ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway 2007

"Show Business" documents four original Broadway musicals from a backstage perspective: "Wicked," the retelling of "The Wizard of Oz" from the witches' perspective; "Avenue Q," in which puppets give life lessons intended for adults; "Taboo," the glamorous saga of Boy George's musical career; and Tony Kushner's highly personal story about a black maid working for a Jewish family in the south, called "Caroline, or Change." Berinstein seems to have unlimited access to the actors, rehearsals and final productions. She captures the dreams of the dream makers from inception, all the way up to the crowning glory of the Tony Awards. With a sure hand, she conveys both the creative and technical challenges of preparing a production for the towering inferno known as Broadway. As we follow each of these shows from inspiration to opening night, the truth of the notion that theater rests on the passion of its practitioners is borne out.