Is it true what they say in Spamalot (“You won’t make it on Broadway if you don’t have any Jews”)? Tracing Broadway’s Yiddish roots, and exploring back-stories behind many landmark shows from Showboat to Wicked, filmmaker Michael Kantor chronicles the unique role of Jewish musicians in the creation of the modern American musical. This joyful and intelligent documentary features interviews with many theatre artists, rare archival footage and recordings from original Broadway productions, and unforgettable anecdotes (hearing about Ethel Merman’s irreverent behavior at a Passover Seder during the rehearsals for Gypsy will leave you in hysterics).

Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy

Four men are gathered in a theatre where they enact a twisted version of Peter Pan, singing songs to tell their stories, their wishes and their fears. They are aided by a talented but mysterious cast. It becomes apparent that the men are engaged in a dangerous game with their own mortality. When one of the men falls in love with the leading lady, the rules of the game are threatened, but the men's overarching desire to transcend their worlds and feel complete - once expressed - can never be controlled. Three of the men must experience what it is like to die, and for the other, the opposite.