Anyone who loves musical theater owes it to themselves to see “Bathtubs Over Broadway,” a delightful deep-dive documentary into one man’s obsession with the obscure world of industrial musicals — corporate-sponsored song-and-dance revues from the golden age of American capitalism. Think of it as “big-brand music,” commissioned for company retreats where they would be performed just once and then forgotten. Well, almost forgotten, since a handful of collectors have developed a kind of ironic affection for these loony tunes, which makes for an outrageous but never-less-than-reverent tour down the back alleys of Broadway.
Turns out a clever cleffer (vintage Variety slanguage for a professional songwriter) can fashion a witty ditty about pretty much anything, from the profitability of Purina Dog Chow to the joys of Surg-o-Pak sterile hospital sheets. Don’t believe me? Witness “It’ll Change Your Life,” one of two original musical numbers Steve Young — a comedy writer...
Turns out a clever cleffer (vintage Variety slanguage for a professional songwriter) can fashion a witty ditty about pretty much anything, from the profitability of Purina Dog Chow to the joys of Surg-o-Pak sterile hospital sheets. Don’t believe me? Witness “It’ll Change Your Life,” one of two original musical numbers Steve Young — a comedy writer...
- 11/30/2018
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
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