On Broadway

Despite the behind-the-scenes look and contributions from stars like Helen Mirren and Ian McKellan, this doc feels like a mesh of recycled stories and history lessons mixed in with an underdog tale.

There’s a bigger picture at play with “On Broadway.” For the film's entire 80-minute runtime, filmmaker Oren Jacoby captures the excitement of Broadway's finest about the 2018-19 season, before ending with text regarding how COVID-19 shut everything down and that Broadway now faces perhaps its biggest challenge yet when it reopens.

While it’s understandable if Jacoby wasn’t able to finance the additional footage to capture this story, it still makes the documentary as a whole feel empty.

“On Broadway” is definitely entertaining, the use of archived Broadway footage is integrated quite nicely in the film and it’s impressive seeing a refined look at Broadway staples such as “A Chorus Line” and “Cats.” Though we’re also living in a new era, one where recorded versions of hit musicals such as “Hamilton” and “Come From Away” grace streaming services.

While this was unavoidable, “On Broadway” unfortunately feels too little too late.

Another redeeming quality is the impressive number of Broadway stars who are interviewed throughout the film such as Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellan, who are always successful at keeping their audience invested. Other stars such as Hugh Jackman, Christine Baranski and James Corden also make some memorable appearances.

Alas, the stories they give just feel empty and surface-level. The content throughout “On Broadway” is something we have seen time and time again. It’s hard to see who the target audience for this documentary is, Broadway devotees will likely already know everything the doc has to say while those who aren’t fans of theater productions will mainly feel unengaged.

Where “On Broadway” does start to shine is when it delves into the rehearsals of the play “The Nap,” a dark comedy about Snooker. Jacoby portrays the play as the underdog and even gets some personal insight from several of the cast members. One of the show’s stars, Alexandra Billings, a biracial trans woman, gives the film some much-needed life. Her insight feels genuinely refreshing and she clearly is not afraid to be honest in her interviews.

Despite this, as a whole “On Broadway,” doesn’t completely come together. It mainly feels like a mesh of recycled stories and history lessons mixed in with an underdog story.

Maybe it is because of the poor timing or it’s simply because the film struggles to balance its two overarching stories, but “On Broadway” overall feels like a missed opportunity.