Broadway: The Golden Age, by the Legends Who Were There (2003)

Critic Reviews

• Jeff Strickler, Minneapolis Star Tribune

  For theater lovers -- on both sides of the footlights.

• Tom Long, Detroit News

  Old-timers, showbiz buffs and big-stage wanna-bes will not be disappointed.

• John Monaghan, Detroit Free Press

  Rather than listen to these old-timers reminisce about the good old days ... my advice is to get out and support your local thespians instead.

• Peter Howell, Toronto Star

  [The subjects] eagerly unwind before McKay's one-man camera, reminiscing about everything from their finest hours to the days when ticket prices still ran in single digits.

• Kamal Al-Solaylee, Globe and Mail

  It takes more than a fan to analyze the legacy of a period. But a fan is just what it takes to indulge in that legacy, which is exactly what Broadway: The Golden Age is all about.

• Desson Thomson, Washington Post

  The stories they tell in this warm, evocative documentary crackle with humor and glow with reverence. By listening to those stories, you'll glow too.

• D.K. Holm, Movie Poop Shoot

  Three sequences are amazing and inspirational.

• Shawn Levy, Oregonian

  It's the sort of history you could nibble on for hours.

• Chris Hewitt (St. Paul), St. Paul Pioneer Press

  Whether it's Julie Harris weeping as she recalls an Ethel Waters performance she saw 60 years ago or Marian Seldes lamenting the cruelty of show biz or Ann Miller blithely carving a decade off her age, there's no arguing that these years were golden.

• Jack Zink, South Florida Sun-Sentinel

  Its appeal isn't likely to cross over to those who don't already have the Broadway bug, or share the recollections themselves.

• Misha Berson, Seattle Times

  McKay's straightforward cinematic valentine, which also includes rare archival stage footage, is a treat for those bedazzled by the idea of Broadway in its prime.

• Robert W. Butler, Kansas City Star

  I can think of no higher compliment than to report that after seeing it, I wanted to rush out and see a play.

• John Coulbourn, Jam! Movies

  What makes Golden Age compelling cinema is the archival material that McKay has assembled to bind his loose and often casually unfocused interviews.

• William Arnold, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

  The demise of the New York theater is, of course, too complex a subject to be contained in a study of less than two hours, but this free-flowing film certainly hits the high points as it flips around its talking-head celebrity sound bites at warp speed.

• Susan Granger, Modamag.com

  An enthralling, timeless documentary. It's the closest you'll ever get to actually being there.

• Steve Rhodes, Internet Reviews

  Fascinating.

Read all 16 critic reviews