I've always been a fan of the Broadway musical. When I was young, I remember hearing my mom and dad play the soundtracks to many popular musicals on their record player. Fiddler on the Roof, Company, Carousel, The Sound of Music and West Side Story were staples around my house. Combined with a few trips of my own to the theater, I developed a taste for this genre before I became a teenager.
We don't get to go to the show much these days. But my wife and I have been watching a DVD series originally broadcast on PBS. It is called Broadway - The American Musical. The six-hour series is a fairly comprehensive overview of Broadway from its early roots in the late 1800's to 2004. With vignettes focusing on various composers, actors/actresses, and specific shows placed in their cultural context, it is a fine piece of film that we have found rather engaging. It is unfortunate that the creators didn't include more actual clips from productions. Instead, they rely pretty heavily on clips from the film versions of many productions, as well as performances from television variety shows.
Interestingly enough, I have found myself to be experiencing sad feelings as I view this piece. The source of my sadness is the reflection on the shows that on Broadway during World War II. It seemed that the nation as a whole was behind the war effort and those fighting for our freedoms so much more so than today. The cynicism that has pervaded our culture like a cancer is clearly destroying the heart and soul of America, attempting to eat away at that which has traditionally made our country so great.
While there will always be detractors to war, it seemed that the mainstream media, celebrities and politicians were able to bond together and speak as one voice in support of whatever needed to be done in order to secure our freedoms and the freedoms of those around the world.
Not so today. Our modern mainstream media, left-wing out-of-touch celebrities and vicious politicians no longer have the best interests of America at heart. Instead, they are concerned with putting their own spin on reality and insist on pitting one American against another, to the point of putting our brave military men and women in harms way.
It is a sad statement, indeed.
Nevertheless, the show must go on...
It's Del.icio.us!
Furl It!
