Sally Ann Howes, Carol Lawrence, Patricia Neal and Jane Powell will all be on hand to help documentarian McKay celebrate the DVD arrival of "Broadway: The Golden Age." The 6 PM event will be held at the Tower Records at Lincoln Center, 1691 Broadway at 66th Street. The DVD was officially released Nov. 9 on the RCA Victor label.
The DVD, which features interviews with dozens and dozens of Broadway stars, boasts 88 minutes worth of bonus material. The original film has a running time of 114 minutes and explores the fabled Golden Age of Broadway. Among the stars who were interviewed for McKay's work are Elaine Stritch, Shirley MacLaine, Ann Miller, Kim Hunter, Jeremy Irons, Tommy Tune, Angela Lansbury, Carol Burnett, Patricia Neal and Stephen Sondheim.
Among the bonus features to be found on the DVD: footage of the star studded movie premiere events, including a Sardi's bash with Peter Jackson, Naomi Watts and Leonard Maltin; extended performance footage of Gwen Verdon and Bob Fosse; Marian Seldes discussing actress Katharine Cornell; June Havoc discussing the Rodgers and Hart musical Pal Joey; a deleted scene that was titled "Passing It On"; an alternate ending; the original theatrical trailer; and Rick McKay's director commentary.
There is also 35 minutes of footage from next year's sequel film, "Broadway: The Next Generation." That follow-up film will feature interviews with Jason Alexander, Alec Baldwin, John Barrowman, Alan Cumming, Daisy Eagan, Tovah Feldshuh, Bonnie Franklin, Joanna Gleason, Ruthie Henshall, Cady Huffman, Cherry Jones, Michael John La Chiusa, Patti LuPone, Cameron Mackintosh, Matthew Morrison, Christine Pedi, Amanda Plummer, Ann Reinking, Liev Schreiber, Marc Shaiman, Douglas Sills, Mary Testa, Marissa Jaret Winokur, George C. Wolfe and Karen Ziemba.
* Rick McKay — a native of Beach Grove, Indiana — arrived in New York in 1981 and was disappointed to realize that the Broadway of his boyhood dreams had been replaced by rock operas and musicals that celebrated felines over humans. With no crew, no budget and one digital camera, McKay’s search to determine whether a Golden Age ever really existed brought the former actor-singer to four continents. That five-year journey featuring interviews with over 100 theatrical legends is captured in "Broadway: The Golden Age."
Among the film's highlights: Shirley MacLaine recalls her star-making performance in The Pajama Game when she filled in for the injured Carol Haney. Lainie Kazan remembers the despair of being replaced out-of town in Seesaw by a young Michele Lee. Robert Goulet remembers his audition for and co-star Richard Harris' reaction to his reading for the role of Camelot’s Lancelot. Stephen Sondheim, Hal Prince and Chita Rivera all relate stories about the groundbreaking musical West Side Story. And, Angela Lansbury explains nabbing the only role that she ever desperately wanted: Mame in Jerry Herman's Tony-winning musical.
