Broadways Lost Treasures

I ordered this DVD when it first came out and I've been enjoying it ever since. All the performances are enjoyable- some more than others, but they are all wonderful nonetheless. Some of my pesonal favorites include: Patti Lupone bringing down the house along with Mandy Patinkin and Bob Gunton doing the song "A New Argentina" from Evita. This is definately one of my top 5 favorites on this DVD. Anegela Lansbury providing a hilarious performance in "The worst Pies in London" from Sweeny Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Carol Channing singing the nothing-less-than inspirational "Before the Parade Passes By" from Hello, Dolly! Yul Brynner performing "Shall We Dance?" with his co-star (not sure of her name). This performance is priceless and so is that dress! John Raitt's beautiful baritone voice soars in this song-"Hey There" from The Pajama Game Paul Lynde delivers a ton of laughs in "Kids" from Bye Bye Birdie Joel Grey and cast perform the spectacle that is Cabaret in the song "Willkommen". This song never gets out of your head! Gwen Verdon and Chita Rivera- two of Broadway's top leading ladies come together and perform two wonderful songs from Chicago: "All That Jazz" and "Nowadays". Bob Fosse's coreography can never get old and is dispalyed in this performance for your full enjoyment. Jerry Orbach. His death was a tragic loss to the theater. That's why these DVD's are so remarkable. This is another top performance- the song "Lullaby of Broadway" from 42nd Street. It was this performance that inspired me to save up and go to NYC to see my very first broadway show- 42nd Street. Andrea McArdle and the orphans perform "Tomorrow" and "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile" from Annie. This is just superb. There's absolutely no flaws. Betty Buckley and cast perform two songs from Cats-"Jellicle Songs" and the classic "Memory". It is stunning to watch. Any performance with Patti LuPone in it is a gem in itself. This one- "Buenos Aires" from Evita shows off her powerful set of pipes and shows the other side of the character of Eva Peron. Bonnie Franklin and cast are hilarious in the song "Applause" from the show Applause. The whole theme to the song is 100% true and kind of "hits home" for every actor. Plus, it has parodies of other classic musicals that will have you rolling on the floor in laughter if you're a big fan of musicals. All in all, this DVD is totally worth buying! And after you're through with this one and have memorized all the songs, check out Broadway's Lost Treasures II. I have yet to receive III, but I am looking forward to it! Read more

I saw this on PBS and immediately decided to buy myself a copy! While these excerpts are not from the broadway shows themselves, they are from the Tony Awards and are therefore, 'live.' And it's just wonderful to experience the level of 'energy' that great actors project when performing live on a stage. There are a couple of songs that I don't particularly care for myself (Worst Pies in London), but most are wonderful, and the performances, while not 100% flawless (this WAS filmed live) are almost all engaging. A few comments: Yul Brenner manages to project more energy just standing there in the background than his co-star singing her heart out in "Shall We Dance." She is, alas, a fairly indifferent actress, and is overwhelmed by her enormous dress! Lip-synced or no, Robert Preston in "Music Man" is wonderful. As is Joel Grey's fabulous MC in "Caberet." Again, it's all about energy. I'd honestly never even heard of Patti Lapone before I saw this show, but she blew me away with her powerful voice. (Evita.) "All that Jazz" and "Nowadays" from "Chicago" is, alas, much too short,but delightful. The most unintentionally funny bit -- Twiggy looking either utterly bored or utterly terrified (but completely out of character, regardless) as she struggles with a simple dance routine in "Kicking the Clouds Away," (From "My One and Only.") She must have not realized that the camera had her in close up ... Recommend this 100% Read more

Worthwhile presentation for anyone who loves Broadway shows! Read more

We saw this on PBS and almost made an outrageous donation to obtain a DVD, then held out for its public release. (The price was far more reasonable buying it through Amazon!) Our family enjoys American muscial theater and this DVD serves up plenty of great performances. The production is well-done, with four segments: Broadway Divas, Leading Men, Dancin', and Record Breakers. Angela Lansbury introduces the show, then each part is hosted by Joel Grey, Tommy Tune, Jerry Orbach and Chita Rivera, each of whom has at least one terrific performance during the show. Many of the scenes were clearly taken from a special that aired on TV in the late seventies. The singers and dancers---some of them getting a bit up there in years---deliver wonderful performances. There isn't a single bad one in the roster. It's difficult to choose a favorite, but our family really loved Betty Buckley's awesome version of "Memory" from Cats, Andrea McArdle belting out "Tomorrow" from Annie and the great hoofing and singing by Jerry Orbach and company in "42nd Street" from the musical of the same name. We also found Angela Lansbury creepily funny in Sweeney Todd and Joel Grey just plain creepy in Cabaret, as his character was intended to be. Chita Rivera and Gwen Verdon also prove the old gals still have it in their song-and-dance number "All That Jazz" from Chicago. Yul Brynner also is light on his feet in "Shall We Dance?" from his signature musical The King And I. Paul Lynde vents wonderfully as a frustrated parent in his part from Bye, Bye Birdie; both Robert Preston as The Music Man and Zero Mostel as the poor man from Fiddler On The Roof display remarkable energy and zest for their longtime roles. As for the ladies, Carol Channing croaks and squeaks delightfully in Hello, Dolly!, Julie Andrew is elegant and wistful singing "Send In The Clowns", and Patti Lupone is great as Evita. The DVD is nicely done, and includes five bonus acts not shown on the PBS version. We highly recommend this for fans of American musical theater or those curious about this almost-lost art form. Read more