‘On Broadway’ documentary offers hope for New York theater

By MARK KENNEDY
AP Entertainment Writer

NEW YORK (AP) — Broadway is down right now, struggling to reopen during the pandemic. But it has been down before and gotten back up. That’s the message of “On Broadway,” a new documentary celebrating the Great White Way. The 85-minute film traces how Broadway’s fortunes have gone up and down over the decades, crashing in the late 1960s after enjoying a Golden Age in the ’40s and ’50s. Though hard-hit by the pandemic, the film offers hope that a rebound is possible. Director Oren Jacoby interviewed an A-list of Broadway stars, including Hugh Jackman, Helen Mirren, Alec Baldwin, August Wilson, Viola Davis and Ian McKellen.