18 Must-Watch Documentaries for Broadway Musical Fans
These essential documentaries capture some of the most fascinating and legendary entertainers, writers, and musicals in Broadway history.
Broadway’s beloved characters, its iconic stars, and groundbreaking productions have fascinated theatregoers and documentary filmmakers alike.
Here’s an updated list of 18 documentaries that capture some of musical theatre’s most compelling documentaries and where you can stream them online, or rent them on DVD. Of course, streaming services continue to update their catalogs, so keep an eye out.
EVERY ACT OF LIFE
An in-depth look at the life and career of groundbreaking playwright Terrence McNally, who wrote everything from comedies about contemporary gay life to musicals about long-lost Russian royalty. Those interviewed include Christine Baranski, F. Murray Abraham, and Angela Lansbury.
Available on: Amazon Prime
HAMILTON’S AMERICA
The 2016 documentary film delves deep into the creation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical phenomenon Hamilton. We follow Miranda through his writing process, and journey with the cast and creators of the downtown musical at the Public Theater just before it takes Broadway by storm in summer 2015. Filmmaker Alex Horwitz utilizes stunning video from the Broadway production that captures extensive musical sequences from show’s irreplaceable original cast. (74 minutes)
Available on: Previously available on PBS Passport, we’ll be on alert for its next streaming destination, but it makes this list to keep on your radar
NOTE: Amazon Prime includes Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway in its streaming repertoire. Note that this is not the same as Hamilton’s America. The documentary by Elio España is self-billed as “unauthorized.” Nevertheless, Hamilfans looking for everything to do with Miranda and the Founding Father may want to devour all they can.
BEST WORST THING THAT EVER COULD HAVE HAPPENED
Original cast member Lonny Price directs this fascinating and bittersweet documentary about the short-lived 1981 Stephen Sondheim-George Furth musical Merrily We Roll Along. Price splices never-before-seen rehearsal footage alongside interviews with Sondheim, director Harold Prince, and original cast members including Jason Alexander, Tonya Pinkins, Jim Walton, Ann Morrison, and more. (96 minutes)
Available on: iTunes, Netflix, and Vudu
CAROL CHANNING: LARGER THAN LIFE
A fitting tribute to a beloved Broadway legend, filmmaker and Broadway producer Dori Berinstein (The Prom, Legally Blonde The Musical) directs this chronicle of the life, loves, and historic career of Tony winner Carol Channing in this 2012 film. From her San Francisco childhood, to her 1941 Broadway debut (at age 20) and her iconic performance in Hello, Dolly!, Channing recounts the highs and lows of a life spent on the stage. Channing opens up about her personal life, including her four marriages and her relationship with her son. Showbiz groundbreakers, including Lily Tomlin, Chita Rivera, Debbie Reynolds, Phyllis Diller and more, offer heartfelt tributes celebrating Channing’s singular talent. (88 minutes)
Available on: Dramatic Forces, iTunes, Amazon Prime, YouTube, Vudu, and Google Play
ORIGINAL CAST ALBUM: COMPANY
Packed with drama, D. A. Pennebaker’s documentary goes inside the recording studio for the original Broadway cast album of Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s groundbreaking 1970 musical Company. Recorded (and filmed) over a breakneck 24-hour period, the behind-the-scenes account of the album’s creation is the stuff of Broadway legend. Sondheim and director Harold Prince provide illuminating insight, and performances by Dean Jones’ (“Being Alive”) and Elaine Stritch, who comes to a standstill during a frazzled late-night recording of “Ladies Who Lunch,” will leave you speechless. (58 minutes)
Available on: The Criterion Channel
NOTE: Not a true documentary, but a documentary-style parody, Documentary Now! spoofed Original Cast Album: Company with Episode 3 Season 3, Original Cast Album: Co-Op. From John Mulaney and Seth Meyers, the episode features Mulaney as the Sondheim-esque songwriter Simon Stephens with Taran Killam (Hamilton, Saturday Night Live) as producer Benedict Juniper. Broadway stars Renee Elise Goldsberry, Alex Brightman, Richard Kind, Paula Pell, stand out in numbers like “Holiday Party (I Did a Little Cocaine Tonight)” and “Going Up.” And in addition to the doc, Cirterion Channel also has a recent, virtual conversation with the "Co-Op" performers.
Available on: Netflix, Amazon Prime, IFC.com
THE HEAT IS ON: THE MAKING OF MISS SAIGON
This 1988 documentary captures the creation, casting and original rehearsals for the London premiere of the Alain Boublil-Claude-Michel Schönberg musical based on Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. The film’s most compelling moments come during the casting process, which involved a global search to find the ideal “Kim” that culminates in Lea Salonga’s break-out audition for the role. (75 minutes).
Available on: Limited copies available for purchase through Amazon
THE HEAT IS BACK ON: THE REMAKING OF MISS SAIGON
This 1988 documentary captures the creation, casting and original rehearsals for the London premiere of the Alain Boublil-Claude-Michel Schönberg musical based on Puccini’s Madame Butterfly. The film’s most compelling moments come during the casting process, which involved a global search to find the ideal “Kim” that culminates in Lea Salonga’s break-out audition for the role. (75 minutes).
Available on: Limited copies available for purchase through Amazon
THE HEAT IS BACK ON: THE REMAKING OF MISS SAIGON
“It's a little frightening for people to get into your life that much, but I don’t have anything to hide,” the late Elaine Stritch told Playbill during the filming. “There’s no point in doing a documentary unless you absolutely deliver the 100 percent truth.” Filmmaker Chiemi Karasawa began shooting the documentary in 2011, three years before Stritch’s death. The film is classic Stritch: unflinchingly candid, shrewdly funny, deeply moving and flecked with tension. Karasawa delivers a gripping film that captures a Broadway lion still capable of roaring in the final years of her life. (81 minutes)
Available on: Amazon Prime
SHOW BUSINESS: THE ROAD TO BROADWAY
The destiny of four Broadway musicals from the 2003–2004 season are captured in another must-watch 2007 documentary from Dori Berinstein. The movie offers a rare behind-the-scenes view of a show’s creative process—from casting to opening night. Critics, creatives, and Broadway’s biggest movers and shakers are the key players in this documentary that focuses on Wicked, Taboo, Avenue Q, and Caroline, or Change. (103 minutes)
Available on: Dramatic Forces, Amazon Prime
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