“Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy”, 90-minute documentary by Michael Kantor (Broadway: The American Musical.) aired on PBS New Year’s Day
Here’s the link
Watch Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy on PBS. See more from Great Performances.
Speaking of the Jews of Broadway: Here are Mandy Patinkin and Bernadette Peters singing “Move On” from “Sunday in the Park With George” in Sondheim: The Birthday Concert, also from Great Performances
A partial list of Jewish songwriters who had at least one show on Broadway
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The term ‘Broadway’ exists all over the world. Would have been nicer if the article was titled: The American Musical: A Jewish Contribution to an Ongoing Legacy. I am, not an NYC journalist; I only live here. I was born in Texas, and have a Bachelor’s and Masters degree (both in theatre. The Master’s specifically focuses on Musical Theatre.) I make no argument that without the contribution from the Jewish Yiddish theatre; the American Musical would not have developed into what it is today. The American Musical is one of two genuinely unique artistic contributions to the world the U.S.A. can lay claim to…I beg you people to please try harder when you classify things. A contribution by Jewish writers was made; yes. However, it took the African American dancing community, and the cultural stories from all over the world to MAKE this art form WHAT it is.
The title of my blog post is exactly the same as the title of the documentary on PBS. And if you look at that documentary, it’s clear they mean the shows that appear in the Broadway theaters of New York. I think you’ll also see that the documentary is not claiming that Broadway musicals are exclusively a Jewish legacy. It’s simply exploring this one interesting aspect of musical theater.
Now, one more point: If they were still alive, and you were to ask them, the great composers for Broadway who were Jewish, like George Gershwin and Harold Arlen et al, would give ample credit to African-American culture.