I know I am taking her I need to find a sho i know she will enjoy. I know since she has gotten older she like shows and movies that have a good story or movie plot that involves