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I have to say, working on
my first show on Broadway,
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00:00:26,548 --> 00:00:30,247
I remember so clearly
coming to start rehearsals.
5
00:00:32,945 --> 00:00:35,035
When you're
approaching Manhattan,
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00:00:35,209 --> 00:00:37,254
and you can see it
from a distance,
7
00:00:37,428 --> 00:00:39,561
you look at it
and you think, you know,
8
00:00:39,735 --> 00:00:41,128
"Am I going to conquer it?"
9
00:00:41,302 --> 00:00:43,217
You know,
"Will I conquer New York?
10
00:00:43,391 --> 00:00:45,697
Will I survive it even?"
11
00:00:49,397 --> 00:00:52,356
The whole concept of Broadway,
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00:00:52,530 --> 00:00:55,925
it has this very romantic,
13
00:00:56,099 --> 00:00:59,233
very heroic, very legendary
14
00:00:59,407 --> 00:01:01,409
kind of feel to it.
15
00:01:04,673 --> 00:01:08,024
New York is a place that,
when 8:00 at night rolls around,
16
00:01:08,198 --> 00:01:11,332
the curtain is opening on
some of the greatest performers
17
00:01:11,506 --> 00:01:13,290
around the world in one city.
18
00:01:15,379 --> 00:01:17,990
It's almost incomprehensible
the amount of talent
19
00:01:18,165 --> 00:01:19,731
that is on display
in that one moment
20
00:01:19,905 --> 00:01:21,037
on Broadway.
21
00:01:22,778 --> 00:01:24,649
As a performer, Broadway
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00:01:24,823 --> 00:01:25,868
is different than anywhere else
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00:01:26,042 --> 00:01:27,261
on the planet.
24
00:01:27,957 --> 00:01:30,264
You feel the audience
leaning in.
25
00:01:31,134 --> 00:01:32,831
They're wanting to have
a great time.
26
00:01:33,005 --> 00:01:35,095
They are ready to enjoy it.
27
00:01:35,269 --> 00:01:36,792
It's the most palpable
I've ever felt
28
00:01:36,966 --> 00:01:38,272
that connection
with an audience.
29
00:01:39,795 --> 00:01:42,276
Without the theater,
New York somehow
30
00:01:42,450 --> 00:01:44,147
would not be itself.
31
00:01:45,409 --> 00:01:47,368
Broadway is
a bunch of buildings.
32
00:01:47,542 --> 00:01:49,979
It's a bunch of real estate.
33
00:01:50,545 --> 00:01:52,416
But, periodically,
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00:01:52,590 --> 00:01:55,593
something incredible
that resonates with people
35
00:01:55,767 --> 00:01:58,335
ends up inhabiting
those buildings,
36
00:01:58,509 --> 00:02:01,512
and it creates
a kind of strange,
37
00:02:01,686 --> 00:02:03,514
wonderful, odd energy,
38
00:02:03,688 --> 00:02:06,126
and all of a sudden
those buildings become
39
00:02:06,300 --> 00:02:09,955
kind of like a church
that attract these devotees,
40
00:02:10,130 --> 00:02:14,003
who find themselves empowered
by what's on that stage.
41
00:02:14,177 --> 00:02:17,702
But, at the same time,
it's a commercial landscape,
42
00:02:17,876 --> 00:02:20,096
and every day
you have to pay your rent.
43
00:02:20,270 --> 00:02:21,837
That's the key to Broadway.
44
00:02:22,011 --> 00:02:24,448
The key to Broadway is every day
you have to pay your rent.
45
00:02:26,494 --> 00:02:28,452
In our country right now,
46
00:02:28,626 --> 00:02:31,847
we have to celebrate
how Broadway reflects
47
00:02:32,021 --> 00:02:33,501
who we are as Americans.
48
00:02:34,632 --> 00:02:36,634
It's been a long process
49
00:02:36,808 --> 00:02:40,290
of artists taking risks,
50
00:02:40,464 --> 00:02:44,076
and it reflects us
as a United States of America.
51
00:02:46,035 --> 00:02:48,820
You just always gotta keep
an eye on what's new,
52
00:02:48,994 --> 00:02:52,607
what's fresh,
what's this going to inspire.
53
00:02:52,781 --> 00:02:55,610
The next kid who thinks,
"Oh, my God,
54
00:02:55,784 --> 00:02:57,089
I'm gonna write a play."
55
00:03:28,251 --> 00:03:29,687
Director.
56
00:03:29,861 --> 00:03:32,821
The Nap is a very unusual play.
57
00:03:34,475 --> 00:03:37,565
Paying the kind of money
you have to pay
58
00:03:37,739 --> 00:03:41,351
to put anything
on a Broadway stage now
59
00:03:41,525 --> 00:03:43,614
is almost foolhardy.
60
00:03:45,529 --> 00:03:49,054
But, the excitement
ain't about the money.
61
00:03:49,229 --> 00:03:52,362
It's all about finding
fascinating new work,
62
00:03:52,536 --> 00:03:54,886
and taking that chance
to put it before the public.
63
00:03:58,325 --> 00:04:00,283
When I first read this script
64
00:04:00,457 --> 00:04:02,981
and saw how funny it was,
65
00:04:03,155 --> 00:04:06,507
that's when I wanted
to help tell the story,
66
00:04:06,681 --> 00:04:08,770
and it just so happened
that it was on Broadway,
67
00:04:08,944 --> 00:04:10,641
so I got lucky.
68
00:04:13,340 --> 00:04:14,645
Opening night,
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00:04:14,819 --> 00:04:17,300
I tried it as best as I could
70
00:04:17,474 --> 00:04:19,041
to be grateful
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00:04:19,215 --> 00:04:22,131
for the people
that have paved the way.
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00:04:28,659 --> 00:04:31,532
Because the Broadway journey
has so much history
73
00:04:31,706 --> 00:04:34,274
attached to it,
74
00:04:34,448 --> 00:04:37,755
and we need to
remember our history.
75
00:04:37,929 --> 00:04:40,497
All of it is important,
all of it has to be looked at.
76
00:04:46,721 --> 00:04:49,463
The theater district
in those days,
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00:04:49,637 --> 00:04:51,465
you just can't believe
how different it was.
78
00:04:51,639 --> 00:04:54,598
I--I mean, it was
so down on its luck.
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00:04:56,034 --> 00:04:58,385
Times Square was a rat hole.
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00:05:02,084 --> 00:05:05,261
You didn't walk down
42nd Street after dark
81
00:05:05,435 --> 00:05:06,654
for anything.
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00:05:08,003 --> 00:05:12,573
It was wall to wall
junkies and hustlers.
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00:05:12,747 --> 00:05:15,053
It was like the Wild West.
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00:05:16,620 --> 00:05:18,100
When my mother came to visit me
85
00:05:18,274 --> 00:05:20,668
in my first
$55-a-month apartment,
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00:05:20,842 --> 00:05:23,410
I brought her up
and she stepped in the room,
87
00:05:23,584 --> 00:05:25,499
and she started crying
88
00:05:25,673 --> 00:05:28,066
that her baby boy
was living like that
89
00:05:28,240 --> 00:05:29,764
in Hell's Kitchen.
90
00:05:31,896 --> 00:05:34,029
It's not the Times Square
of the Lion King.
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00:05:34,203 --> 00:05:35,900
It's the Times Square
of Midnight Cowboy
92
00:05:36,074 --> 00:05:38,599
and Taxi Driver.
93
00:05:38,773 --> 00:05:41,341
So, Broadway was stuck in a city
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00:05:41,515 --> 00:05:43,125
and a neighborhood,
Times Square,
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00:05:43,299 --> 00:05:44,909
that was falling apart.
96
00:05:47,172 --> 00:05:50,698
42nd Street,
you didn't venture down there.
97
00:05:50,872 --> 00:05:53,483
You peeped down from 7th Avenue,
98
00:05:53,657 --> 00:05:55,703
and knew if you needed
sex or drugs,
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00:05:55,877 --> 00:05:58,749
you could probably find them,
but that was all.
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00:05:58,923 --> 00:06:00,403
There was no theater to be done.
101
00:06:02,318 --> 00:06:04,189
But, it was very exciting.
102
00:06:06,235 --> 00:06:08,324
It used to be, basically,
sort of brothels,
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00:06:08,498 --> 00:06:10,457
and, you know, strip clubs,
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00:06:10,631 --> 00:06:12,894
and I loved it like that,
I have to say.
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00:06:13,068 --> 00:06:15,070
You know, what can I say?
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00:06:15,244 --> 00:06:17,812
I work in the theater, you know,
they're my kind of people.
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00:06:23,339 --> 00:06:25,689
I remember, in the early '70s,
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Times Square being scary.
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00:06:34,394 --> 00:06:37,048
New York was on a--
on a dark side.
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Tourism was down,
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00:06:38,963 --> 00:06:40,530
shootings were up.
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00:06:40,704 --> 00:06:43,751
There were five to six
reported crimes a day
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00:06:43,925 --> 00:06:45,317
on 42nd Street.
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00:06:50,018 --> 00:06:52,803
There were people
being mugged on the streets.
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00:06:52,977 --> 00:06:56,111
You heard stories
of people standing in line
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00:06:56,285 --> 00:06:58,374
to get into a theater
in their finery,
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00:06:58,548 --> 00:06:59,984
and having a robber
come from behind
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00:07:00,158 --> 00:07:01,986
and grab their necklace.
119
00:07:02,160 --> 00:07:03,945
The police are out
in Times Square
120
00:07:04,119 --> 00:07:06,077
passing out flyers
to passersby saying,
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00:07:06,251 --> 00:07:08,819
"Get out of this neighborhood
by 6:00 at night."
122
00:07:08,993 --> 00:07:10,647
That's gonna kill
the theater business.
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00:07:10,821 --> 00:07:12,562
There were
many, many dark theaters.
124
00:07:13,998 --> 00:07:16,523
But, it wasn't always like that.
125
00:07:25,401 --> 00:07:27,534
When I was a kid,
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00:07:27,708 --> 00:07:31,015
we would come into town
on very special occasions,
127
00:07:31,189 --> 00:07:34,323
and I remember it was magic
seeing the bright lights
128
00:07:34,497 --> 00:07:36,760
of all the theaters.
129
00:07:36,934 --> 00:07:39,371
It was incredibly exhilarating.
130
00:07:41,722 --> 00:07:44,028
In the '40s and '50s,
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00:07:44,202 --> 00:07:47,641
Broadway is front and center
of the popular culture.
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00:07:47,815 --> 00:07:50,861
All the hits on the radio
are coming from Broadway.
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00:07:51,862 --> 00:07:54,169
Hollywood wanted movies
based on Broadway shows.
134
00:07:56,084 --> 00:07:58,347
It's the era of great musicals,
135
00:07:58,521 --> 00:08:00,697
but also the most important
American playwrights.
136
00:08:02,525 --> 00:08:05,659
It's the golden age of Broadway.
137
00:08:08,009 --> 00:08:11,316
So, you have a robust Broadway
into the '60s.
138
00:08:11,491 --> 00:08:15,669
Welcome,im Cabaret, au Cabaret,
139
00:08:15,843 --> 00:08:18,498
To Cabaret
140
00:08:20,891 --> 00:08:23,024
But, from '68 to '72,
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00:08:23,198 --> 00:08:28,029
attendance plunges from
10 million to 4.8 million.
142
00:08:28,203 --> 00:08:31,075
So, this is a business
that loses half its audience
143
00:08:31,249 --> 00:08:33,382
in four years.
144
00:08:36,733 --> 00:08:38,430
You would be
in a situation sometimes
145
00:08:38,605 --> 00:08:41,999
where every theater
on 45th Street was dark.
146
00:08:42,173 --> 00:08:45,046
- There wasn't product for them.
- They put up these signs
147
00:08:45,220 --> 00:08:46,743
on the marquees
148
00:08:46,917 --> 00:08:49,833
of all the theaters
that didn't have shows.
149
00:08:50,007 --> 00:08:52,706
Then, it said,
"See a Broadway show!
150
00:08:52,880 --> 00:08:54,621
Just for the fun of it!"
151
00:08:55,883 --> 00:08:58,407
People were running away
from the city.
152
00:08:58,581 --> 00:09:01,976
New York was careening
towards bankruptcy.
153
00:09:02,150 --> 00:09:05,240
Well, how many here would urge
the--the Federal Government
154
00:09:05,414 --> 00:09:08,417
to bail out New York City?
155
00:09:11,681 --> 00:09:12,987
Here's one gentleman...
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00:09:20,255 --> 00:09:22,953
At the same time,
there's a shift in tastes
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00:09:23,127 --> 00:09:25,695
in popular culture,
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00:09:25,869 --> 00:09:29,612
and all of a sudden
Broadway became old fashioned.
159
00:09:29,786 --> 00:09:33,224
It became something
your grandmother listens to.
160
00:09:33,398 --> 00:09:37,751
When popular music shifted,
161
00:09:37,925 --> 00:09:41,885
that opened the door,
almost inadvertently,
162
00:09:42,059 --> 00:09:45,062
for musicals
that were different,
163
00:09:45,236 --> 00:09:48,022
and a new generation
of great artists,
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00:09:48,196 --> 00:09:49,806
like Stephen Sondheim.
165
00:09:51,025 --> 00:09:54,202
That's--that's the explosion,
that's the flower bursting,
166
00:09:54,376 --> 00:09:56,944
and that's where you can
take rhythmic liberties.
167
00:09:57,118 --> 00:09:58,423
Just what you're doing.
168
00:09:58,598 --> 00:09:59,860
Hal Prince and Steve Sondheim
169
00:10:00,034 --> 00:10:02,166
changed the American
musical theater
170
00:10:02,340 --> 00:10:04,212
with shows like Company,
that were not just
171
00:10:04,386 --> 00:10:06,823
happy people dancing,
but about the problems
172
00:10:06,997 --> 00:10:09,609
of New York City here and now.
173
00:10:09,783 --> 00:10:11,175
About contemporary people.
174
00:10:11,915 --> 00:10:14,918
Company was the first musical
I saw on Broadway,
175
00:10:15,092 --> 00:10:17,747
and I just thought, "Okay,
this is the New York theater."
176
00:10:17,921 --> 00:10:19,575
Listen, everybody, look,I don't know what
177
00:10:19,749 --> 00:10:21,446
You're waiting for,a wedding, what's a wedding,
178
00:10:21,621 --> 00:10:23,100
It's a prehistoric ritualwhere everybody promises
179
00:10:23,274 --> 00:10:25,015
Fidelity forever, which is maybe the most horrifying word
180
00:10:25,189 --> 00:10:26,538
I ever heard of, which isfollowed by a honeymoon
181
00:10:26,713 --> 00:10:28,715
The whole rhythm of it
was unlike anything
182
00:10:28,889 --> 00:10:30,325
anyone had ever seen.
183
00:10:30,499 --> 00:10:31,979
Go have lunch, 'cause I'm not getting married
184
00:10:32,153 --> 00:10:35,722
The songs served
the material differently,
185
00:10:35,896 --> 00:10:38,028
and defined character,
186
00:10:38,202 --> 00:10:39,943
and moved story along.
187
00:10:40,117 --> 00:10:41,902
Don't just stand there,I'm not getting married
188
00:10:42,076 --> 00:10:44,818
And don't tell Paul thatI'm not getting married today
189
00:10:44,992 --> 00:10:49,213
Steve was doing something that
no one else had done before.
190
00:10:49,387 --> 00:10:53,304
Creating a whole different view
of what a musical should be.
191
00:10:55,045 --> 00:10:58,005
Here's to the ladies
192
00:10:58,179 --> 00:10:59,963
Who lunch
193
00:11:02,313 --> 00:11:05,534
Everybody laugh
194
00:11:05,708 --> 00:11:08,189
They were more serious,
they were cutting.
195
00:11:08,363 --> 00:11:11,932
Lounging in their caftans
196
00:11:12,106 --> 00:11:15,196
And planning a brunch
197
00:11:15,370 --> 00:11:17,372
He challenges you.
198
00:11:17,546 --> 00:11:19,113
He doesn't placate you.
199
00:11:19,287 --> 00:11:22,072
He doesn't lick you,
he doesn't rub up against you.
200
00:11:22,246 --> 00:11:25,249
He makes a fist and says,
"Pay attention."
201
00:11:25,423 --> 00:11:29,558
Look into their eyesand you'll see what they know
202
00:11:29,732 --> 00:11:34,737
Everybody dies
203
00:11:34,911 --> 00:11:38,959
A toast to that invisible bunh
204
00:11:39,133 --> 00:11:42,702
The dinosaurssurviving the crunch
205
00:11:42,876 --> 00:11:46,444
Let's hear itfor the ladies who lunch
206
00:11:46,618 --> 00:11:51,711
Everybody rise
207
00:11:51,885 --> 00:11:54,975
Rise
208
00:11:55,149 --> 00:11:59,414
Rise, rise
209
00:11:59,588 --> 00:12:02,591
Steve and Hal were doing
sophisticated, ambitious,
210
00:12:02,765 --> 00:12:05,942
adult musicals.
211
00:12:06,116 --> 00:12:09,424
But, as brilliant artistically
as these shows were,
212
00:12:09,598 --> 00:12:11,687
very few of them made any money.
213
00:12:13,297 --> 00:12:15,909
Success is a funny thing.
214
00:12:16,083 --> 00:12:18,302
The exhilaration of theater
215
00:12:18,476 --> 00:12:21,697
is challenging
as well as entertaining.
216
00:12:21,871 --> 00:12:26,223
What makes money
and what represents
217
00:12:26,397 --> 00:12:30,401
the craft
at its highest art form
218
00:12:30,575 --> 00:12:33,056
are not always the same thing.
219
00:12:40,063 --> 00:12:41,804
The theaters were still empty,
220
00:12:41,978 --> 00:12:43,414
and at the center
of this business
221
00:12:43,588 --> 00:12:45,895
is the Shubert Organization.
222
00:12:46,069 --> 00:12:48,202
The backbone
of the American theater.
223
00:12:49,116 --> 00:12:51,727
Until the '60s,
they had the monopoly
224
00:12:51,901 --> 00:12:55,513
on theaters in New York
and across the country.
225
00:12:55,687 --> 00:12:58,386
Everybody who worked
in the theater in America
226
00:12:58,560 --> 00:13:01,041
at one time
was on a Shubert payroll,
227
00:13:01,215 --> 00:13:04,566
whether they were an actor,
a director, a designer,
228
00:13:04,740 --> 00:13:07,395
or usher,
because the Shubert Organization
229
00:13:07,569 --> 00:13:10,485
not only owned and operated
104 theaters,
230
00:13:10,659 --> 00:13:13,314
they booked 1,000 theaters.
231
00:13:13,488 --> 00:13:16,970
It was originally
three brothers,
232
00:13:17,144 --> 00:13:19,015
and they built the theaters
that are the foundation
233
00:13:19,189 --> 00:13:21,322
of Times Square.
234
00:13:21,496 --> 00:13:22,584
That still exists today.
235
00:13:25,587 --> 00:13:27,371
It was in the '70s
that Jimmy Nederlander
236
00:13:27,545 --> 00:13:29,765
came in to New York.
237
00:13:29,939 --> 00:13:31,854
He bought the Palace Theater,
238
00:13:32,028 --> 00:13:35,902
and then Jimmy
began to buy more theaters.
239
00:13:36,076 --> 00:13:40,428
And then, Jujamcyn came in
and they bought a few theaters.
240
00:13:40,602 --> 00:13:42,299
So, Broadway
is basically dominated
241
00:13:42,473 --> 00:13:46,086
by the Shuberts,
the Nederlanders,
242
00:13:46,260 --> 00:13:48,392
and Jujamcyn.
243
00:13:48,566 --> 00:13:51,439
And they have
all of the great theaters.
244
00:13:52,570 --> 00:13:54,877
But, Shubert,
because of its scale,
245
00:13:55,051 --> 00:13:57,793
was the really important
player here.
246
00:13:57,967 --> 00:14:01,884
1972, when they were
going into bankruptcy,
247
00:14:02,058 --> 00:14:03,755
Jerry Schoenfeld
and Bernie Jacobs,
248
00:14:03,930 --> 00:14:06,280
these two lawyers
who'd worked for the Shuberts
249
00:14:06,454 --> 00:14:09,022
are trying to keep
this company together,
250
00:14:09,196 --> 00:14:11,328
and they made
a very important decision
251
00:14:11,502 --> 00:14:13,287
in the history
of the American theater,
252
00:14:13,461 --> 00:14:15,811
indeed, in the history
of New York City.
253
00:14:16,899 --> 00:14:19,249
They staged a boardroom coup,
254
00:14:19,423 --> 00:14:22,426
and they took control
of this crumbling empire.
255
00:14:23,340 --> 00:14:25,081
Jerry and Bernie
became the Shuberts.
256
00:14:25,255 --> 00:14:27,257
They became the Shuberts.
257
00:14:27,431 --> 00:14:28,955
When we took over
the organization,
258
00:14:29,129 --> 00:14:31,044
it was in great distress.
259
00:14:33,785 --> 00:14:35,439
We owned the theaters,
260
00:14:35,613 --> 00:14:37,789
but out of our
17-and-a-half theaters,
261
00:14:37,964 --> 00:14:40,270
12 or 13 were dark.
262
00:14:40,444 --> 00:14:41,663
The Shuberts
and the Nederlanders
263
00:14:41,837 --> 00:14:43,665
had the same problem.
264
00:14:43,839 --> 00:14:46,189
They were all
desperate for product.
265
00:14:47,103 --> 00:14:49,801
It was Jimmy who
first started investing,
266
00:14:49,976 --> 00:14:51,891
and then Bernie and Jerry,
267
00:14:52,065 --> 00:14:53,718
they had to follow.
268
00:14:53,893 --> 00:14:55,677
Jerry and I
came to the conclusion
269
00:14:55,851 --> 00:14:57,548
that the only way
you're gonna get product
270
00:14:57,722 --> 00:14:59,594
is to produce shows.
271
00:14:59,768 --> 00:15:01,901
The first show
we invested in was Pippin.
272
00:15:06,296 --> 00:15:09,256
We gave 'em $100,000,
which was a lot of money to us
273
00:15:09,430 --> 00:15:11,127
in those days.
274
00:15:11,301 --> 00:15:16,132
Glory, glory
275
00:15:18,134 --> 00:15:20,658
The reason they felt so positive
276
00:15:20,832 --> 00:15:23,357
about Pippin
277
00:15:23,531 --> 00:15:25,881
was Bob Fosse.
278
00:15:26,055 --> 00:15:27,883
I don't look for
applause so much
279
00:15:28,057 --> 00:15:29,450
as something
to move an audience,
280
00:15:29,624 --> 00:15:31,887
to make 'em laugh, or cry,
or feel something,
281
00:15:32,061 --> 00:15:33,454
or even get upset.
282
00:15:34,803 --> 00:15:37,893
Takes such guts to do a show,
283
00:15:38,067 --> 00:15:39,416
and kind of--
284
00:15:39,590 --> 00:15:42,071
I like to do
what's just slightly risky.
285
00:15:42,245 --> 00:15:48,382
Where is Billy?
286
00:15:48,556 --> 00:15:54,866
Give us Billy
287
00:15:55,041 --> 00:15:58,392
Bob brings sex
to Broadway dancing
288
00:15:58,566 --> 00:16:00,481
in a whole new way.
289
00:16:00,655 --> 00:16:03,788
That makes Broadway
more alluring.
290
00:16:03,963 --> 00:16:06,704
...his
291
00:16:06,878 --> 00:16:10,186
He's our...
292
00:16:10,360 --> 00:16:12,493
Bernie Jacobs
understood one thing.
293
00:16:12,667 --> 00:16:14,799
Let's back the people
who are gonna do the shows.
294
00:16:14,974 --> 00:16:16,627
We may not be able
to pick the show,
295
00:16:16,801 --> 00:16:18,978
but if we pick the people
who are gonna create the show,
296
00:16:19,152 --> 00:16:21,067
might be a hit.
297
00:16:21,241 --> 00:16:23,286
Bernie said, "I'm gonna
commit to Sondheim.
298
00:16:23,460 --> 00:16:25,419
I'm gonna commit to Fosse."
299
00:16:25,593 --> 00:16:29,379
Which required
a certain amount of chutzpah.
300
00:16:29,553 --> 00:16:32,295
There are these certain people
that have talent.
301
00:16:32,992 --> 00:16:34,732
You want them to be the jockey
302
00:16:34,906 --> 00:16:36,604
to ride your show.
303
00:16:36,778 --> 00:16:38,998
You're not betting on the horse,
you're betting on the jockey.
304
00:16:39,172 --> 00:16:41,870
And Bernie was an immediate
early champion
305
00:16:42,044 --> 00:16:43,828
of Michael Bennett.
306
00:16:44,003 --> 00:16:47,006
Michael Bennett was
the choreographer on Company.
307
00:16:47,180 --> 00:16:50,183
People were looking to Michael
as a sort of wunderkind.
308
00:16:50,357 --> 00:16:52,968
Michael Bennett
had the idea that,
309
00:16:53,142 --> 00:16:55,492
"Let's just get dancers together
and talk about what it is
310
00:16:55,666 --> 00:16:57,494
to be a Broadway dancer."
311
00:16:57,668 --> 00:16:59,192
The gypsy life.
312
00:17:00,671 --> 00:17:01,977
They recorded it all.
313
00:17:02,151 --> 00:17:04,284
I just rememberalways jumping around.
314
00:17:04,458 --> 00:17:06,112
I used to dance aroundin the living room.
315
00:17:06,286 --> 00:17:09,202
I knew I was gay,and that didn't bother me.
316
00:17:09,376 --> 00:17:11,856
And at the end of that,
Michael had all these hours
317
00:17:12,031 --> 00:17:14,163
of tapes, but he had no idea
what he was gonna do
318
00:17:14,337 --> 00:17:16,296
with this stuff.
319
00:17:16,470 --> 00:17:20,822
As I was watching dancers
just talk about Broadway
320
00:17:20,996 --> 00:17:24,652
and their lives,
I began to hear musical numbers,
321
00:17:24,826 --> 00:17:28,786
and we spent a summer
in my apartment writing.
322
00:17:28,960 --> 00:17:30,832
Every other show that
ever happened on Broadway,
323
00:17:31,006 --> 00:17:32,747
you had six weeks of rehearsal,
324
00:17:32,921 --> 00:17:34,618
and you were stuck with it.
325
00:17:34,792 --> 00:17:36,446
Michael changed
the face of Broadway
326
00:17:36,620 --> 00:17:39,362
because he wanted
to do a workshop.
327
00:17:39,536 --> 00:17:43,192
No one has ever done
a workshop of a show.
328
00:17:43,366 --> 00:17:46,152
He went to Joe Papp
of the Public Theater.
329
00:17:46,326 --> 00:17:49,764
He goes, "I have some tapes here
I'd like you to hear."
330
00:17:49,938 --> 00:17:51,679
And I sat there,
began to listen to this
331
00:17:51,853 --> 00:17:53,376
over a period of days.
332
00:17:53,550 --> 00:17:57,337
I just was absolutely thrown.
333
00:17:57,511 --> 00:17:58,816
It was so moving.
334
00:17:58,990 --> 00:18:01,341
Joe Papp said to Michael,
"Go with it.
335
00:18:01,515 --> 00:18:03,517
I'll give you space
at the Public Theater.
336
00:18:03,691 --> 00:18:04,866
Have your workshop."
337
00:18:05,040 --> 00:18:07,912
A 5, 6, 7, 8.
338
00:18:08,087 --> 00:18:10,611
The Public Theater
basically funded the workshops
339
00:18:10,785 --> 00:18:13,004
for about $100,000.
340
00:18:13,962 --> 00:18:15,529
The reason
the not-for-profit theaters
341
00:18:15,703 --> 00:18:18,445
have subsidies was to give them
a safe protected space
342
00:18:18,619 --> 00:18:21,274
where they can do work
that's bold, that's innovative,
343
00:18:21,448 --> 00:18:22,884
that is not commercial,
344
00:18:23,058 --> 00:18:24,407
where they can take chances.
345
00:18:24,581 --> 00:18:27,541
I really need this job!
346
00:18:27,715 --> 00:18:29,630
It opened Downtown off Broadway
347
00:18:29,804 --> 00:18:31,284
at the Public Theater.
348
00:18:31,458 --> 00:18:33,808
But, of course,
people were still questioning
349
00:18:33,982 --> 00:18:36,332
whether this was
a Broadway show.
350
00:18:36,506 --> 00:18:39,857
One singular sensation
351
00:18:40,031 --> 00:18:43,383
Every little step she takes
352
00:18:43,557 --> 00:18:46,864
One thrilling combination
353
00:18:47,038 --> 00:18:49,389
Every move that she makes
354
00:18:49,563 --> 00:18:53,044
When it moved to Broadway,
it opened to rave reviews.
355
00:18:53,219 --> 00:18:55,308
It was the show to see.
356
00:18:56,570 --> 00:18:58,615
It was this smash,
Pulitzer Prize,
357
00:18:58,789 --> 00:19:01,096
everything,
it won every award possible,
358
00:19:01,270 --> 00:19:05,144
and that kicked up
the excitement.
359
00:19:05,318 --> 00:19:07,015
5, 6, 7, 8!
360
00:19:13,717 --> 00:19:16,503
I don't think you can
overestimate the impact
361
00:19:16,677 --> 00:19:20,246
that A Chorus Line
had on Broadway
362
00:19:20,420 --> 00:19:21,856
and on the American theater.
363
00:19:22,030 --> 00:19:25,468
Who am I anyway?
364
00:19:25,642 --> 00:19:27,557
It also brought in stories
365
00:19:27,731 --> 00:19:29,690
of gay men and women.
366
00:19:29,864 --> 00:19:33,389
Stories of Black and Latino
men and women.
367
00:19:33,563 --> 00:19:36,479
This was new
to the Broadway experience.
368
00:19:36,653 --> 00:19:40,440
I need this job
369
00:19:40,614 --> 00:19:44,792
Oh, God, I need
370
00:19:44,966 --> 00:19:47,577
This show
371
00:19:50,189 --> 00:19:51,973
You couldn't get in
to see A Chorus Line.
372
00:19:52,147 --> 00:19:53,366
You had to wait, wait to get in.
373
00:19:53,540 --> 00:19:56,412
Don't push me, don't push!
374
00:19:56,586 --> 00:19:58,240
And the success of A Chorus Line
375
00:19:58,414 --> 00:20:01,330
leaked into
the rest of the street.
376
00:20:01,504 --> 00:20:04,638
It was a sea change
about how shows were developed,
377
00:20:04,812 --> 00:20:06,640
to how they were rehearsed,
378
00:20:06,814 --> 00:20:08,207
how they went on to make
379
00:20:08,381 --> 00:20:10,296
millions and millions
of dollars.
380
00:20:12,559 --> 00:20:14,561
A Chorus Line,
it was the first major musical.
381
00:20:14,735 --> 00:20:17,128
It was entirely the property
of a non-profit theater
382
00:20:17,303 --> 00:20:18,695
that moved to Broadway,
383
00:20:18,869 --> 00:20:20,871
and of course
it ran for 16 years,
384
00:20:21,045 --> 00:20:23,483
and created
an enormous amount of revenue
385
00:20:23,657 --> 00:20:25,267
for the Public Theater.
386
00:20:25,441 --> 00:20:27,487
Joe referred to it once as
387
00:20:27,661 --> 00:20:30,446
like having the GDP
of a small country
388
00:20:30,620 --> 00:20:33,144
flowing into the Public Theater.
389
00:20:33,319 --> 00:20:36,583
Joe's success
had everyone look again at,
390
00:20:36,757 --> 00:20:39,586
"What was the role
of a not-for-profit theater?"
391
00:20:39,760 --> 00:20:42,371
Commercial producers
started searching
392
00:20:42,545 --> 00:20:44,591
for their Chorus Line.
393
00:20:47,811 --> 00:20:50,510
Jimmy Nederlander, he's gonna be
looking for his musical
394
00:20:50,684 --> 00:20:53,600
that's going to
save his company,
395
00:20:53,774 --> 00:20:55,428
and he hears that
up in Connecticut
396
00:20:55,602 --> 00:20:57,778
at a non-profit theater,
there's a show
397
00:20:57,952 --> 00:21:01,260
based on little orphan Annie
comic strip,
398
00:21:01,434 --> 00:21:03,566
and it didn't get great reviews,
399
00:21:03,740 --> 00:21:06,874
but Mike Nichols went to see it,
400
00:21:07,048 --> 00:21:09,833
and he says, "I think you're
sitting on a million dollars."
401
00:21:10,007 --> 00:21:12,488
He saw the show had potential.
402
00:21:12,662 --> 00:21:14,577
To Jimmy's credit,
he said, "You know,
403
00:21:14,751 --> 00:21:17,754
if Mike Nichols is saying
it's gonna be great,
404
00:21:17,928 --> 00:21:19,887
I'm sure it's gonna be great."
405
00:21:20,061 --> 00:21:22,106
Jimmy bought it sight unseen,
406
00:21:22,281 --> 00:21:24,239
and of course Annie became
one of the most successful shows
407
00:21:24,413 --> 00:21:25,675
of all time.
408
00:21:25,849 --> 00:21:28,591
Tomorrow, tomorrow
409
00:21:28,765 --> 00:21:31,115
I love you, tomorrow
410
00:21:31,290 --> 00:21:34,771
You're always a day
411
00:21:34,945 --> 00:21:41,082
Away
412
00:21:45,434 --> 00:21:48,785
All of a sudden
not-for-profit theater
413
00:21:48,959 --> 00:21:52,006
became a nurturing
breeding ground
414
00:21:52,180 --> 00:21:54,182
for innovative work,
415
00:21:54,356 --> 00:21:57,316
and then producers would
go out and find these shows,
416
00:21:57,490 --> 00:21:59,840
and they would find
their way to Broadway.
417
00:22:00,014 --> 00:22:02,277
Well, there are worse thingsthan staring at the water
418
00:22:02,451 --> 00:22:06,107
On a Sunday
419
00:22:06,281 --> 00:22:08,196
There are worse thingsthan staring at the water
420
00:22:08,370 --> 00:22:10,111
As you're posing for a picture after sleeping on the ferry
421
00:22:10,285 --> 00:22:12,026
After getting up at sevento come over to an island
422
00:22:12,200 --> 00:22:14,420
In the middle of a riverhalf an hour from the city
423
00:22:14,594 --> 00:22:15,943
On a Sunday
424
00:22:16,117 --> 00:22:18,119
The not-for-profits
give you the freedom
425
00:22:18,293 --> 00:22:20,382
to try new, untested material.
426
00:22:20,556 --> 00:22:22,036
In the park with--
427
00:22:22,210 --> 00:22:23,733
Don't move the mouth!
428
00:22:23,907 --> 00:22:25,474
There's a lot of money at stake.
429
00:22:25,648 --> 00:22:27,041
People are putting up
a lot of dough
430
00:22:27,215 --> 00:22:30,174
to bring these things
to the Broadway stage.
431
00:22:30,349 --> 00:22:32,351
So, the not-for-profit world
432
00:22:32,525 --> 00:22:33,830
serves a vital function.
433
00:22:36,703 --> 00:22:39,140
Something was in the air
that said, "We want to hear
434
00:22:39,314 --> 00:22:40,533
new voices."
435
00:22:40,707 --> 00:22:41,925
- We're gonna shimmy- Yeah!
436
00:22:42,099 --> 00:22:43,449
- We're gonna shammy- Yeah!
437
00:22:43,623 --> 00:22:45,886
We're gonna shim, sham,jump, and slide
438
00:22:46,060 --> 00:22:48,410
The Manhattan Theater Club
sent a musical
439
00:22:48,584 --> 00:22:50,107
called Ain't Misbehavin'
to Broadway,
440
00:22:50,281 --> 00:22:52,283
which ran for many, many years.
441
00:22:54,721 --> 00:22:57,506
Broadway simply
could not take the risks
442
00:22:57,680 --> 00:23:00,030
that you could take
in not-for-profit theaters
443
00:23:00,204 --> 00:23:02,032
that didn't have to
pay back investors.
444
00:23:20,573 --> 00:23:23,619
Manhattan Theater Club
was committed to new voices
445
00:23:23,793 --> 00:23:25,621
and we exist to take chances.
446
00:23:25,795 --> 00:23:26,927
White is not a good idea.
447
00:23:27,101 --> 00:23:28,232
Right, so this'll be...
448
00:23:28,407 --> 00:23:30,583
With The Nap,
we were doing a new play
449
00:23:30,757 --> 00:23:32,976
that no one had ever seen.
450
00:23:33,150 --> 00:23:36,110
It was a play set in England.
451
00:23:36,284 --> 00:23:38,286
It was about a sport
called snooker,
452
00:23:38,460 --> 00:23:40,375
which I had never heard of,
453
00:23:40,549 --> 00:23:43,770
and there's not
a single star in the play.
454
00:23:43,944 --> 00:23:47,469
It's very risky,
but it's also very exciting.
455
00:23:47,643 --> 00:23:50,037
We wanna welcome you to
the first rehearsal of The Nap.
456
00:23:54,520 --> 00:23:56,609
Lock your shoulder back
and fire.
457
00:23:56,783 --> 00:23:58,088
Only here.
458
00:23:58,262 --> 00:24:00,264
Can it work on Broadway?
459
00:24:00,439 --> 00:24:03,572
Does anybody on Broadway
care what snooker is,
460
00:24:03,746 --> 00:24:06,270
or know what snooker is?
461
00:24:06,445 --> 00:24:08,577
I have no idea,
it's completely bonkers.
462
00:24:10,971 --> 00:24:12,755
Have they changed the sheets?
463
00:24:12,929 --> 00:24:14,670
You don't care, do you?
464
00:24:14,844 --> 00:24:16,237
- What do you mean?
- You're flirting.
465
00:24:16,411 --> 00:24:18,326
Wash your mouth out,
you think I'm flirting?
466
00:24:18,500 --> 00:24:20,154
Yeah, you're a right flirt.
467
00:24:20,328 --> 00:24:22,156
- I've got my coat on.
- And yeah, that's coming
468
00:24:22,330 --> 00:24:24,637
clean through the material.
469
00:24:24,811 --> 00:24:26,900
You don't know when you flirt.
470
00:24:27,074 --> 00:24:29,206
With read-throughs
on the first day,
471
00:24:29,380 --> 00:24:31,905
we'd pretty much want
the play to be perfect,
472
00:24:32,079 --> 00:24:33,472
because if the readings
are all right,
473
00:24:33,646 --> 00:24:35,082
the play will be all right.
474
00:24:35,256 --> 00:24:38,738
You know, and then the readings
are never all right.
475
00:24:38,912 --> 00:24:40,348
You're--oh.
476
00:24:40,522 --> 00:24:41,697
Bring him in.
477
00:24:41,871 --> 00:24:44,787
The first day,
ugh, it was awful.
478
00:24:44,961 --> 00:24:46,746
It was terrible, I wish I could
tell you that it was joyous.
479
00:24:46,920 --> 00:24:48,399
I should--
probably should say that.
480
00:24:48,574 --> 00:24:50,663
It was joyous--it wasn't,
it was a nightmare.
481
00:24:52,578 --> 00:24:55,668
I think the first day
of a rehearsal,
482
00:24:55,842 --> 00:24:57,539
wherever you are,
483
00:24:57,713 --> 00:25:00,063
has a kind of
excitement and dread
484
00:25:00,237 --> 00:25:01,848
in equal portions.
485
00:25:03,327 --> 00:25:07,114
But, if you're having your
first rehearsal on Broadway,
486
00:25:07,288 --> 00:25:09,203
that's really scary.
487
00:25:16,558 --> 00:25:17,951
In the late '70s,
488
00:25:18,125 --> 00:25:20,823
Broadway was
starting to come back.
489
00:25:20,997 --> 00:25:23,609
At that point,
people were really excited
490
00:25:23,783 --> 00:25:25,915
about what was on Broadway.
491
00:25:27,482 --> 00:25:30,659
And in a rare moment of accord,
492
00:25:30,833 --> 00:25:34,010
the city and the state
decided to put some money
493
00:25:34,184 --> 00:25:36,752
into advertising New York City.
494
00:25:39,538 --> 00:25:41,670
The very first
I Love New York commercial
495
00:25:41,844 --> 00:25:44,455
begins with a conductor
in the orchestra pit
496
00:25:44,630 --> 00:25:47,023
of a Broadway show,
497
00:25:47,197 --> 00:25:49,156
There's only one Broadway.
498
00:25:49,330 --> 00:25:51,854
- It's in New York.
- Cut to A Chorus Line
499
00:25:52,028 --> 00:25:54,204
coming at you
in the famous V formation
500
00:25:54,378 --> 00:25:55,728
that Michael Bennett directed,
501
00:25:55,902 --> 00:25:57,773
and then you show
Annie and The Wiz,
502
00:25:57,947 --> 00:25:59,645
and other Broadway shows.
503
00:26:00,907 --> 00:26:03,387
The final image
was of Frank Langella
504
00:26:03,562 --> 00:26:07,130
- as Dracula.
- I love New York,
505
00:26:07,304 --> 00:26:09,655
especially in the evening.
506
00:26:09,829 --> 00:26:12,266
Grosses for Dracula
went right up,
507
00:26:12,440 --> 00:26:15,182
and went up for
all the shows on Broadway.
508
00:26:15,356 --> 00:26:17,967
People were now
being told across the country,
509
00:26:18,141 --> 00:26:20,143
"Come to New York,
and what you come for
510
00:26:20,317 --> 00:26:22,929
is Broadway."
511
00:26:23,103 --> 00:26:25,148
But, what Bernie Jacobs
and Jerry Schoenfeld understood
512
00:26:25,322 --> 00:26:27,498
running the Shubert Organization
was that, if Times Square
513
00:26:27,673 --> 00:26:29,936
is falling apart, it's gonna
destroy their business.
514
00:26:31,459 --> 00:26:33,548
So, Jerry, who'd been working
in this neighborhood
515
00:26:33,722 --> 00:26:35,071
since the '50s,
516
00:26:35,245 --> 00:26:38,335
begins pushing
to try to clean it up.
517
00:26:40,250 --> 00:26:42,078
To have obscenity laws
that have to be enforced
518
00:26:42,252 --> 00:26:44,428
with respect to prostitution
519
00:26:44,603 --> 00:26:46,561
that will go a very long way.
520
00:26:48,258 --> 00:26:51,261
Jerry went to Abe Beame,
who was the mayor then,
521
00:26:51,435 --> 00:26:54,221
and Abe Beame appoints
this ex-marine lawyer,
522
00:26:54,395 --> 00:26:56,702
really tough guy named
Sidney Baumgarten
523
00:26:56,876 --> 00:26:58,834
to clean up Times Square.
524
00:26:59,008 --> 00:27:01,184
We are very concerned
about the establishments,
525
00:27:01,358 --> 00:27:04,187
for example, which breed
the street prostitution
526
00:27:04,361 --> 00:27:06,102
or prostitution oriented.
527
00:27:06,276 --> 00:27:09,236
We had the location
of the most notorious
528
00:27:09,410 --> 00:27:11,281
prostitution
and porno establishments
529
00:27:11,455 --> 00:27:12,848
in and around Midtown.
530
00:27:16,722 --> 00:27:19,159
People used to refer to
the prostitution business
531
00:27:19,333 --> 00:27:21,640
as "victimless crime,"
532
00:27:21,814 --> 00:27:25,165
but the FBI index crimes--
533
00:27:25,339 --> 00:27:27,254
that's murder, rape, robbery--
534
00:27:27,428 --> 00:27:29,996
the crimes emanated
in and around
535
00:27:30,170 --> 00:27:32,694
these sex establishments.
536
00:27:32,868 --> 00:27:35,305
We're using whatever means
we have at our disposal
537
00:27:35,479 --> 00:27:38,744
that are legal and proper
to close the premises down.
538
00:27:38,918 --> 00:27:41,094
But, a lot of the cops
were corrupt.
539
00:27:41,268 --> 00:27:42,748
They were taking money
from the people
540
00:27:42,922 --> 00:27:44,358
who ran the whorehouses
not to close down
541
00:27:44,532 --> 00:27:46,795
the whorehouses.
542
00:27:46,969 --> 00:27:48,754
We had corrupt police.
543
00:27:48,928 --> 00:27:51,104
We had the mafia against us.
544
00:27:51,278 --> 00:27:53,976
We had the real estate guys
who were profiting
545
00:27:54,150 --> 00:27:55,586
from the sex business.
546
00:27:55,761 --> 00:27:57,763
All of them were against us.
547
00:27:57,937 --> 00:27:59,590
But, bit by bit and slowly...
548
00:28:02,681 --> 00:28:04,595
...with the support
of Jerry Schoenfeld
549
00:28:04,770 --> 00:28:06,206
and the Shuberts,
550
00:28:06,380 --> 00:28:09,035
things begin to change.
551
00:28:13,517 --> 00:28:15,258
When I left office,
552
00:28:15,432 --> 00:28:19,480
we had closed
200 illegal establishments,
553
00:28:19,654 --> 00:28:21,090
and that dramatically affected
554
00:28:21,264 --> 00:28:22,439
the neighborhood.
555
00:28:26,052 --> 00:28:28,358
All of the theaters
and restaurants reported
556
00:28:28,532 --> 00:28:30,447
an increase in business.
557
00:28:30,621 --> 00:28:33,189
So, everybody's making money.
558
00:28:33,363 --> 00:28:37,106
But, the Shuberts felt that
you needed something on Broadway
559
00:28:37,280 --> 00:28:38,978
that made an artistic statement.
560
00:28:39,152 --> 00:28:41,415
It just wasn't
all gonna be musicals.
561
00:28:43,983 --> 00:28:47,682
At night, I heard Mozart's music
for the first time.
562
00:28:47,856 --> 00:28:50,511
Amadeus had been
a huge hit in London.
563
00:28:50,685 --> 00:28:53,209
Oh, what is the need
in the sound?
564
00:28:53,383 --> 00:28:54,820
But, Paul Scofield,
who had played
565
00:28:54,994 --> 00:28:56,647
the leading part of Salieri,
566
00:28:56,822 --> 00:28:59,346
didn't want to go to New York,
567
00:28:59,520 --> 00:29:01,957
which gave me my opportunity.
568
00:29:02,131 --> 00:29:03,959
When it transferred to Broadway,
569
00:29:04,133 --> 00:29:07,267
there was a lot
riding on the success
570
00:29:07,441 --> 00:29:09,356
of Amadeus.
571
00:29:09,530 --> 00:29:11,793
Because there were
fewer plays around
572
00:29:11,967 --> 00:29:13,752
than there had been,
573
00:29:13,926 --> 00:29:15,449
it was important to everybody,
574
00:29:15,623 --> 00:29:17,668
the Shuberts
and Broadway itself,
575
00:29:17,843 --> 00:29:20,759
that this should be a hit show.
576
00:29:20,933 --> 00:29:22,978
A play.
577
00:29:23,152 --> 00:29:25,459
It was a very important play
for the Shuberts,
578
00:29:25,633 --> 00:29:27,113
because it was
one of those rare plays
579
00:29:27,287 --> 00:29:30,638
that was a big, big hit.
580
00:29:30,812 --> 00:29:33,206
And then, it became a thing
581
00:29:33,380 --> 00:29:35,904
that we all started
to go to England
582
00:29:36,078 --> 00:29:38,080
to get the good British plays
583
00:29:38,254 --> 00:29:40,300
and the good British stars.
584
00:29:40,474 --> 00:29:42,955
English accents signified class,
585
00:29:43,129 --> 00:29:46,654
and these big stars
coming in from London,
586
00:29:46,828 --> 00:29:48,699
they could draw audiences.
587
00:29:51,659 --> 00:29:54,314
- London, at last.
- The play Nicholas Nickleby
588
00:29:54,488 --> 00:29:57,534
was based on
Charles Dickens's novel,
589
00:29:57,708 --> 00:29:59,623
and it hit London like a ton--
590
00:29:59,798 --> 00:30:02,322
it was just
an instant success over there.
591
00:30:02,496 --> 00:30:06,021
The play, in two parts,
lasts eight-and-a-half hours.
592
00:30:06,195 --> 00:30:08,589
Tickets cost $100 each.
593
00:30:08,763 --> 00:30:11,722
The price and the length
are records for Broadway.
594
00:30:11,897 --> 00:30:14,203
It was $100.
595
00:30:14,377 --> 00:30:15,639
And people thought that was
596
00:30:15,814 --> 00:30:17,380
outrageous in those days.
597
00:30:17,554 --> 00:30:19,600
We were warned that
American audiences
598
00:30:19,774 --> 00:30:21,950
wouldn't take so kindly
to the idea
599
00:30:22,124 --> 00:30:24,735
of sitting in the theater
for that length of time.
600
00:30:24,910 --> 00:30:27,303
- And paying that kind of price.
- And paying that kind of price,
601
00:30:27,477 --> 00:30:29,175
and that Britons are more stoic,
602
00:30:29,349 --> 00:30:31,830
but it turned out
to be the opposite.
603
00:30:32,004 --> 00:30:33,962
People bought tickets
like crazy.
604
00:30:34,136 --> 00:30:35,442
They bought it in two parts.
605
00:30:35,616 --> 00:30:37,574
They did all sorts of things
606
00:30:37,748 --> 00:30:40,229
that they're not really
supposed to do.
607
00:30:40,403 --> 00:30:42,101
I mean, in the real world,
you find out
608
00:30:42,275 --> 00:30:44,712
what the customer wants,
and then you give it to them.
609
00:30:44,886 --> 00:30:46,279
Broadway isn't like that.
610
00:30:46,453 --> 00:30:48,368
We're gonna give you
what we wanna give you.
611
00:30:48,542 --> 00:30:49,848
It's gonna start at 8:00.
612
00:30:50,022 --> 00:30:51,588
I don't care if that's
not convenient for you.
613
00:30:51,762 --> 00:30:53,329
It's in Times Square.
614
00:30:53,503 --> 00:30:55,375
I don't care that
that's not convenient for you.
615
00:30:55,549 --> 00:30:57,116
It won't get out till 11:00,
and then you'll have
616
00:30:57,290 --> 00:30:59,205
a very hard time getting a taxi.
617
00:30:59,379 --> 00:31:00,597
It will be expensive.
618
00:31:01,860 --> 00:31:04,210
It has so many downsides.
619
00:31:04,384 --> 00:31:06,081
But, it has that one thing,
620
00:31:06,255 --> 00:31:08,736
that gasp-inducing moment.
621
00:31:13,306 --> 00:31:14,437
- No, no.
- Just stop.
622
00:31:14,611 --> 00:31:17,049
Who said that, who said, "Stop"?
623
00:31:17,223 --> 00:31:19,442
I did, I said it will stop,
and stop it will I.
624
00:31:19,616 --> 00:31:21,270
I--I--I've tried to intercede.
625
00:31:21,444 --> 00:31:23,533
I begged forgiveness
for the boy.
626
00:31:23,707 --> 00:31:26,580
Now, leave, sir,
and let me to my work!
627
00:31:34,588 --> 00:31:36,720
- It was absolutely marvelous.
- But, $100?
628
00:31:36,895 --> 00:31:38,418
Oh, I'd pay $200 to see it.
629
00:31:38,592 --> 00:31:40,899
- Just fantastic.
- Was it worth your $100?
630
00:31:41,073 --> 00:31:43,118
It was worth more.
631
00:31:43,292 --> 00:31:46,469
Nicholas Nickleby just raised
the profile of Broadway.
632
00:31:46,643 --> 00:31:48,384
It told people that
Broadway's a place
633
00:31:48,558 --> 00:31:52,040
where exciting,
important cultural events
634
00:31:52,214 --> 00:31:54,782
are taking place,
so pay attention
635
00:31:54,956 --> 00:31:57,132
to what goes on on Broadway,
636
00:31:57,306 --> 00:31:59,395
'cause we're gonna surprise you.
637
00:31:59,569 --> 00:32:02,529
All the posters that season
638
00:32:02,703 --> 00:32:06,011
had their arms outstretched.
639
00:32:06,185 --> 00:32:08,013
Yeah, that's Broadway.
640
00:32:08,187 --> 00:32:09,840
Come on, come in here,
come here!
641
00:32:10,015 --> 00:32:11,538
I'm gonna give myself to you
and you're gonna
642
00:32:11,712 --> 00:32:12,931
come and love me.
643
00:32:18,545 --> 00:32:20,590
Even though Times Square
and 42nd Street
644
00:32:20,764 --> 00:32:23,376
were beginning to get better,
645
00:32:23,550 --> 00:32:25,944
some of the problems
still existed.
646
00:32:26,118 --> 00:32:27,902
I was there
when it must've been decided
647
00:32:28,076 --> 00:32:30,078
in the smoke-filled rooms.
648
00:32:30,252 --> 00:32:32,776
We gotta do something
about Times Square.
649
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:33,952
It's too--it's too strange.
650
00:32:34,126 --> 00:32:35,954
It's--it's not welcoming.
651
00:32:36,128 --> 00:32:38,130
It's not glamorous enough.
652
00:32:38,304 --> 00:32:40,393
Times Square hadn't had
any new development
653
00:32:40,567 --> 00:32:45,006
in decades, because people were
afraid to invest money here.
654
00:32:45,180 --> 00:32:48,662
Carl Weisbrod took over
the Midtown Citizens Committee,
655
00:32:48,836 --> 00:32:51,491
and he had this idea
656
00:32:51,665 --> 00:32:53,797
that you have to,
in a bad neighborhood,
657
00:32:53,972 --> 00:32:57,584
put something that's gonna
attract law-abiding citizens.
658
00:32:57,758 --> 00:32:59,803
Among the early steps
that we took
659
00:32:59,978 --> 00:33:04,765
was a commitment to build
the Marriott Marquis Hotel.
660
00:33:04,939 --> 00:33:08,290
A hotel with 3,000 people
a night staying there.
661
00:33:08,464 --> 00:33:09,683
Customers.
662
00:33:09,857 --> 00:33:11,511
But, there are
buildings in the way
663
00:33:11,685 --> 00:33:14,383
that have to be torn down
to build the hotel.
664
00:33:14,557 --> 00:33:17,125
Three legendary
Broadway theaters,
665
00:33:17,299 --> 00:33:19,867
including the Morosco, where
Death of a Salesman premiered,
666
00:33:20,041 --> 00:33:22,522
and the beautiful
Helen Hayes Theater.
667
00:33:22,696 --> 00:33:26,526
Lauren Bacall, Jason Robards,
Harry Guardino,
668
00:33:26,700 --> 00:33:28,919
Arthur Miller,
Christopher Reeve.
669
00:33:29,094 --> 00:33:31,226
They're all right outside
the theater.
670
00:33:31,400 --> 00:33:33,663
Help save the Morosco Theater.
671
00:33:35,491 --> 00:33:39,408
I'm gonna read one section
of a play of mine.
672
00:33:39,582 --> 00:33:41,845
It's a business, kid,
and everybody's
673
00:33:42,020 --> 00:33:44,587
gotta pull his own weight.
674
00:33:44,761 --> 00:33:47,503
Stars like Jon Voight
and Ellen Burstyn
675
00:33:47,677 --> 00:33:50,854
are part of the big cast
crying to rally public opinion.
676
00:33:51,029 --> 00:33:53,292
Many performers believe
that saving such theaters
677
00:33:53,466 --> 00:33:55,642
is crucial to the future
of serious drama,
678
00:33:55,816 --> 00:33:57,905
usually produced
in smaller houses,
679
00:33:58,079 --> 00:34:00,821
rather than the huge theaters
that book musicals.
680
00:34:00,995 --> 00:34:03,824
At the 11th hour,
street action has intensified,
681
00:34:03,998 --> 00:34:05,652
orchestrated by Joseph Papp.
682
00:34:05,826 --> 00:34:08,698
We're here
to stop the demolition.
683
00:34:08,872 --> 00:34:11,266
Save the theaters!
684
00:34:12,920 --> 00:34:15,575
Those theaters were--
well, they were temples.
685
00:34:15,749 --> 00:34:19,405
They were where
great performers performed,
686
00:34:19,579 --> 00:34:22,147
and they're full of ghosts.
687
00:34:22,321 --> 00:34:25,019
You can't eat the orangeand throw away the peel!
688
00:34:25,193 --> 00:34:26,890
A man isn't a piece of fruit!
689
00:34:27,065 --> 00:34:28,588
Well, I'm taking no chances.
690
00:34:28,762 --> 00:34:31,286
I'd rather stayon this hot tin roof.
691
00:34:31,460 --> 00:34:33,462
I gotta take revengeon everyone else,
692
00:34:33,636 --> 00:34:35,595
especially you.
693
00:34:35,769 --> 00:34:39,207
The dead part of mehopes you won't get well.
694
00:34:39,381 --> 00:34:42,689
Once you tear something down,
you lose something mystical.
695
00:34:46,736 --> 00:34:48,347
Before one matinee
on a Saturday,
696
00:34:48,521 --> 00:34:50,610
I joined other actors
on Broadway,
697
00:34:50,784 --> 00:34:53,091
collecting signatures,
698
00:34:53,265 --> 00:34:54,875
and consequently
arrived a little bit late
699
00:34:55,049 --> 00:34:57,138
for the half hour call,
which is the time
700
00:34:57,312 --> 00:34:59,445
you have to be in the theater,
and there in my dressing room
701
00:34:59,619 --> 00:35:02,839
was Jerry Schoenfeld
of the Shubert Organization.
702
00:35:03,013 --> 00:35:04,363
"Where have you been?"
703
00:35:04,537 --> 00:35:06,452
I said, "Look, I've been
collecting signatures
704
00:35:06,626 --> 00:35:09,019
to save those theaters."
705
00:35:09,194 --> 00:35:11,892
"That's not your responsibility,
you're here to do the play."
706
00:35:12,066 --> 00:35:14,895
"I--no," I said, "I'm here
to be part of Broadway."
707
00:35:21,293 --> 00:35:23,686
People watched
that claw of the bulldozer
708
00:35:23,860 --> 00:35:26,820
tear in to the Morosco Theater
709
00:35:26,994 --> 00:35:29,518
and rip it down brick by brick.
710
00:35:31,041 --> 00:35:33,740
They were holding each other up,
and they were weeping
711
00:35:33,914 --> 00:35:35,655
because the wrecking ball
had just ruined
712
00:35:35,829 --> 00:35:38,048
a Broadway theater.
713
00:35:38,223 --> 00:35:40,399
It was just so tragic.
714
00:35:43,924 --> 00:35:45,882
Ultimately,
the Marriott Marquis Hotel
715
00:35:46,056 --> 00:35:48,450
got built,
716
00:35:48,624 --> 00:35:52,324
and it's among my least favorite
buildings in New York.
717
00:35:52,498 --> 00:35:55,196
But, I do think it was
an important building
718
00:35:55,370 --> 00:35:56,502
to get built.
719
00:35:57,633 --> 00:36:00,636
It was the catalyst that
really started development
720
00:36:00,810 --> 00:36:02,856
in Times Square,
721
00:36:03,030 --> 00:36:06,033
and it was very important
to the city's growth.
722
00:36:13,736 --> 00:36:15,477
I love this city,
723
00:36:15,651 --> 00:36:17,087
through all of its
ups and downs,
724
00:36:17,262 --> 00:36:19,002
it's--it's cyclical,
725
00:36:19,177 --> 00:36:20,569
and Broadway's cyclical, too.
726
00:36:22,528 --> 00:36:25,008
It's been a lackluster season
for New York theaters,
727
00:36:25,183 --> 00:36:26,662
and the audiences have slumped.
728
00:36:26,836 --> 00:36:29,665
Broadway hasn't really had
a top flight musical,
729
00:36:29,839 --> 00:36:34,322
and theatergoers are starved
for musical excitement.
730
00:36:34,496 --> 00:36:38,108
Musical theater
is an American art form.
731
00:36:38,283 --> 00:36:40,546
But, except for a few shows
like A Chorus Line,
732
00:36:40,720 --> 00:36:42,678
Annie, and 42nd Street,
733
00:36:42,852 --> 00:36:44,985
it lost its way
734
00:36:45,159 --> 00:36:47,117
into the '80s.
735
00:36:47,292 --> 00:36:49,990
Broadway was down for the count.
736
00:36:50,164 --> 00:36:51,731
But, once again,
737
00:36:51,905 --> 00:36:53,776
it was really helped
by the British.
738
00:36:53,950 --> 00:36:57,737
Don't cry for me, Argentina
739
00:36:57,911 --> 00:37:01,523
It was supposed tohave been immortal
740
00:37:01,697 --> 00:37:03,830
Well, I'm in love
with musical theater.
741
00:37:04,004 --> 00:37:06,702
I mean, if you really asked me
what I was in love with.
742
00:37:06,876 --> 00:37:08,791
I'm afraid it's not marriage,
743
00:37:08,965 --> 00:37:11,098
or anything like that,
it's musicals.
744
00:37:11,272 --> 00:37:12,839
I mean, it's--it's musicals.
745
00:37:13,013 --> 00:37:15,929
I--I live for musical theater,
I just--just love it.
746
00:37:16,103 --> 00:37:17,887
In 1979,
747
00:37:18,061 --> 00:37:20,238
Andrew Lloyd Webber
and Cameron Mackintosh
748
00:37:20,412 --> 00:37:22,414
get together,
and Andrew says to Cameron,
749
00:37:22,588 --> 00:37:24,633
"I have this crazy idea
about doing a show
750
00:37:24,807 --> 00:37:28,115
based on T.S. Eliot's
nonsense poems about cats.
751
00:37:28,289 --> 00:37:30,204
Andrew proceeded to ask
752
00:37:30,378 --> 00:37:31,814
everybody he ever knew
753
00:37:31,988 --> 00:37:33,555
in the theater,
all his great collaborators,
754
00:37:33,729 --> 00:37:36,079
um, to get involved with him,
755
00:37:36,254 --> 00:37:38,212
and every single one of them
said, "This is the worst idea
756
00:37:38,386 --> 00:37:40,301
that you've ever had
in your life."
757
00:37:40,475 --> 00:37:43,391
We went for now a legendary
drunken lunch,
758
00:37:43,565 --> 00:37:46,394
which ended up
back in his house.
759
00:37:46,568 --> 00:37:48,744
You see it starts in B flat.
760
00:37:48,918 --> 00:37:51,269
And he played me
8 or 10 of the numbers.
761
00:37:56,752 --> 00:37:58,406
And there's only
one place it could go.
762
00:37:58,580 --> 00:38:01,279
It could go back to G flat,
and just do as it does
763
00:38:01,453 --> 00:38:04,151
in the--like that,
but of course...
764
00:38:04,325 --> 00:38:06,414
And I went, "You know,
I think you're right, Andrew,
765
00:38:06,588 --> 00:38:09,156
there is something there."
766
00:38:09,330 --> 00:38:10,766
But, she's actually saying,
"Touch me,
767
00:38:10,940 --> 00:38:13,769
- for God's sake, touch me."
- I think he's just
768
00:38:13,943 --> 00:38:17,556
unbelievably brave.
769
00:38:18,731 --> 00:38:20,559
So many people
must've been telling him
770
00:38:20,733 --> 00:38:24,127
he was crazy
when he was doing Cats.
771
00:38:24,302 --> 00:38:25,868
It was a blind leap
into the dark.
772
00:38:26,042 --> 00:38:28,567
None of us knew what we had.
773
00:38:28,741 --> 00:38:30,873
All we knew was that the moment
a cat first came on stage
774
00:38:31,047 --> 00:38:33,311
in the first preview,
it was either going to be
775
00:38:33,485 --> 00:38:35,008
the worst moment
anybody had ever seen
776
00:38:35,182 --> 00:38:36,575
in the history of the theater,
and all our friends
777
00:38:36,749 --> 00:38:38,751
would be laughing all the way,
778
00:38:38,925 --> 00:38:41,101
or it wasn't.
779
00:38:41,275 --> 00:38:43,756
Can you imagine being in Cats
the first time around
780
00:38:43,930 --> 00:38:46,106
and telling your friends
what you were doing?
781
00:38:46,280 --> 00:38:48,151
"What are you up to
at the minute?"
782
00:38:48,326 --> 00:38:50,240
"You know the guy
who wrote Evita?
783
00:38:50,415 --> 00:38:53,983
He's written a show
based on T.S. Eliot's poems,
784
00:38:54,157 --> 00:38:56,246
and we're all playing cats."
785
00:38:56,421 --> 00:38:58,205
"What?"
786
00:38:59,989 --> 00:39:03,602
Bernie Jacobs
went to see Cats in London.
787
00:39:03,776 --> 00:39:05,821
The next day,
Bernie's grandson asked
788
00:39:05,995 --> 00:39:07,954
if he could go back
to see it again,
789
00:39:08,128 --> 00:39:09,608
and Bernie said,
"Well, if the kids like it,
790
00:39:09,782 --> 00:39:13,002
maybe there's something in it."
791
00:39:13,176 --> 00:39:15,788
Bernie and Jerry
were prepared to do anything
792
00:39:15,962 --> 00:39:17,398
to have it.
793
00:39:17,572 --> 00:39:19,139
They smelled the coffee.
794
00:39:19,313 --> 00:39:21,707
They smelled there was
something new and different
795
00:39:21,881 --> 00:39:25,667
that would bring audiences
flooding back to the theater.
796
00:39:25,841 --> 00:39:28,148
The Shuberts had just restored
the Winter Garden Theatre,
797
00:39:28,322 --> 00:39:31,064
painting everything gold leaf
and it was beautiful.
798
00:39:31,238 --> 00:39:32,935
Trevor Nunn said,
"I want it all black."
799
00:39:33,109 --> 00:39:34,807
Like, "What, we just
restored this theater
800
00:39:34,981 --> 00:39:35,982
for hundreds of thousands
of dollars, and now you wanna
801
00:39:36,156 --> 00:39:37,592
paint it all black?"
802
00:39:37,766 --> 00:39:40,682
It has to be black,
because Cats begins in the dark.
803
00:39:40,856 --> 00:39:43,468
"Can you see in the dark?"
is the opening line.
804
00:39:43,642 --> 00:39:45,513
Can you see in the dark?
805
00:39:45,687 --> 00:39:48,647
Because Jellicles canand Jellicles do
806
00:39:48,821 --> 00:39:51,214
Jellicles doand Jellicles can
807
00:39:51,389 --> 00:39:53,521
Jellicles canand Jellicles do
808
00:39:53,695 --> 00:39:55,958
So much of it was physical.
809
00:39:56,132 --> 00:39:57,438
This was
a complete transformation
810
00:39:57,612 --> 00:39:59,179
of the Broadway theater.
811
00:39:59,353 --> 00:40:01,921
It was environmentally
completely changed.
812
00:40:02,095 --> 00:40:03,531
The walls were covered
and the actors
813
00:40:03,705 --> 00:40:06,055
were all running
up and down the aisles.
814
00:40:06,229 --> 00:40:08,884
So, it had enormous,
enormous impact.
815
00:40:11,017 --> 00:40:14,150
Cats took off
in this extraordinary way.
816
00:40:15,848 --> 00:40:17,502
Cats, which was
a big hit in England,
817
00:40:17,676 --> 00:40:19,591
is more than a show biz story,
818
00:40:19,765 --> 00:40:23,725
it's a business story,
for big bucks are involved.
819
00:40:23,899 --> 00:40:27,076
We had an advance sale today
of approximately $6 million,
820
00:40:27,250 --> 00:40:29,992
which I'm sure, in dollars,
is the biggest advance ever.
821
00:40:32,647 --> 00:40:33,996
Customers wanted the feeling
822
00:40:34,170 --> 00:40:35,868
that they were getting
from the movies.
823
00:40:36,042 --> 00:40:38,044
They wanted extravaganza,
824
00:40:38,218 --> 00:40:39,915
they wanted spectacle.
825
00:40:41,526 --> 00:40:42,875
Even with all the ballyhoo,
826
00:40:43,049 --> 00:40:44,833
all the expensive costumes
and lighting,
827
00:40:45,007 --> 00:40:47,532
the advance sales,
no one can be sure of a hit
828
00:40:47,706 --> 00:40:50,578
until the opening night
reviews are in.
829
00:40:50,752 --> 00:40:53,494
Bernie Jacobs
hated the critics,
830
00:40:53,668 --> 00:40:56,932
and they weren't
particularly kind to the show.
831
00:40:57,106 --> 00:41:00,240
The show drove a lot
of Broadway people crazy,
832
00:41:00,414 --> 00:41:03,156
particularly Frank Rich
at the New York Times.
833
00:41:03,330 --> 00:41:05,637
The New York Times
had the power,
834
00:41:05,811 --> 00:41:09,379
and if they didn't like a show,
that was it.
835
00:41:09,554 --> 00:41:11,556
Until Cats.
836
00:41:12,818 --> 00:41:16,604
Cats ran 18 years on Broadway
and had countless tours
837
00:41:16,778 --> 00:41:18,258
all over the country,
838
00:41:18,432 --> 00:41:21,653
and made even more money
than A Chorus Line.
839
00:41:21,827 --> 00:41:24,220
Cats instituted changes
on Broadway
840
00:41:24,394 --> 00:41:26,484
like merchandising shows.
841
00:41:26,658 --> 00:41:28,964
They probably sold hundreds
of millions of dollars worth
842
00:41:29,138 --> 00:41:31,489
of Cats T-shirts over the years.
843
00:41:31,663 --> 00:41:34,579
Cats was the new beginning
of theater
844
00:41:34,753 --> 00:41:37,103
as part of popular culture.
845
00:41:37,277 --> 00:41:40,672
And I mean
world popular culture.
846
00:41:40,846 --> 00:41:44,240
Also, Cats was the beginning
of the end, in my opinion,
847
00:41:44,414 --> 00:41:47,635
because Broadway began
to be priced out of existence.
848
00:41:47,809 --> 00:41:50,595
One more day.
849
00:41:50,769 --> 00:41:52,901
One day more.
850
00:41:53,075 --> 00:41:55,991
It was a whole new take
from the British
851
00:41:56,165 --> 00:41:58,559
of what the Broadway musical
could be.
852
00:41:58,733 --> 00:42:02,215
And that carried into
Les Misérables,
853
00:42:02,389 --> 00:42:03,869
Phantom of the Opera...
854
00:42:07,394 --> 00:42:09,744
Miss Saigon.
855
00:42:09,918 --> 00:42:12,355
These were massive productions
856
00:42:12,530 --> 00:42:15,489
just for the pure spectacle.
857
00:42:15,663 --> 00:42:18,579
They had rock music
and they were visual.
858
00:42:18,753 --> 00:42:20,450
Tourists didn't need
to really understand
859
00:42:20,625 --> 00:42:23,149
a lot of English
to get those shows.
860
00:42:23,323 --> 00:42:28,371
Come, everyone, come and share the American Dream!
861
00:42:28,546 --> 00:42:30,548
I did Miss Saigon
862
00:42:30,722 --> 00:42:32,637
in complete innocence.
863
00:42:32,811 --> 00:42:36,075
I had no idea
how high the stakes are,
864
00:42:36,249 --> 00:42:39,557
how intense Broadway is.
865
00:42:39,731 --> 00:42:42,298
The pressures are
exponentially greater.
866
00:42:42,472 --> 00:42:44,562
Come and get morethan your share,
867
00:42:44,736 --> 00:42:47,913
the American Dream!
868
00:42:48,087 --> 00:42:49,610
Some of these shows
I would go see,
869
00:42:49,784 --> 00:42:52,134
and I felt like
they were pageants.
870
00:42:52,308 --> 00:42:55,050
I didn't feel
like I was witnessing
871
00:42:55,224 --> 00:42:57,531
that wonderful, fragile thing
872
00:42:57,705 --> 00:43:01,274
of a human being
standing center stage
873
00:43:01,448 --> 00:43:04,016
opening their heart
and inviting me inside.
874
00:43:04,190 --> 00:43:09,238
I felt like I was watching
something parade past me,
875
00:43:09,412 --> 00:43:12,502
and it required nothing of me.
876
00:43:12,677 --> 00:43:15,027
The era of British spectacle
877
00:43:15,201 --> 00:43:16,724
coincided with a time
on Broadway
878
00:43:16,898 --> 00:43:18,552
when AIDS hit the industry.
879
00:43:20,510 --> 00:43:22,338
When AIDS hit, and you know,
880
00:43:22,512 --> 00:43:24,732
we didn't know what it was,
881
00:43:24,906 --> 00:43:26,821
and people just started dying,
882
00:43:28,518 --> 00:43:32,566
and everyone was terrified
of everybody and everything.
883
00:43:32,740 --> 00:43:35,221
Do you breathe the air
and then you get AIDS?
884
00:43:35,395 --> 00:43:37,963
What is it, what is it?
885
00:43:38,137 --> 00:43:39,355
It was terrible.
886
00:43:40,226 --> 00:43:42,228
And there was
a high concentration
887
00:43:42,402 --> 00:43:43,882
on Broadway.
888
00:43:46,188 --> 00:43:50,062
The ascent of
the British musical
889
00:43:50,236 --> 00:43:55,241
coincided with AIDS,
because all these artists
890
00:43:55,415 --> 00:43:58,331
that should have been
making shows at the time
891
00:43:58,505 --> 00:43:59,985
were dying.
892
00:44:05,033 --> 00:44:07,122
And all of a sudden,
there's a vacuum.
893
00:44:09,995 --> 00:44:12,301
When the AIDS tragedy hit,
894
00:44:12,475 --> 00:44:16,523
the theater community was
particularly hard hit by it.
895
00:44:18,917 --> 00:44:22,181
In the late 1980s,
I was diagnosed with AIDS,
896
00:44:22,355 --> 00:44:25,271
and at that time,
we weren't living very long.
897
00:44:27,012 --> 00:44:29,667
We lost a lot of artists
during that time,
898
00:44:30,450 --> 00:44:31,843
and I was lucky
to have been around
899
00:44:32,017 --> 00:44:32,974
and known them.
900
00:44:34,019 --> 00:44:35,716
It's a tight
little family group,
901
00:44:35,890 --> 00:44:37,849
and you couldn't pick up
The New York Times
902
00:44:38,023 --> 00:44:40,547
without seeing an obituary
for a young man.
903
00:44:41,679 --> 00:44:44,551
The AIDS epidemic was
a devastating moment
904
00:44:44,725 --> 00:44:46,335
in an American theater history.
905
00:44:47,162 --> 00:44:49,164
We lost some of
the greatest talents
906
00:44:49,338 --> 00:44:50,600
that we've ever had,
907
00:44:51,297 --> 00:44:54,039
and we lost other talents
who never had a chance to prove
908
00:44:54,213 --> 00:44:55,649
how great they were gonna be.
909
00:44:56,215 --> 00:44:57,825
Michael Bennett was
just getting started,
910
00:44:57,999 --> 00:44:59,479
he was younger than me.
911
00:45:00,480 --> 00:45:05,224
Imagine what he could've done
had he not succumbed to AIDS.
912
00:45:08,488 --> 00:45:11,056
It was...
913
00:45:11,230 --> 00:45:13,406
It was devastating.
914
00:45:17,410 --> 00:45:19,760
It was writers,
composers, directors,
915
00:45:19,934 --> 00:45:21,196
choreographers, dancers,
916
00:45:21,370 --> 00:45:25,505
actors, designers gone.
917
00:45:26,549 --> 00:45:29,074
I don't know if we've
ever really recovered.
918
00:45:32,686 --> 00:45:36,603
While Broadway was, for lack
of better words, grieving,
919
00:45:36,777 --> 00:45:38,648
this invasion happened.
920
00:45:40,346 --> 00:45:42,348
Quite a lot of the Broadway
theater community
921
00:45:42,522 --> 00:45:46,569
didn't like what we were doing,
and why should they?
922
00:45:46,744 --> 00:45:48,267
Why would they?
923
00:45:48,441 --> 00:45:51,531
They had their own stories
to tell,
924
00:45:51,705 --> 00:45:56,057
and if they resented
the commercial success
925
00:45:56,231 --> 00:46:00,192
of the Andrew Lloyd Webber,
Cameron Mackintosh musicals,
926
00:46:00,366 --> 00:46:03,108
that can only have been healthy.
927
00:46:03,282 --> 00:46:05,632
Resent it and do better,
and they did.
928
00:46:05,806 --> 00:46:07,677
I love it when ya
tell me about the old days.
929
00:46:07,852 --> 00:46:09,070
The old days?
930
00:46:09,244 --> 00:46:10,158
I don't even
remember them anymore,
931
00:46:10,332 --> 00:46:11,594
they were such a long time ago.
932
00:46:11,769 --> 00:46:15,424
American plays
give us back ourselves
933
00:46:15,598 --> 00:46:17,296
and give us back our stories
934
00:46:17,470 --> 00:46:20,647
in a very, very,
very intimate way
935
00:46:20,821 --> 00:46:23,171
and empower us to go forward.
936
00:46:23,345 --> 00:46:24,956
What was your grandmother like?
937
00:46:25,130 --> 00:46:26,653
Hm.
938
00:46:26,827 --> 00:46:28,002
Tiny.
939
00:46:28,176 --> 00:46:29,308
My grandfather
had to pick her up
940
00:46:29,482 --> 00:46:31,005
to see the Statue of Liberty.
941
00:46:32,659 --> 00:46:34,617
That must've been some day.
942
00:46:34,792 --> 00:46:36,881
It was what they dreamed of
all their life
943
00:46:37,055 --> 00:46:39,100
to get to America.
944
00:46:40,406 --> 00:46:42,016
And when they saw that statue,
945
00:46:42,190 --> 00:46:45,324
they started to cry,
the women were wailing,
946
00:46:45,498 --> 00:46:47,456
the men were shaking,
everybody praying,
947
00:46:47,630 --> 00:46:49,110
you know why?
948
00:46:49,284 --> 00:46:50,851
Because they were free.
949
00:46:51,025 --> 00:46:52,679
Because they took one look
at that statue and said,
950
00:46:52,853 --> 00:46:54,202
"This is not a Jewish woman,
951
00:46:54,376 --> 00:46:56,204
we're gonna have problems
again."
952
00:46:57,815 --> 00:47:00,730
People who write
about the fragility
953
00:47:00,905 --> 00:47:02,254
of the human condition
954
00:47:02,428 --> 00:47:04,734
in a way that is meaningful
and moving,
955
00:47:04,909 --> 00:47:06,475
those are the people
who give the theater
956
00:47:06,649 --> 00:47:08,956
its true body and spirit.
957
00:47:09,130 --> 00:47:10,566
They are what makes the theater
958
00:47:10,740 --> 00:47:13,352
different than
an amusement park.
959
00:47:16,224 --> 00:47:20,446
August Wilson had a vision
about what he wanted to say
960
00:47:20,620 --> 00:47:23,362
about African American history,
961
00:47:23,536 --> 00:47:26,017
and he wanted to say it
through the medium
962
00:47:26,191 --> 00:47:28,715
of live theater.
963
00:47:30,848 --> 00:47:34,155
My plays, the ideas
and attitudes of the character,
964
00:47:34,329 --> 00:47:37,245
first of all,
they come out of the Blues.
965
00:47:37,419 --> 00:47:40,205
For me, the music was a way
into the culture.
966
00:47:41,075 --> 00:47:43,338
I said, "This is mine,
this is me."
967
00:47:44,992 --> 00:47:46,776
It was like I was
a part of something
968
00:47:46,951 --> 00:47:49,823
that was larger than myself.
969
00:47:49,997 --> 00:47:52,347
I go, "How can I use this?"
970
00:47:52,521 --> 00:47:55,263
If I could make the plays
out of this material,
971
00:47:55,437 --> 00:47:57,483
then I would be doing something.
972
00:47:59,572 --> 00:48:00,878
In August's work,
973
00:48:01,052 --> 00:48:06,318
I found a sense of poetry.
974
00:48:06,492 --> 00:48:11,192
I found unique characters
who I immediately recognized,
975
00:48:11,366 --> 00:48:13,455
and they jumped off the page
to me.
976
00:48:13,629 --> 00:48:15,066
I knew those characters,
977
00:48:15,240 --> 00:48:19,157
because I had encountered them
personally.
978
00:48:19,331 --> 00:48:21,681
All his plays started
at the Yale Repertory Theatre
979
00:48:21,855 --> 00:48:25,946
where he could develop the work
before it opened on Broadway.
980
00:48:26,120 --> 00:48:29,994
Black is beautiful, see?
981
00:48:30,168 --> 00:48:32,083
Yale and Lloyd Richards
982
00:48:32,257 --> 00:48:34,824
created a partnership
with August.
983
00:48:34,999 --> 00:48:37,523
They realized his plays
needed to be nurtured,
984
00:48:37,697 --> 00:48:41,527
because they were rich,
detailed, complex plays
985
00:48:41,701 --> 00:48:44,095
that often ran
three and a half hours.
986
00:48:44,269 --> 00:48:46,010
How come you ain't
never liked me?
987
00:48:48,926 --> 00:48:50,884
Liked you?
988
00:48:52,625 --> 00:48:54,801
Who in the hell ever said
989
00:48:54,975 --> 00:48:56,890
I got to like you?
990
00:48:57,064 --> 00:48:59,545
What law is there to say
I got to like you?
991
00:48:59,719 --> 00:49:01,242
Do you want
to stand up in my face
992
00:49:01,416 --> 00:49:03,157
and ask me some damn
993
00:49:03,331 --> 00:49:05,377
fool-ass question like that?
994
00:49:05,551 --> 00:49:07,466
Talk about liking somebody.
995
00:49:07,640 --> 00:49:08,946
Come here, boy,
when I talk to you.
996
00:49:09,120 --> 00:49:11,252
He wrote the play Fences.
997
00:49:11,426 --> 00:49:12,732
And it won the Pulitzer,
998
00:49:12,906 --> 00:49:14,342
and then it went on
to win the Tony,
999
00:49:14,516 --> 00:49:16,431
it won the Drama Critics' Award.
1000
00:49:16,605 --> 00:49:20,174
It still today is one of
the most commercially successful
1001
00:49:20,348 --> 00:49:21,654
straight plays, dramatic plays
1002
00:49:21,828 --> 00:49:23,308
ever to be on Broadway.
1003
00:49:23,482 --> 00:49:25,397
It is my responsibility,
you understand that?
1004
00:49:25,571 --> 00:49:27,486
A man got to take care
of his family.
1005
00:49:27,660 --> 00:49:29,183
You live in my house,
1006
00:49:29,357 --> 00:49:31,359
you sleep your behind
on my bedclothes,
1007
00:49:31,533 --> 00:49:33,144
you put my food in your belly,
1008
00:49:33,318 --> 00:49:35,624
because you are my son,
you are my flesh and blood,
1009
00:49:35,798 --> 00:49:37,496
not because I like you.
1010
00:49:37,670 --> 00:49:39,367
It is my duty
to take care of you.
1011
00:49:39,541 --> 00:49:43,241
And don't you try
and go through life
1012
00:49:43,415 --> 00:49:45,895
worried if somebody
like you or not.
1013
00:49:46,070 --> 00:49:50,074
You best make sure that
they are doing right by you.
1014
00:49:50,248 --> 00:49:52,946
How unusual was that play
at that time?
1015
00:49:53,120 --> 00:49:55,905
A Black play
about a Black family
1016
00:49:56,080 --> 00:49:58,734
on Broadway, are you kidding?
1017
00:49:59,692 --> 00:50:01,085
And then August Wilson said,
"By the way,
1018
00:50:01,259 --> 00:50:02,347
I'm gonna write a cycle
1019
00:50:02,521 --> 00:50:04,001
of the African American
experience."
1020
00:50:04,175 --> 00:50:06,046
Ten plays take place
in all the decades
1021
00:50:06,220 --> 00:50:08,092
of the 20th century.
1022
00:50:08,266 --> 00:50:09,876
We made it clear
to August Wilson
1023
00:50:10,050 --> 00:50:12,226
that we were gonna produce
all his plays on Broadway
1024
00:50:12,400 --> 00:50:14,620
no matter what.
1025
00:50:14,794 --> 00:50:17,492
We didn't care if it made money,
1026
00:50:17,666 --> 00:50:22,149
we had a commitment,
and we did everything he wrote.
1027
00:50:22,323 --> 00:50:27,024
And the Black audience
discovered Broadway.
1028
00:50:27,198 --> 00:50:29,548
It's important to support
American playwrights
1029
00:50:29,722 --> 00:50:33,900
because no one else is going
to give language to our stories.
1030
00:50:34,074 --> 00:50:36,642
There is nothing quite like
1031
00:50:36,816 --> 00:50:38,600
sitting inside of a theater
1032
00:50:38,774 --> 00:50:42,474
and watching your world
be revealed to you.
1033
00:50:42,648 --> 00:50:45,781
You're seeing a play
that is about who you are
1034
00:50:45,955 --> 00:50:48,045
and that is about your country
and your culture.
1035
00:50:48,219 --> 00:50:49,524
You done went down to the place
1036
00:50:49,698 --> 00:50:51,265
to get an abortion
without telling me.
1037
00:50:51,439 --> 00:50:52,484
You can't just go get rid of it!
1038
00:50:52,658 --> 00:50:53,920
Why?
1039
00:50:54,094 --> 00:50:55,400
Look at Natasha!
1040
00:50:55,574 --> 00:50:57,315
I couldn't give her
what she needed.
1041
00:50:57,489 --> 00:50:59,795
Why do I wanna go back
and do it again?
1042
00:50:59,969 --> 00:51:02,407
I ain't got
nothing else to give.
1043
00:51:02,581 --> 00:51:04,844
I can't give myself,
how I'm gonna give her?
1044
00:51:05,018 --> 00:51:06,846
I don't understand what to do,
how to be a mother,
1045
00:51:07,020 --> 00:51:08,761
you either love too much
or don't love enough,
1046
00:51:08,935 --> 00:51:10,632
don't seem like
there's no middle ground!
1047
00:51:10,806 --> 00:51:14,332
August is the keeper
of history for us.
1048
00:51:14,506 --> 00:51:15,855
He was a great poet,
1049
00:51:16,029 --> 00:51:19,902
but he also had
the uncanny ability
1050
00:51:20,077 --> 00:51:22,166
to speak the truth.
1051
00:51:22,340 --> 00:51:24,733
You need an August Wilson
to come along
1052
00:51:24,907 --> 00:51:28,346
to discuss the majesty
of these men and women
1053
00:51:28,520 --> 00:51:31,479
who are trapped
inside of this block
1054
00:51:31,653 --> 00:51:33,177
called American racism
1055
00:51:33,351 --> 00:51:35,527
and how do they hold on
to their dignity
1056
00:51:35,701 --> 00:51:38,965
and their sense of self-worth.
1057
00:51:39,139 --> 00:51:41,315
The theater, for some of us,
1058
00:51:41,489 --> 00:51:44,144
is where you went
instead of going to church
1059
00:51:44,318 --> 00:51:45,493
or the synagogue.
1060
00:51:46,233 --> 00:51:48,017
We felt that you had a social,
1061
00:51:48,192 --> 00:51:50,759
political responsibility.
1062
00:51:50,933 --> 00:51:54,589
Plays had to be about something.
1063
00:51:54,763 --> 00:51:56,896
There's another kind
of attraction
1064
00:51:57,070 --> 00:52:01,466
to doing something
that you feel is truly new,
1065
00:52:01,640 --> 00:52:04,599
truly challenging
to an audience,
1066
00:52:04,773 --> 00:52:07,602
and is about something
that's important.
1067
00:52:07,776 --> 00:52:12,912
There's just such a feeling
of risk and danger
1068
00:52:13,086 --> 00:52:16,568
in giving people something
they have never seen before.
1069
00:52:16,742 --> 00:52:19,745
It moves the goal posts
a little bit.
1070
00:52:21,355 --> 00:52:23,270
In the '80s and '90s,
1071
00:52:23,444 --> 00:52:26,839
you had plays dealing
with important issues.
1072
00:52:27,013 --> 00:52:28,971
That opened up a way
for more plays
1073
00:52:29,146 --> 00:52:32,018
that had immediacy.
1074
00:52:32,192 --> 00:52:34,151
And because of the AIDS crisis,
1075
00:52:34,325 --> 00:52:36,892
you have people in the theater
who have to address something
1076
00:52:37,066 --> 00:52:39,156
that is of
immediate concern to them,
1077
00:52:39,330 --> 00:52:42,681
because they and their friends
are dying.
1078
00:52:44,161 --> 00:52:46,467
It afflicts mostly homosexuals
and drug addicts.
1079
00:52:46,641 --> 00:52:48,252
Mostly--hemophiliacs are also--
1080
00:52:48,426 --> 00:52:50,558
Homosexuals and drug addicts.
1081
00:52:50,732 --> 00:52:54,171
Angels in America
began with the AIDS crisis,
1082
00:52:54,345 --> 00:52:56,695
because we were in the center
of the hurricane,
1083
00:52:56,869 --> 00:53:00,002
and it demanded a response.
1084
00:53:00,177 --> 00:53:03,310
So at the Eureka Theater
in San Francisco,
1085
00:53:03,484 --> 00:53:05,225
we applied with Tony Kushner
1086
00:53:05,399 --> 00:53:08,533
for a commissioning grant
for a new play,
1087
00:53:08,707 --> 00:53:10,752
and we began a six-year odyssey
1088
00:53:11,144 --> 00:53:12,101
developing that play.
1089
00:53:13,538 --> 00:53:15,583
And then someone
called me up and said,
1090
00:53:15,757 --> 00:53:17,933
"Tony Kushner wants to come over
and talk to you."
1091
00:53:18,107 --> 00:53:19,805
And so, through a series
of wonderful circumstances,
1092
00:53:19,979 --> 00:53:22,286
I ended up directing it
on Broadway.
1093
00:53:22,460 --> 00:53:26,377
It was unapologetically
political
1094
00:53:26,551 --> 00:53:29,771
and unconditionally human.
1095
00:53:29,945 --> 00:53:34,950
It was this expansive,
complicated vision of America.
1096
00:53:35,124 --> 00:53:37,344
Greetings, Prophet!
1097
00:53:39,085 --> 00:53:42,871
The great works begins.
1098
00:53:43,045 --> 00:53:47,267
The messenger has arrived.
1099
00:53:49,138 --> 00:53:51,053
This was more than a play.
1100
00:53:52,664 --> 00:53:54,361
Once you have a big hit
on Broadway,
1101
00:53:54,535 --> 00:53:55,928
it becomes something
that people talk about
1102
00:53:56,102 --> 00:53:57,843
at dinner parties
and in their living rooms,
1103
00:53:58,017 --> 00:54:01,194
and what Tony did was
he brought this discussion
1104
00:54:01,368 --> 00:54:03,414
into the mainstream.
1105
00:54:03,588 --> 00:54:06,068
People were talking openly
about gay culture,
1106
00:54:06,243 --> 00:54:07,722
and there was
a kind of discussion
1107
00:54:07,896 --> 00:54:09,985
that you hadn't had before.
1108
00:54:10,159 --> 00:54:14,120
You can't say that Angels
caused the openness to gay life
1109
00:54:14,294 --> 00:54:18,864
that occurred over the '90s
and through today,
1110
00:54:19,038 --> 00:54:21,388
but it was the leading
cultural indicator
1111
00:54:21,562 --> 00:54:25,392
of the fact that gay people
were claiming center stage.
1112
00:54:25,566 --> 00:54:28,134
- I'm a Mormon.
- I'm a homosexual.
1113
00:54:28,308 --> 00:54:31,616
This is what Broadway is about.
1114
00:54:31,790 --> 00:54:34,967
Great theater is a mirror
to the human condition,
1115
00:54:35,141 --> 00:54:36,882
to us, to people,
1116
00:54:37,056 --> 00:54:38,797
and how we're really
all the same
1117
00:54:38,971 --> 00:54:41,713
despite our differences,
our perceived differences,
1118
00:54:41,887 --> 00:54:43,802
be it if we're from
a different race,
1119
00:54:43,976 --> 00:54:45,978
a different gender,
different sexual orientation,
1120
00:54:46,152 --> 00:54:47,196
we're really all the same,
1121
00:54:47,371 --> 00:54:48,937
and that's what theater
shows us.
1122
00:54:51,636 --> 00:54:54,987
Broadway audiences want shows
about the here and now.
1123
00:54:55,161 --> 00:54:59,121
In the '90s, Jonathan Larson
was working on Rent,
1124
00:54:59,296 --> 00:55:00,862
because he wanted
to write a show
1125
00:55:01,036 --> 00:55:02,473
about what was going on
in the city then.
1126
00:55:03,691 --> 00:55:05,389
Rent was about 20-somethings
1127
00:55:05,563 --> 00:55:07,652
living in New York City
trying to figure out
1128
00:55:07,826 --> 00:55:08,957
how to make
their dreams come true
1129
00:55:09,131 --> 00:55:10,350
in a world that felt like
1130
00:55:10,524 --> 00:55:12,178
it was ripping apart
at the seams.
1131
00:55:14,049 --> 00:55:16,225
Rent opened at the New York
Theatre Workshop
1132
00:55:16,400 --> 00:55:18,271
down on East 4th Street.
1133
00:55:18,445 --> 00:55:23,494
It's this gritty, gritty story
that involves drugs and AIDS
1134
00:55:23,668 --> 00:55:25,452
and all of these issues,
1135
00:55:25,626 --> 00:55:27,367
managing to strike a chord
in a way
1136
00:55:27,541 --> 00:55:30,936
that was bigger than anything
that was going on on Broadway.
1137
00:55:33,025 --> 00:55:35,027
All of our advisors
were telling us,
1138
00:55:35,201 --> 00:55:36,985
keep that show off Broadway.
1139
00:55:37,159 --> 00:55:39,727
Nobody on Broadway
wants to see a musical
1140
00:55:39,901 --> 00:55:44,645
about drug addiction,
HIV, and death.
1141
00:55:44,819 --> 00:55:47,256
There really hadn't been
a contemporary musical
1142
00:55:47,431 --> 00:55:50,347
that was capturing
the spirit of our times
1143
00:55:50,521 --> 00:55:52,000
since A Chorus Line.
1144
00:55:52,174 --> 00:55:54,786
La vie Bohème,
1145
00:55:54,960 --> 00:55:57,049
la vie Bohème.
1146
00:55:57,223 --> 00:55:59,530
Rent moved to Broadway,
1147
00:55:59,704 --> 00:56:02,533
and it's on the cover
of the news weeklies,
1148
00:56:02,707 --> 00:56:05,884
and it's in the windows
of Bloomingdale's.
1149
00:56:06,058 --> 00:56:10,454
The impact is felt everywhere
throughout the culture.
1150
00:56:10,628 --> 00:56:13,500
We sold the first two rows
in the orchestra section
1151
00:56:13,674 --> 00:56:15,415
for 20 bucks.
1152
00:56:15,589 --> 00:56:18,331
We would have kids sleeping
overnight on West 41st Street
1153
00:56:18,505 --> 00:56:21,726
to get those $20 tickets.
1154
00:56:21,900 --> 00:56:24,381
The process of bringing
young people back to Broadway
1155
00:56:24,555 --> 00:56:26,252
started with Rent.
1156
00:56:27,035 --> 00:56:32,519
525,600 minutes.
1157
00:56:32,693 --> 00:56:37,611
How do you measure,measure a year?
1158
00:56:37,785 --> 00:56:39,178
Jonathan was writing Rent
1159
00:56:39,352 --> 00:56:41,223
because he wanted
to write a show
1160
00:56:41,398 --> 00:56:45,314
that used the musical vernacular
of his generation.
1161
00:56:46,054 --> 00:56:49,928
Love.
1162
00:56:50,102 --> 00:56:51,625
Measure in love.
1163
00:56:51,799 --> 00:56:57,065
Measure,measure a life in love.
1164
00:56:57,239 --> 00:57:03,550
Seasons of love.
1165
00:57:03,724 --> 00:57:06,858
Jonathan used to say,
"I want to write a musical
1166
00:57:07,032 --> 00:57:08,425
for my people."
1167
00:57:12,864 --> 00:57:16,476
One of the things
that Broadway does at its best
1168
00:57:16,650 --> 00:57:21,176
is focus on how
the culture is changing
1169
00:57:21,350 --> 00:57:24,310
and work to move it forward.
1170
00:57:27,748 --> 00:57:30,185
As a playwright,
you're always looking for
1171
00:57:30,359 --> 00:57:33,275
how to make
a character original,
1172
00:57:33,450 --> 00:57:35,364
and I thought,
wouldn't it be fun
1173
00:57:35,539 --> 00:57:39,064
to have a tough gal gangster?
1174
00:57:39,238 --> 00:57:41,849
And then,
when I was writing The Nap,
1175
00:57:42,023 --> 00:57:44,591
a friend of mine
had just transitioned.
1176
00:57:44,765 --> 00:57:46,071
And that's what
you're looking for
1177
00:57:46,245 --> 00:57:48,900
is just that little extra twist.
1178
00:57:50,379 --> 00:57:52,294
And that's where
Waxy came from.
1179
00:57:52,469 --> 00:57:55,646
I wanted to be
an attractive young woman.
1180
00:57:55,820 --> 00:57:58,692
I became a woman just in time
for a hysterectomy.
1181
00:57:58,866 --> 00:58:00,781
Of course, you write
a character like that
1182
00:58:00,955 --> 00:58:02,522
and then you have to cast them.
1183
00:58:02,696 --> 00:58:07,005
So where are you gonna find
a transgender actor
1184
00:58:07,179 --> 00:58:09,573
who's transitioned
to become a woman
1185
00:58:09,747 --> 00:58:11,879
who has a great
comic sensibility
1186
00:58:12,053 --> 00:58:14,882
and you could also believe
could kill someone
1187
00:58:15,056 --> 00:58:17,015
with their bare hands.
1188
00:58:19,452 --> 00:58:20,845
Are you all right?
1189
00:58:21,019 --> 00:58:24,370
I don't know
what's going on, dear.
1190
00:58:24,544 --> 00:58:26,372
I wanted to do
this particular show
1191
00:58:26,546 --> 00:58:30,202
because Waxy's transgenderism
1192
00:58:30,376 --> 00:58:32,117
isn't the crux of who she is,
1193
00:58:32,291 --> 00:58:34,598
nor is it the crux of the play.
1194
00:58:34,772 --> 00:58:36,643
She's funny
just because she's funny,
1195
00:58:36,817 --> 00:58:38,471
not because she's transgender.
1196
00:58:39,603 --> 00:58:42,170
The Filipinos
lost five million.
1197
00:58:42,344 --> 00:58:43,911
Who are they?
1198
00:58:44,085 --> 00:58:45,826
Filipinos are people
who live in the Philippines.
1199
00:58:46,000 --> 00:58:47,741
I know that, but who are they?
1200
00:58:47,915 --> 00:58:49,177
A betting syndicate.
1201
00:58:49,351 --> 00:58:52,311
It was very clear that in 2018,
1202
00:58:52,485 --> 00:58:54,226
one was not going
to cast somebody
1203
00:58:54,400 --> 00:58:58,360
who was not transgender
to play a transgender role.
1204
00:58:59,318 --> 00:59:01,625
From the top, everyone.
1205
00:59:01,799 --> 00:59:03,844
Broadway now represents
1206
00:59:04,018 --> 00:59:06,151
so many different parts
of who we are
1207
00:59:06,325 --> 00:59:09,371
that have never
been put on stage.
1208
00:59:14,681 --> 00:59:17,292
It had taken decades
for the city and the state
1209
00:59:17,466 --> 00:59:19,643
to finally realize
that eminent domain
1210
00:59:19,817 --> 00:59:23,298
is the only way they were
gonna clean 42nd Street up.
1211
00:59:23,472 --> 00:59:26,432
Basically, what you do is
you dispossess everybody there
1212
00:59:26,606 --> 00:59:28,695
of their rights.
1213
00:59:29,566 --> 00:59:31,611
The 42nd Street
Development Project,
1214
00:59:31,785 --> 00:59:35,354
we moved 400 businesses,
including the theaters,
1215
00:59:35,528 --> 00:59:38,966
which were porn places.
1216
00:59:39,140 --> 00:59:40,838
We would be responsible
1217
00:59:41,012 --> 00:59:43,667
for eight of the theaters
on 42nd Street,
1218
00:59:43,841 --> 00:59:46,234
and the mission was
to get these theaters restored
1219
00:59:46,408 --> 00:59:51,457
to help cultivate passion
for the arts in the city.
1220
00:59:51,631 --> 00:59:54,591
And then it really took off
when Michael Eisner,
1221
00:59:54,765 --> 00:59:56,331
who was running Disney,
1222
00:59:56,505 --> 00:59:59,160
noticed how much money
was being made on Broadway.
1223
00:59:59,334 --> 01:00:03,295
What happened is
I saw the world changing.
1224
01:00:03,469 --> 01:00:08,517
I saw Andrew Lloyd Webber
creating musicals
1225
01:00:08,692 --> 01:00:10,694
that were now worldwide events.
1226
01:00:10,868 --> 01:00:14,654
They were more
than just Broadway,
1227
01:00:14,828 --> 01:00:17,788
and I said, "You know,
this could be a business."
1228
01:00:19,833 --> 01:00:23,228
So Michael Eisner came to see
the New Amsterdam Theatre,
1229
01:00:23,402 --> 01:00:25,752
which was the most beautiful
theater on Broadway,
1230
01:00:25,926 --> 01:00:30,148
even then
in its complete deterioration.
1231
01:00:30,322 --> 01:00:32,541
We tried to tidy up
as much as we could,
1232
01:00:32,716 --> 01:00:35,588
but the whole theater
was really falling apart.
1233
01:00:35,762 --> 01:00:37,024
It was a disaster.
1234
01:00:37,198 --> 01:00:38,939
It had mushrooms
growing in the seats
1235
01:00:39,113 --> 01:00:41,072
and it had a hole
in the ceiling.
1236
01:00:41,246 --> 01:00:42,682
It was like raining inside.
1237
01:00:42,856 --> 01:00:44,162
There were birds inside,
1238
01:00:44,336 --> 01:00:47,208
there was bird doo
all over the place.
1239
01:00:47,382 --> 01:00:50,081
And then we went
up the back stairs
1240
01:00:50,255 --> 01:00:53,301
and we got to the top step,
and there was a dead cat.
1241
01:00:55,216 --> 01:00:58,742
But you could see the skeletons
of something great.
1242
01:00:58,916 --> 01:01:00,439
The only way I could justify it
1243
01:01:00,613 --> 01:01:02,397
to our shareholders
and everybody else
1244
01:01:02,571 --> 01:01:06,140
is that it really didn't cost
the Disney Company that much.
1245
01:01:06,314 --> 01:01:08,708
Disney received large tax breaks
from the city,
1246
01:01:08,882 --> 01:01:10,057
but city officials believe
1247
01:01:10,231 --> 01:01:11,798
the economic boost
it'll generate
1248
01:01:11,972 --> 01:01:14,801
will more than make up
for the loss in tax revenue.
1249
01:01:14,975 --> 01:01:16,847
The Disney Company
pretty much insisted
1250
01:01:17,021 --> 01:01:18,849
they would go ahead
if we imagine,
1251
01:01:19,023 --> 01:01:20,198
we the City and the State,
1252
01:01:20,372 --> 01:01:22,243
would give
the Disney Company money
1253
01:01:22,417 --> 01:01:24,898
to restore the New Amsterdam.
1254
01:01:27,858 --> 01:01:30,034
We were roundly criticized,
1255
01:01:30,208 --> 01:01:32,689
but we needed to get
a real blue chip tenant.
1256
01:01:32,863 --> 01:01:35,474
This is gold for us,
getting Disney.
1257
01:01:35,648 --> 01:01:38,912
It tells the world that
this is a safe place to come
1258
01:01:39,086 --> 01:01:41,785
and the entertainment spot
in New York City.
1259
01:01:41,959 --> 01:01:44,570
We couldn't have asked for more.
1260
01:01:44,744 --> 01:01:48,052
Now Disney has the biggest
theater on 42nd Street,
1261
01:01:48,226 --> 01:01:50,358
so it's totally changed.
1262
01:01:50,532 --> 01:01:54,885
It's garish as hell,
but so is Times Square,
1263
01:01:55,059 --> 01:01:56,669
and people love that.
1264
01:01:56,843 --> 01:01:59,672
Only Disney could turn
your favorite video
1265
01:01:59,846 --> 01:02:01,456
into a real live Broadway show.
1266
01:02:01,630 --> 01:02:03,110
Before the New Amsterdam
Theatre,
1267
01:02:03,284 --> 01:02:05,025
Disney came to town
with Beauty and the Beast,
1268
01:02:05,199 --> 01:02:07,549
which, frankly,
theater people didn't like.
1269
01:02:07,724 --> 01:02:10,422
Everyone's terrified that Disney
was gonna turn Broadway
1270
01:02:10,596 --> 01:02:11,945
and Times Square into Disneyland
1271
01:02:12,119 --> 01:02:13,860
with these musicals
based on cartoon movies.
1272
01:02:14,034 --> 01:02:14,948
It's on Broadway!
1273
01:02:15,122 --> 01:02:16,776
Disney's Beauty and the Beast.
1274
01:02:16,950 --> 01:02:18,822
I can't wait to go.
1275
01:02:18,996 --> 01:02:20,737
But nobody going to the theater
1276
01:02:20,911 --> 01:02:24,131
had ever seen anything
like The Lion King.
1277
01:02:24,305 --> 01:02:29,397
Nants ingonyama bagithi baba
1278
01:02:29,571 --> 01:02:33,314
Sithi uhm ingonyama
1279
01:02:33,488 --> 01:02:36,361
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
1280
01:02:36,535 --> 01:02:39,059
Ingonyama nengw' enamabala
1281
01:02:39,233 --> 01:02:41,453
This was family entertainment,
1282
01:02:41,627 --> 01:02:44,717
something that you could bring
your children to.
1283
01:02:44,891 --> 01:02:47,198
That was a huge change.
1284
01:02:47,372 --> 01:02:49,374
The circle of life.
1285
01:02:49,548 --> 01:02:51,724
If you're going to get
this huge audience
1286
01:02:51,898 --> 01:02:53,465
of young people
seeing this kind of theater
1287
01:02:53,639 --> 01:02:56,642
for the first time,
and it's meaningful to them,
1288
01:02:56,816 --> 01:03:00,515
they will understand
the power of live theater.
1289
01:03:00,689 --> 01:03:04,171
Disney did take a huge risk
by hiring Julie Taymor,
1290
01:03:04,345 --> 01:03:08,262
who was an avant-garde
mask maker, director,
1291
01:03:08,436 --> 01:03:10,177
and a woman.
1292
01:03:10,351 --> 01:03:11,570
There was no reference point
1293
01:03:11,744 --> 01:03:13,224
to what Julie Taymor was doing.
1294
01:03:13,398 --> 01:03:15,008
Brilliant, but kinda out there.
1295
01:03:15,182 --> 01:03:17,663
Things with masks, puppets.
1296
01:03:17,837 --> 01:03:20,187
It is purely theatrical.
1297
01:03:20,361 --> 01:03:22,407
People want to be surprised,
1298
01:03:22,581 --> 01:03:25,018
they want what circus gives you.
1299
01:03:25,192 --> 01:03:27,542
Disney knew
betting on Julie Taymor
1300
01:03:27,716 --> 01:03:28,979
to come up with something
1301
01:03:29,153 --> 01:03:31,024
that you couldn't even
have imagined
1302
01:03:31,198 --> 01:03:32,634
was the key to success.
1303
01:03:32,809 --> 01:03:39,032
The circle of life.
1304
01:03:41,426 --> 01:03:46,561
When you could create a musical
which behaves like a movie
1305
01:03:46,735 --> 01:03:50,827
and generate huge profits
into the hundreds of millions,
1306
01:03:51,001 --> 01:03:53,307
then Broadway became interesting
to corporations.
1307
01:03:53,481 --> 01:03:56,745
You are the dancing queen,
1308
01:03:56,920 --> 01:03:58,965
young and sweet...
1309
01:03:59,139 --> 01:04:02,012
So that is why
you're seeing the rise
1310
01:04:02,186 --> 01:04:03,665
of all these movie adaptations
1311
01:04:03,840 --> 01:04:06,581
and these jukebox musicals.
1312
01:04:06,755 --> 01:04:09,933
You have to get audiences
to show up.
1313
01:04:10,107 --> 01:04:11,760
They want to see
something familiar.
1314
01:04:11,935 --> 01:04:14,938
Walk like a man, fast as I ca,
1315
01:04:15,112 --> 01:04:18,289
walk like a man from you.
1316
01:04:18,463 --> 01:04:21,161
Big Broadway musicals
got so expensive to produce,
1317
01:04:21,335 --> 01:04:23,511
they need to run
for a very long time
1318
01:04:23,685 --> 01:04:25,339
to make their money back.
1319
01:04:25,513 --> 01:04:27,820
And once they're established
as hits,
1320
01:04:27,994 --> 01:04:29,953
they're gold mines
for everybody.
1321
01:04:30,127 --> 01:04:34,783
As blockbusters began to bloom,
1322
01:04:34,958 --> 01:04:36,829
it changed the whole dynamic.
1323
01:04:37,003 --> 01:04:38,396
Hello.
1324
01:04:38,570 --> 01:04:41,790
As the prices went up,
the stakes went up.
1325
01:04:41,965 --> 01:04:44,576
Did you know that Jesuslived here in the U.S.A.?
1326
01:04:44,750 --> 01:04:47,709
We're like Las Vegas now.
1327
01:04:47,884 --> 01:04:49,929
You need a bankable star.
1328
01:04:50,103 --> 01:04:54,629
If you do a show without
a big star, mm, don't know.
1329
01:04:54,803 --> 01:04:56,849
The producers
are nervous about it.
1330
01:04:57,023 --> 01:04:58,764
It's a bit of a gamble.
1331
01:04:58,938 --> 01:05:01,288
Tennessee Williams once said
1332
01:05:01,462 --> 01:05:03,682
that theater is
the purest form of religion.
1333
01:05:05,118 --> 01:05:08,905
But when the checkbooks
came into control,
1334
01:05:09,862 --> 01:05:12,865
I began to think,
has Broadway lost
1335
01:05:13,039 --> 01:05:14,649
what I would call its soul?
1336
01:05:14,823 --> 01:05:16,913
Where are the new
American voices
1337
01:05:17,087 --> 01:05:18,915
going to get their chance?
1338
01:05:19,089 --> 01:05:23,702
Or is Broadway just going
to become big jukebox musicals,
1339
01:05:24,398 --> 01:05:27,097
big revival of play
with movie star,
1340
01:05:27,793 --> 01:05:30,404
or play we take from London
that's been a smash?
1341
01:05:31,840 --> 01:05:33,277
That's the thing
that I think Broadway
1342
01:05:33,451 --> 01:05:34,539
has to keep an eye on.
1343
01:05:35,540 --> 01:05:37,281
There is no magic formula.
1344
01:05:37,977 --> 01:05:40,675
Every five years, maybe,
a show comes along
1345
01:05:40,849 --> 01:05:44,027
that defies all the rules.
1346
01:05:44,201 --> 01:05:47,117
It doesn't follow
any particular pattern.
1347
01:05:47,769 --> 01:05:50,468
A good storyteller
is the secret.
1348
01:05:51,208 --> 01:05:54,428
I'm thrilled the White House
called me tonight,
1349
01:05:54,602 --> 01:05:59,303
because I'm actually working
on a hip-hop album.
1350
01:05:59,477 --> 01:06:01,392
It's a concept album
about the life of someone
1351
01:06:01,566 --> 01:06:03,089
I think embodies hip-hop,
1352
01:06:03,263 --> 01:06:05,178
Treasury Secretary
Alexander Hamilton.
1353
01:06:06,092 --> 01:06:08,094
You laugh, but it's true!
1354
01:06:08,268 --> 01:06:11,445
I saw Lin-Manuel performing
the first song of Hamilton
1355
01:06:11,619 --> 01:06:14,492
in front of the First Lady
and President Obama,
1356
01:06:14,666 --> 01:06:18,278
and like many other people,
I went nuts for it.
1357
01:06:18,452 --> 01:06:21,890
How does a bastard, orphan,son of a whore
1358
01:06:22,065 --> 01:06:25,503
and a Scotsman droppedin the middle of a forgotten
1359
01:06:25,677 --> 01:06:27,853
spot in the Caribbeanby providence,
1360
01:06:28,027 --> 01:06:29,507
impoverished, in squalor
1361
01:06:29,681 --> 01:06:32,075
grow up to be a heroand a scholar?
1362
01:06:32,249 --> 01:06:35,339
And he wrote his first refrain, a testament to his pain.
1363
01:06:35,513 --> 01:06:36,949
Well, the word got around,
1364
01:06:37,123 --> 01:06:38,907
they said,"This kid is insane, man."
1365
01:06:39,082 --> 01:06:42,041
Took up a collection justto send him to the mainland.
1366
01:06:42,215 --> 01:06:43,608
"Get your education,
1367
01:06:43,782 --> 01:06:45,262
don't forgetfrom whence you came,
1368
01:06:45,436 --> 01:06:47,264
and the world is gonnaknow your name,
1369
01:06:47,438 --> 01:06:48,656
what's your name, man?"
1370
01:06:48,830 --> 01:06:51,094
Alexander Hamilton.
1371
01:06:51,268 --> 01:06:52,834
He continually said to me,
"No, no, no, Oskar,
1372
01:06:53,009 --> 01:06:55,620
it's an album,
it's not a musical,"
1373
01:06:55,794 --> 01:06:58,231
but just singing that song,
it was clear to me
1374
01:06:58,405 --> 01:07:01,278
this was a great musical
in the offering.
1375
01:07:01,452 --> 01:07:06,413
We needed to start Hamilton
in a not-for-profit theater,
1376
01:07:06,587 --> 01:07:10,330
so we thought, "Let's do this
in the same very place
1377
01:07:10,504 --> 01:07:13,507
that A Chorus Line started
in 1975.
1378
01:07:13,681 --> 01:07:15,553
Let's do it
at the Public Theater."
1379
01:07:15,727 --> 01:07:17,685
This is one of those nights
1380
01:07:17,859 --> 01:07:21,080
where you feel the earth
shake a little bit.
1381
01:07:21,254 --> 01:07:23,474
You feel the world
start to change.
1382
01:07:23,648 --> 01:07:26,259
This is opening night
of Hamilton.
1383
01:07:26,433 --> 01:07:29,349
And I am not throwing awaymy shot,
1384
01:07:29,523 --> 01:07:32,004
I am not throwing away my shot.
1385
01:07:32,178 --> 01:07:33,701
We're gonna rise up...
1386
01:07:33,875 --> 01:07:37,923
The Public Theater
did its production of Hamilton,
1387
01:07:38,097 --> 01:07:39,925
and then it moved to Broadway.
1388
01:07:40,099 --> 01:07:41,274
I am not throwing away my,
1389
01:07:41,448 --> 01:07:44,973
not throwing away my shot!
1390
01:07:45,148 --> 01:07:52,416
His ability to both move
and agitate through his lyrics,
1391
01:07:52,590 --> 01:07:57,160
and then with these melodies,
which just--
1392
01:07:57,334 --> 01:07:59,379
you don't know how he's done it.
1393
01:07:59,553 --> 01:08:01,381
I mean, I'm sitting here now
talking about it
1394
01:08:01,555 --> 01:08:05,168
and the music is drumming
in my brain.
1395
01:08:05,342 --> 01:08:07,257
I've been readingCommon Sense by Thomas Paine,
1396
01:08:07,431 --> 01:08:09,824
so men say that I'm intenseor I'm insane.
1397
01:08:09,998 --> 01:08:11,435
He's done for musical theater
1398
01:08:11,609 --> 01:08:15,003
what Sondheim has done
for musical theater.
1399
01:08:15,178 --> 01:08:16,570
He's changed it forever.
1400
01:08:16,744 --> 01:08:18,746
...that all menare created equal.
1401
01:08:18,920 --> 01:08:20,357
And when I meetThomas Jefferson,
1402
01:08:20,531 --> 01:08:23,011
I'ma compel him to include women in the sequel!
1403
01:08:23,186 --> 01:08:24,839
Work!
1404
01:08:25,013 --> 01:08:28,539
It makes theater relatable
to the hip-hop generations.
1405
01:08:28,713 --> 01:08:32,325
It exposes them to the theater,
the power of theater.
1406
01:08:32,499 --> 01:08:35,807
This is stuff I can relate to
and be moved by.
1407
01:08:35,981 --> 01:08:37,461
You know,
this is New York City.
1408
01:08:37,635 --> 01:08:39,027
In the greatest city,
1409
01:08:39,202 --> 01:08:42,509
in the greatest cityin the world.
1410
01:08:42,683 --> 01:08:44,729
In the greatest cityin the world.
1411
01:08:47,166 --> 01:08:49,386
Hamilton plays once a month
1412
01:08:49,560 --> 01:08:53,651
for inner city
public school kids for $10.
1413
01:08:53,825 --> 01:08:56,001
I went one time,
1414
01:08:56,175 --> 01:08:58,221
and it was breathtaking
1415
01:08:58,395 --> 01:09:00,397
how inspired they were.
1416
01:09:00,571 --> 01:09:01,876
It brings you back
1417
01:09:02,050 --> 01:09:03,922
to what the theater
is supposed to be.
1418
01:09:04,096 --> 01:09:05,619
It was one of
the most amazing things
1419
01:09:05,793 --> 01:09:07,230
I've ever experienced!
1420
01:09:07,404 --> 01:09:08,666
I relate to them, like,
1421
01:09:08,840 --> 01:09:10,711
they look like me
and my classmates.
1422
01:09:13,018 --> 01:09:15,368
Hamilton is about
the Founding Fathers,
1423
01:09:15,542 --> 01:09:17,631
and yet all
the Founding Fathers are played
1424
01:09:17,805 --> 01:09:20,199
by Black and Hispanic actors.
1425
01:09:22,158 --> 01:09:24,160
And there is suddenly
this explosion
1426
01:09:24,334 --> 01:09:25,987
of Black faces on Broadway
in a way
1427
01:09:26,162 --> 01:09:28,686
that was really starting
to reflect America.
1428
01:09:28,860 --> 01:09:31,819
Hire the most brilliant people
that you possibly can
1429
01:09:31,993 --> 01:09:33,734
and put 'em center stage.
1430
01:09:33,908 --> 01:09:36,389
I think that there's
the recognition on Broadway
1431
01:09:36,563 --> 01:09:38,913
that things need to change.
1432
01:09:39,087 --> 01:09:42,003
Broadway has always been
sort of a shotgun marriage
1433
01:09:42,178 --> 01:09:44,615
between art and commerce.
1434
01:09:44,789 --> 01:09:46,573
Fortunately,
on the commercial side,
1435
01:09:46,747 --> 01:09:48,923
there's the sense that
diversity is good business.
1436
01:09:49,097 --> 01:09:51,404
But we need to just
tap ourselves on the shoulder
1437
01:09:51,578 --> 01:09:53,363
and say, "Are we doing enough?"
1438
01:09:54,277 --> 01:09:56,931
With Hamilton
and now Harry Potter,
1439
01:09:57,105 --> 01:10:00,718
we have helped develop
1440
01:10:00,892 --> 01:10:03,329
a whole new generation
of theatergoers
1441
01:10:03,503 --> 01:10:05,418
who would never
have gone before.
1442
01:10:05,592 --> 01:10:08,682
Hopefully they fall in love
with the art form,
1443
01:10:08,856 --> 01:10:12,730
fall in love with
using their imagination
1444
01:10:12,904 --> 01:10:14,514
in that way.
1445
01:10:17,038 --> 01:10:18,692
In our first year,
1446
01:10:18,866 --> 01:10:22,653
over 60% of our audience
were first-time theatergoers.
1447
01:10:22,827 --> 01:10:29,355
Of that 60%, 15% have gone on
1448
01:10:29,529 --> 01:10:32,924
to see other pieces of theater.
1449
01:10:33,098 --> 01:10:36,623
So what J.K. Rowling
did for reading,
1450
01:10:36,797 --> 01:10:38,625
we might be able to do
1451
01:10:38,799 --> 01:10:40,888
a little bit of the same
for theater.
1452
01:10:44,283 --> 01:10:47,547
But in the heyday of Broadway,
it was so much cheaper.
1453
01:10:47,721 --> 01:10:49,593
People went to the theater
all the time.
1454
01:10:51,247 --> 01:10:53,684
When I first arrived
in New York,
1455
01:10:53,858 --> 01:10:56,643
the top price
for a theater ticket,
1456
01:10:56,817 --> 01:10:59,255
the best seat in the house,
was $9.90,
1457
01:11:00,560 --> 01:11:03,563
9.90, that was the best,
1458
01:11:03,737 --> 01:11:06,349
and it went all the way down
to like two bucks.
1459
01:11:08,176 --> 01:11:10,788
Now there are tickets
for Broadway shows
1460
01:11:10,962 --> 01:11:15,793
being sold at the box office
for $800, $1,000.
1461
01:11:16,663 --> 01:11:18,578
It's ultimately
self-destructive,
1462
01:11:18,752 --> 01:11:21,799
because young people
certainly are not gonna go.
1463
01:11:23,540 --> 01:11:28,022
I find gauging people
unappealing,
1464
01:11:28,196 --> 01:11:30,808
and I think people
are being gauged.
1465
01:11:30,982 --> 01:11:33,289
The amounts of money that people
are being asked to pay
1466
01:11:33,463 --> 01:11:35,813
to see things are insane.
1467
01:11:35,987 --> 01:11:40,121
But it's not called
show charity,
1468
01:11:40,296 --> 01:11:41,862
it's called show business.
1469
01:11:50,697 --> 01:11:52,177
In the '70s,
1470
01:11:52,351 --> 01:11:54,658
out of every four people
that went to Broadway,
1471
01:11:54,832 --> 01:11:56,399
only one was a tourist.
1472
01:11:56,573 --> 01:11:59,140
And now, of every four people,
three are tourists.
1473
01:12:02,405 --> 01:12:04,798
So we are now evolving
into something
1474
01:12:04,972 --> 01:12:07,845
that looks much more
like a theme park
1475
01:12:08,019 --> 01:12:09,716
than a cultural center.
1476
01:12:11,196 --> 01:12:13,111
There's a bit of me
that regrets
1477
01:12:13,285 --> 01:12:17,724
that Broadway has become
so commodified.
1478
01:12:17,898 --> 01:12:20,248
There's a bit of me that walks
through Times Square now
1479
01:12:20,423 --> 01:12:23,121
and it's so bright
and it's so shiny,
1480
01:12:23,295 --> 01:12:26,429
and I think, you know,
where have all the rats
1481
01:12:26,603 --> 01:12:27,778
and the hookers gone?
1482
01:12:27,952 --> 01:12:29,170
But I know that is
a bad thought,
1483
01:12:29,345 --> 01:12:30,824
but a bit of me thinks it.
1484
01:12:32,348 --> 01:12:36,395
The thing that I never fail
to absolutely love
1485
01:12:36,569 --> 01:12:38,092
is Times Square.
1486
01:12:39,529 --> 01:12:42,270
It's always full of people.
1487
01:12:42,445 --> 01:12:44,534
Doesn't matter
what time of the day it is,
1488
01:12:44,708 --> 01:12:47,101
it doesn't matter
what the weather is,
1489
01:12:47,275 --> 01:12:49,060
there's just always
people there.
1490
01:12:50,844 --> 01:12:54,718
I love the razzmatazz of it,
I love the circus feel of it.
1491
01:12:54,892 --> 01:12:57,111
I love the show biz feel of it.
1492
01:12:57,285 --> 01:13:01,072
It always makes me feel
overwhelmed
1493
01:13:01,246 --> 01:13:03,117
and full of love, actually.
1494
01:13:03,291 --> 01:13:05,816
I absolutely love it.
1495
01:13:08,253 --> 01:13:11,561
We've got shows on Broadway
like Phantom
1496
01:13:11,735 --> 01:13:15,565
and like Hamilton
or Harry Potter
1497
01:13:15,739 --> 01:13:18,568
that will probably be running
when I'm dead.
1498
01:13:18,742 --> 01:13:20,483
I don't have anything
against that.
1499
01:13:21,832 --> 01:13:25,009
As long as we've got
a healthy mix
1500
01:13:25,183 --> 01:13:28,229
of different kinds of work.
1501
01:13:28,404 --> 01:13:30,014
If we don't have a big tent,
1502
01:13:30,188 --> 01:13:32,408
we're not gonna have a theater
that matters to America.
1503
01:13:39,327 --> 01:13:44,115
Yorkshire, Sheffield,
cuppa tea.
1504
01:13:44,289 --> 01:13:45,159
Tetley's.
1505
01:13:46,770 --> 01:13:48,075
Anybody who says,
"I know what I'm doing,"
1506
01:13:48,249 --> 01:13:49,773
is lying to you.
1507
01:13:52,993 --> 01:13:54,995
I cannot tell you
the amount of shows I've had
1508
01:13:55,169 --> 01:13:56,780
that I've really loved
and believed in
1509
01:13:56,954 --> 01:13:59,260
that didn't do very well.
1510
01:13:59,435 --> 01:14:01,654
You may have all the confidence
in the world,
1511
01:14:01,828 --> 01:14:04,222
and suddenly it opens
and it's terrible.
1512
01:14:05,832 --> 01:14:08,661
It takes every bit as much
blood, sweat, tears,
1513
01:14:08,835 --> 01:14:11,969
and nerve to get a flop show on
1514
01:14:12,143 --> 01:14:14,885
as it is to get a hit show on.
1515
01:14:15,059 --> 01:14:16,800
What makes it work?
1516
01:14:16,974 --> 01:14:18,671
Risk.
1517
01:14:18,845 --> 01:14:20,368
When the element of risk
is there,
1518
01:14:20,543 --> 01:14:23,676
when you can smell it
in the air,
1519
01:14:23,850 --> 01:14:26,331
when that's there,
you probably got a good shot
1520
01:14:26,505 --> 01:14:28,681
at making something happen.
1521
01:14:28,855 --> 01:14:31,205
Thought you'd be out there,
you know, like operating.
1522
01:14:31,379 --> 01:14:33,251
You can take your coat off
if you want.
1523
01:14:33,425 --> 01:14:35,427
I'll keep it on, thank you,
I've been out.
1524
01:14:35,601 --> 01:14:39,300
- You've been out?
- I enjoy doing comedies.
1525
01:14:39,475 --> 01:14:43,740
There's something very honest
about the process.
1526
01:14:43,914 --> 01:14:46,612
If they're not laughing,
it's not working.
1527
01:14:48,135 --> 01:14:49,267
Well, I guess
she's a woman now.
1528
01:14:49,441 --> 01:14:51,225
Women can be violent.
1529
01:14:51,399 --> 01:14:55,142
Joan of Arc, Medea,
Naomi Campbell.
1530
01:14:55,316 --> 01:14:59,886
You have to be able to gamble
with other people's money
1531
01:15:00,060 --> 01:15:03,324
with enough force,
with enough confidence
1532
01:15:03,499 --> 01:15:06,371
to push that little sucker
over the top.
1533
01:15:10,767 --> 01:15:13,900
Opening night,
I was thinking to myself,
1534
01:15:14,074 --> 01:15:16,381
"I'm 56 years old,
1535
01:15:16,555 --> 01:15:20,080
I'm mixed race and transgender.
1536
01:15:20,254 --> 01:15:24,955
I've survived addiction,
homelessness, and sex work,
1537
01:15:25,129 --> 01:15:30,134
and here I am,
sitting in a dressing room,
1538
01:15:30,308 --> 01:15:32,049
opening a play on Broadway."
1539
01:15:32,223 --> 01:15:36,706
I wanted to be
an attractive young woman.
1540
01:15:36,880 --> 01:15:39,491
I became a woman just in time
for a hysterectomy.
1541
01:15:41,624 --> 01:15:43,234
You don't care, do you?
1542
01:15:43,408 --> 01:15:44,452
What do you mean?
1543
01:15:44,627 --> 01:15:45,976
Flirting.
1544
01:15:46,150 --> 01:15:48,065
Wash your mouth out,
you think I'm flirting?
1545
01:15:48,239 --> 01:15:49,545
Oh, yeah, you're a right flirt.
1546
01:15:49,719 --> 01:15:51,024
I've got my coat on!
1547
01:15:51,198 --> 01:15:53,070
Well, it's coming clean
through the material.
1548
01:15:53,244 --> 01:15:55,289
I was nervous opening night.
1549
01:15:55,463 --> 01:15:58,205
I'll stop being me
and just do my job.
1550
01:15:58,379 --> 01:15:59,729
I'm cool with the flirting.
1551
01:15:59,903 --> 01:16:01,644
No, man, you blew it,
that's gone.
1552
01:16:01,818 --> 01:16:04,385
But when I heard
the audience laugh,
1553
01:16:04,560 --> 01:16:07,171
I breathed
a huge sigh of relief.
1554
01:16:08,172 --> 01:16:10,348
Incredible, this is going
to be a challenge.
1555
01:16:12,568 --> 01:16:15,135
Yeah!
1556
01:16:37,854 --> 01:16:40,508
We're having
a ridiculous amount of fun.
1557
01:16:40,683 --> 01:16:42,902
There is a real
historical significance
1558
01:16:43,076 --> 01:16:44,338
to what's going on tonight,
1559
01:16:44,512 --> 01:16:47,298
because the transgender
community
1560
01:16:47,472 --> 01:16:49,692
is represented on Broadway
this season
1561
01:16:49,866 --> 01:16:52,303
like it's never been
represented before.
1562
01:16:52,477 --> 01:16:54,740
We need the voice
of the marginalized.
1563
01:16:54,914 --> 01:16:56,524
Right now is the time.
1564
01:16:59,658 --> 01:17:01,138
Our responsibility
as human beings
1565
01:17:01,312 --> 01:17:04,576
is to find ourselves
in other people's stories.
1566
01:17:04,750 --> 01:17:06,143
I want Broadway
to be reflective
1567
01:17:06,317 --> 01:17:08,014
of the world that I live in
1568
01:17:08,188 --> 01:17:10,277
and the world
that we all live in.
1569
01:17:12,671 --> 01:17:15,369
It's no surprise to me
that Broadway is having
1570
01:17:15,543 --> 01:17:17,415
record-breaking years,
1571
01:17:17,589 --> 01:17:19,069
and I believe
that will only grow
1572
01:17:19,243 --> 01:17:20,157
and grow and grow.
1573
01:17:20,331 --> 01:17:21,114
'Cause you started it!
1574
01:17:21,288 --> 01:17:22,812
Ah, ahhh!
1575
01:17:22,986 --> 01:17:28,121
I'm absolutely convinced
that the more time
1576
01:17:28,295 --> 01:17:31,211
we as a people and certainly
a younger generation
1577
01:17:31,385 --> 01:17:34,388
spend sort of living here,
1578
01:17:34,562 --> 01:17:39,742
there will be a greater premium
on a live experience,
1579
01:17:39,916 --> 01:17:42,440
an experience
that is happening now.
1580
01:17:42,614 --> 01:17:44,355
Where is the devil in Evelyn...
1581
01:17:44,529 --> 01:17:48,794
In the theater,
you have to be present.
1582
01:17:48,968 --> 01:17:50,840
You have to be present
as an artist
1583
01:17:51,014 --> 01:17:53,886
and you have to be present
as an audience member
1584
01:17:54,060 --> 01:17:56,149
for the experience
to really happen,
1585
01:17:56,323 --> 01:17:58,717
and when you see
a great performance,
1586
01:17:58,891 --> 01:18:02,852
it is a spiritual experience.
1587
01:18:03,026 --> 01:18:06,507
Broadway is like
some old 42nd Street hooker.
1588
01:18:06,682 --> 01:18:08,596
She just keeps plugging,
1589
01:18:08,771 --> 01:18:09,728
just keeps plugging.
1590
01:18:09,902 --> 01:18:11,338
Sometimes she has new shoes on
1591
01:18:11,512 --> 01:18:14,080
and sometimes they're old
broken down shoes,
1592
01:18:14,254 --> 01:18:18,084
but I think the things
that I love remain with me.
1593
01:18:19,520 --> 01:18:22,045
I have these shows
that I've seen
1594
01:18:22,219 --> 01:18:24,917
that I've purposely moved
into the apartments in my mind
1595
01:18:25,091 --> 01:18:27,050
so I can go up there
and visit them
1596
01:18:27,224 --> 01:18:28,573
from time to time.
1597
01:18:30,357 --> 01:18:33,143
Theater is not about
making money,
1598
01:18:33,317 --> 01:18:35,362
it's about putting on a show
and entertaining people
1599
01:18:35,536 --> 01:18:37,625
and grabbing their attention
1600
01:18:37,800 --> 01:18:41,673
and telling them something
that you think is important.
1601
01:18:41,847 --> 01:18:43,675
At times I go,
"It's all doomed,
1602
01:18:43,849 --> 01:18:46,460
New York, Broadway,"
1603
01:18:46,634 --> 01:18:48,636
but then somehow,
periodically,
1604
01:18:48,811 --> 01:18:50,813
things sprout up
that are miraculous
1605
01:18:50,987 --> 01:18:54,164
and wonderful
and startling and intimate,
1606
01:18:54,338 --> 01:18:56,340
and so one just has
to hope and pray
1607
01:18:56,514 --> 01:18:57,776
that that keeps happening,
1608
01:18:57,950 --> 01:19:00,257
because that's
what's great about it.
1609
01:19:01,606 --> 01:19:04,304
On Broadway,
you can walk out on stage
1610
01:19:04,478 --> 01:19:06,176
and there's 1,600 people
1611
01:19:06,350 --> 01:19:07,612
you've never met
in your life before,
1612
01:19:07,786 --> 01:19:09,179
and by the end of that time,
1613
01:19:09,353 --> 01:19:11,485
you feel intimate with them.
1614
01:19:11,659 --> 01:19:14,793
I mean, it's ridiculous
when you think about it.
1615
01:19:14,967 --> 01:19:17,840
I mean, why are
all these people quiet?
1616
01:19:18,014 --> 01:19:21,191
Why do they shut up
and quietly listen?
1617
01:19:21,365 --> 01:19:22,670
Why?
1618
01:19:22,845 --> 01:19:25,804
It's like,
what a weird thing to do,
1619
01:19:25,978 --> 01:19:29,112
but they do, and it's something
they've been doing
1620
01:19:29,286 --> 01:19:31,027
for thousands of years.
1621
01:19:32,332 --> 01:19:35,771
Listening to someone
telling a story,
1622
01:19:36,684 --> 01:19:40,340
a story that teaches you
something about you,
1623
01:19:41,646 --> 01:19:43,561
about the way life is.
1624
01:19:44,518 --> 01:19:48,218
It reverberates with you
and on such a deep level
1625
01:19:48,392 --> 01:19:51,177
for a long, long time,
maybe your whole life.
1626
01:19:52,483 --> 01:19:54,790
Live theater
can change your life
1627
01:19:54,964 --> 01:19:57,357
or your perception,
even if it's only that much.
1628
01:19:57,880 --> 01:19:58,794
That'll do.
1629
01:20:00,317 --> 01:20:02,275
I just think it'll keep going.
1630
01:20:03,146 --> 01:20:05,409
It always takes on
different forms,
1631
01:20:06,323 --> 01:20:09,587
and sometimes a play
comes along just in time,
1632
01:20:09,761 --> 01:20:12,285
just before
you've given up hope,
1633
01:20:12,459 --> 01:20:14,070
but they do come along.
1634
01:20:20,511 --> 01:20:22,774
Walking down Broadway,
1635
01:20:24,080 --> 01:20:25,995
head up high.
1636
01:20:27,605 --> 01:20:30,826
Checking out the people, yeah,
1637
01:20:31,000 --> 01:20:33,741
as they pass by, y'all.
1638
01:20:35,004 --> 01:20:37,267
The lights so bright,
1639
01:20:38,224 --> 01:20:40,836
you know, they hurt my eyes.
1640
01:20:42,402 --> 01:20:45,579
But I don't mind,I don't mind,
1641
01:20:45,753 --> 01:20:48,452
'cause I'm hypnotized.
1642
01:20:48,626 --> 01:20:52,673
'Cause I'm up on Broadway,yeah.
1643
01:20:52,848 --> 01:20:55,763
Doing the Broadway walk.
1644
01:20:55,938 --> 01:20:59,593
I'm up on Broadway, yeah.
1645
01:20:59,767 --> 01:21:02,814
I'm doing the Broadway walk.
1646
01:21:04,424 --> 01:21:06,600
Walking down Broadway.
1647
01:21:06,774 --> 01:21:10,126
You know, I'm just a facein the crowd.
1648
01:21:11,736 --> 01:21:17,829
But I got a groove,and I'm walking proud.
1649
01:21:18,003 --> 01:21:21,354
'Cause I'm up on Broadway,yeah,
1650
01:21:21,528 --> 01:21:25,097
and I'm doingthe Broadway walk.
1651
01:21:25,271 --> 01:21:28,971
I'm up on Broadway, yeah,
1652
01:21:29,145 --> 01:21:32,104
doing the Broadway walk.
1653
01:21:34,541 --> 01:21:37,370
Hey, man, what you doingup there on Broadway?
1654
01:21:37,544 --> 01:21:38,894
I'm doing the Broadway walk,man.
1655
01:21:39,068 --> 01:21:42,245
Doing the Broadway walk.
1656
01:21:42,419 --> 01:21:45,770
Doing the Broadway walk.
1657
01:21:45,944 --> 01:21:48,686
Lord have mercy,doing the Broadway walk.
1658
01:21:50,601 --> 01:21:53,343
I feel good.
1659
01:21:53,517 --> 01:21:55,998
Doing the Broadway walk.
1660
01:21:56,172 --> 01:21:59,566
I'm up on Broadway, yeah,
1661
01:21:59,740 --> 01:22:02,221
doing the Broadway walk.
1662
01:22:02,395 --> 01:22:03,396
Listen good, y'all.
1663
01:22:03,570 --> 01:22:06,834
I'm up on Broadway, yeah,
1664
01:22:07,009 --> 01:22:10,577
doing the Broadway walk.
1665
01:22:10,751 --> 01:22:14,277
I'm up on Broadway, yeah,
1666
01:22:14,451 --> 01:22:17,149
doing the Broadway walk.
119939
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