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Filmmaker Rick McKay is infatuated with Golden Age Broadway and expresses a child-in-a-candy-store delight in interviewing his favorite celebrities. At one point, whiskey-voiced acting legend Elaine Stritch says, "For Christ’s sake, Rick, don’t you have enough?" No, he doesn’t. And he probably never will. Viewers, on the other hand, especially those who don’t sing Broadway show tunes in the shower, might get a bit restless toward the end of this film. But McKay doesn’t really care, and neither do the actors and theater legends he interviews, who set off on self-congratulatory monologues about making it in show biz, frantic opening nights, and their most memorable performances. This is a cult movie for Broadway buffs who play "Six Degrees of Carol Channing" on long car rides, and for them, it’s a dream come true, with interviews of more than 100 actors, composers, and writers and rare clips of the original production of A Street Car Named Desire with Marlon Brando and Angela Lansbury’s audition for Mame. Broadway: The Golden Age will take you back to a time when theater tickets were only $1.50, dance companies were twice the size they are today, and 42nd Street was renowned for its art and not its billboards. (111 minutes)
BY JESSICA WEISBERG
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