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VIDEO OF THE WEEK
Broadway: The American Musical
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That's Entertainment!
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Like musicals? This is your week. The six-part PBS Broadway series offers an extensive behind-the-curtain glimpse at the history of the Great White Way from the pre-electricity days up through the technical wizardry of Wicked. Fans of the later show will also enjoy an extensive retracing of the show's progress to Broadway. Anyone familiar with the That's Entertainment MGM musical tribute films knows what to expect from Entertainment, but there are also five hours of extras. The forced celebrity tributes get a bit overindulgent between numbers, but some the footage, including rare early shows are an excellent reminder of what big-screen spectacle used to mean. Show- tune junkies have died and gone to musical heaven. The Broadway three-disc set includes additional performances; additional interviews; Wicked featurette. The Entertainment four-disc set includes bonus documentaries; TV specials; making-of featurettes; outtakes and more.