Editorial Review

This unique play presents the afterlife as a steam bath, in which deadsouls continue to obsess about the same petty concerns that obsessed themin their lives, until they are cast into a dark void by God, the PuertoRican attendant (José Pérez). But new arrival Tandy (Bill Bixby) at firstrefuses to accept what's happened, and when he finally does, he pleads tobe allowed to return to his life. Read more

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Reviews (8)

Steamy in many ways
The basic story has been told in many ways and also some variation. Much more popular when purgatory was a real place. This is a story of a hand full of characters that find them selves at a crossroads or a steambath in their afterlife. Seams that the deity (José Pérez) is the attendant who replaces towels and enjoys a good story.
Bill Bixby at his best
This rarely seen video was first aired in the 1970s. It discusses issues that we take for granted today, but were forming at that period of time.
A favorite revisited
I remember this production from my days working in the college media center, when video players were not in everyone's home yet. We had taped this show from PBS and we watched it over and over between classes and while working. I remembered it as being both hilariously funny and terribly thought provoking at the same time. When I watched it again recently I was not disappointed. If anything I liked it better than ever. The characters are mostly believable and interact in a very genuine way. The every idea of God being a puerto rican bath attendant stretches the boundaries of what is acceptable to the max but he does it so well. You almost want to believe it is all that easy...a steambath is not such a bad place to wait for eternal dispensation. Valerie Perrine and Bill Bixby are wonderful. You will enjoy this very original play. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comedy    2. Drama    3. Movie    4. Performing Arts - Theater    5. TV Shows   

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Reviews (1)

"Exile is the worst, the torture of poor damned souls."
Written as a well developed melodrama, this play by William Albert is so magnificently acted that it ultimately achieves the power and resonance of true tragedy.Faye Dunaway, who first played the role of Kathleen Stanton in New York in 1965, reprises her role in this 1971 teleplay, and all eyes are on her for the entire play.Set in 1890, with period costuming and sets, this production, beautifully directed by Glenn Jordan, maintains the intense, almost claustrophobic feeling of the stage play.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts - Theater    4. TV Shows   

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Editorial Review

Presented by John Houseman's Acting Company and originally broadcast on PBS, this 1976 production of William Saroyan's Read more

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Reviews (2)

What's the dream?
Saroyan's best play, written in a week in 1939, brings both the color and foreboding of that period vividly to life.By turns funny and heartbreaking, the play manages to extract the poignancy of the human experience from the seemingly chaotic comings-and-goings of a shaggy collection of tavern denizens, led by "Joe."If you're not moved or amused by the events that transpire on a late afternoon in Nick's Entertainment Palace, then you really haven't lived enough.Boring this play is not.

Time of your Life...Not while watching this DVD
I am sorry to say that I was very much let down when I first watched this DVD. I think that the story line is just boring. The fact that they filmed it without an audience makes it lose something. The only reason to own this DVD is if you are a huge Patti LuPone fan. But even she is not at her best here. I would pass this one up if I were you. ... Read more

Editorial Review

Julie Harris brings depth and grace to one of history's most maligned first ladies in Read more

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Reviews (5)

What Becomes A Legend Most
I first saw this play during previews of its disgracefully short Broadway run in 1973, and I knew serious theatre was in trouble when audiences simply didn't turn out for this magnificent and important play.I vividly remember that the first time I saw this show, shortly before the curtain rose, the ushers actually escorted members of the audience to better seats, moving us from the rear mezzanine to the front balcony.Without being asked!During previews!I don't ever expect to see that happen again in a Broadway theatre.
"I live from dream to dream--it is NOT better than death."
Written by James Prideaux and directed by George Schaeffer, this adaptation of the play for which Julie Harris won the Tony Award in 1973, is a stunning example of great theater commissioned for television.Seemingly without friends or allies after the death of Abraham Lincoln, Mrs. Lincoln (Julie Harris) is at odds with the world.Her sister and southern relatives have always believed Lincoln beneath her.Congress has refused to reimburse her for installing central heating and indoor plumbing in the White House, and they have refused to approve her pension.The press uses her vituperation to their own advantage, and the fates have taken two of her sons before adulthood.
I Saw The Final Performance of "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln"
I was fortunate to be in the audience for the final performance ofMiss Julie Harris in "The Last of Mrs. Lincoln" on Broadway. When the curtain came down and the thuderous applause began, there wasn't a dry eye in the house.Read more

Subjects:  1. Television   

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Reviews (7)

Been looking for this forever!!!
I am so excited! I first saw this ACT presentation of Cyrano on A&E in the '80's and I fell in love with it - I have emailed everywhere to get a tape/DVD of this, and gave up - I couldn't find my play version of Cyrano, and when I searched for a copy on Amazon, I saw listed the Peter Donat/Marsha Mason 1972 version I had seen on A&E!!! If you are a fan of Cyrano, get this - It ranks up there in it's interpretation of Cyrano - The beauty of the word. The genius of Rostand!
Peter Donat as Cyrano de Bergerac
I actually saw this version on TV back in the '70's and, at that time, I was astounded by Donat's performance. He is so natural, so believable, and so grand. Cyrano de Bergerac is my favorite play, and the director and actors have captured the beautiful spirit of Rostand's work. I have taught this play in high schools over the years and used other fine film versions as part of the class, but I always wished I could find a copy of the Donat version.Now I have.It was worth waiting for.

Cyranno with Panache!
"These are things you might have said if you had some trace of wit or letters with which to color your discourse, but of wit you have none, and of letters you have but three: a-s-s."
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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Comedy    3. Drama    4. Performing Arts - Theater    5. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

Ingrid Bergman gives a virtuoso solo performance in this Jean Cocteau one-act. The plot of this hour-long piece is a simple one: a woman, devastated after her lover leaves her for someone else, speaks to him on the phone one last time. The piece is beautifully, perfectly written and performed--all of the little lies and desperate hopes of heartbreak are captured. Bergman’s performance is as brave as it is complex--she is willing to let her character crumble into an embarrassing weakness that few actresses would risk. Anyone who has ever nursed false hopes of salvaging a relationship will find this piece all too well done. See it, but not right after a breakup. Read more

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A Stunning Representation of a Woman's Emotions
Human Voice is initially unassuming and it takes about 5 minutes or more to fully realize the potential of this painful expose of a woman's emotions. The scenes all take place in one room.
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Reviews (1)

Point is vague...
An experimental effort at getting into the minds of Oppenheimer and other Manhattan Project participants, "Particular Men" fails almost from the start. First, and most obvious to the viewer, the choppy time-shifting back and forth from event to event wears thin very quickly. This can be a clever effect, but not when it is done in so monotonous a fashion. Second, all of the principal historical figures have been poorly disguised behind made-up names (even Einstein!), further removing us from caring one way or the other. Additionally, there is a bizarre sterility in the play that negates emotion, and before long, the play just becomes tedious. Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Performing Arts - Theater    3. TV Shows   

Editorial Review

This video, from the Broadway Theater Archive of PBS's New Yorkaffiliate, WNET, offers an imaginative, if occasionally heavy-handed, televisionadaptation of Ntozake Shange'spoetic theater piece. Originally staged at the Public Theater in New York,this 1982 production is directed by Oz Scott, who transforms what were a seriesof feminine monologues about the black woman's struggle to find her place in aman's world. What Shange's language conjures by itself onstage, Scott helpsvisualize on video, a proposition that misses as often as it hits. Languageabout boyfriends isn't made clearer or more vital by showing us who's beingtalked about. But the overproduction can't strip Shange's language of its juicyrichness--and it is offered with power and humor by a cast that includes then-fledgling actresses Lynn Whitfield and Alfre Woodard as well as Shange herself.Read more

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Reviews (5)

Now I see what all the fuss was about !
Great work! I have heard parts of this play through out the years- but I was not expecting to see or hear-what I heard and what I saw on this dvd. It is off the chain! If you want to see real black talent-check it out! Also big props to Lynn Whitfield (damn- she is too sexy in this short skirt and midriff blouse- walking down the street- and giving it up real- This women can act and has great command of the stage(also see her work in "Zora is my name!"-another tour deforce- for above the board talent- regardless of the color of the production! & a big shout out to Mrs.Ruby Dee).Ms. Woodard is one of the main reasons why I purchased this dvd - I wanted to view her earlier work and she is up in here-giving it up! In one scene- this dark beauty is sitting in a chair with a night gown on-trying to make sure those legs stay crossed. lol
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/When The Rainbow is Enuf
Like a previous reviewer, I too searched for a copy of this tele-play for years until on a whim, I search Amazon and viola!! - bought it!
The search is over....
I have been looking for this video for at least 10 years! I gave up a few years ago. I was just doing a random search and I can't believe it's been on Amazon all this time! There are no words to describe this play. The older I get, each poem takes on a new and deeper meaning. I am overjoyed to own a copy of this extraordinary work. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Television   

Editorial Review

Cole Porter's masterwork Read more

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Reviews (35)

Flat and mostly overacted
I had higher expectations when I purchased this DVD.
Amazingly well done
I first watched this performance on PBS Great Performances. It is amazing. I'm very happy to finally find a complete version of the stage show on DVD. Rachel York does a top-notch performance in the leading role. The rest of the cast is up to par. There have been other reviews that say the music is dated, or other such nonsense, but do not pay heed to them. Premiered in 1948, the musical is based on The Taming of the Shrew (Shakespeare),and the music and lyrics are done by Cole Porter. Sometimes referred to as his masterpiece (which I agree with), the production never drags or disappoints. The lyrics are extremely witty (a trademark of Porter). The music keeps you humming along for days.

Buy the Original Cast (1953) Instead
IMHO, none of the cast could hold a candle to the original with Howard Keel, Kathryn Grayson, etc.These shows are all about the music - if the music doesn't make it, the whole production isn't worth two cents. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musicals & Cast Recordings    3. Musicals (Theatrical)    4. Performing Arts - Theater   

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"Feasting with panthers...danger was half of the excitement."
Written by Adrian Hall and Richard Cumming, this 1974 play, directed by Rick Hauser and author Adrian Hall takes full advantage of its commission as a TV production, achieving its power in ways not even possible on the stage.Produced for WNET Theater in America, the directors make full use of the close-up and subtle gesture, illuminating the agonies of Oscar Wilde during his two-year imprisonment in Reading Gaol.Wilde (Richard Kneeland) has finally been convicted after three trials for "gross indecency," or as it was also called, "the love that dared not speak its name." With Jobeth Williams as his heart-broken wife, the play ranges through Wilde's memories, as fragments of remembered events, bits of the trials, thoughts of his wife and children, musings about his writing, and his obsession with "Bosie" Douglas, son of the Marquis of Queensbury, unfold.
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Subjects:  1. Filmed Stage Plays    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts - Theater   

Editorial Review

You know that rock & roll has staying power when it can survive even thehomogenization that comes from being performed on Broadway. So it is with this live performance of a Broadway revue that celebrated the music of Jerry Leiberand Mike Stoller, one of the finest songwriting teams ever to have hits withElvis Presley, Ben E. King, the Drifters, the Coasters, and everyone else whomattered in the early days of rock. Everything from "Hound Dog" to "CharlieBrown," from "I'm a Woman" to "On Broadway" is included in this video recordingof the Broadway hit. But despite energetic performances by a cast of five menand four women, there's little of the raw and plenty of the preprocessed in ashow that wouldn't be out of place in a Las Vegas showroom. They're still greatsongs--and even these slick performances can't diminish that. Read more

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Reviews (14)

The Top of Musical Entertainment
Unbeatable mix of the 50's and 60's music, todays vocal and arrangement styles. Rock&Roll, R&B in popular tones.
Magic in a DVD
I saw this show three times on Broadway and nothing about this disc disapoints. It just runs from start to finish as it did on stage,with nothing messed around.Perfect.Magical dance,magical music and magical singing.This is easily the best value for money DVD I have bought.If you like popular music and entertainment,dont deprive yourself of this.

Bravo!Great way to capture this show's musical magic!
Usually I would complain that all these productions wait too long to film their shows.However, this DVD is of the last performance in which they brought back the original cast!Read more

Subjects:  1. Performing Arts - Theater    2. Pop    3. Showtunes / B'way   

Editorial Review

Jason Robards burst onto the Broadway scene in 1956 with his performancein Eugene O'Neill's devastating Read more

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Reviews (12)

Robards was incredible!!!!
I can't get enough of Hickey. O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh" captures what all of us pipe dreamers know:'My pipe dream helps me face my reality. Please don't take it away. I might go nuts.' Poor Hickey didn't realize that getting rid of his pipe dream made him totally "bughouse".Jason Robards' manic portrayal was wrenching. His final scene gives me chills.
A Great Version of a Great Play
Many people, including me, believe The Iceman Cometh is Eugene O'Neil's best play, even better than Long Day's Journey into Night.Iceman is one of the deepest dives into the American psyche ever put on stage.The bad news about the Broadway Theater Archive DVD (originally released as a teleplay by CBS in 1960) is that its production values are primitive.The good news is that this Sidney Lumet television version is based on Jose Quintero's definitive 1956 Broadway production.The best news is that Jason Robards reprises his Broadway role as Hickey.
Robards is amazing
Totally absorbing play.Saw it on Play of the Week in the early 60s and never forgot it.Robard's portrayal of Hickey is probably the best acting I have ever witnessed.The weakest acting in the play is from a very young Robert Redford who had not yet sufficiently developed his skills. ... Read more

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Wild and crazy night!
Many may know the author, Arkady Leokum,as one who writes "Tel Me Why" childrens' books. As a playwright, Leukom has written the humorous short play "Enemies".
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Filmed Stage Plays    3. Movie    4. Performing Arts - Theater   

Editorial Review

Based on the Italian movie Read more

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Reviews (40)

True Passion
I have had the recording of Stephen Sondheim's Passion for quite some time now. I love Sondheim, but I never could really get into the music very much. The notes and tempos are extremely irregular and are veyr hard to remember, so it seems you are hearing it for the first time every time you listen to it. But then I saw this DVD and I realized the brilliance of the music and the show itself. It plays perfectly into the story. I shouldn't be able to remember the music very well, I shouldn't think it is light and fluffy. It's not at all. My God, this show tore me apart when I saw this. I had no idea how wonderful it was. It is a perfect example of how actors are not just voices, they are people who bring these characters to life. Sondheim's lyrics and James Lapine's book are exquisite and work so well together, you'd think they were written by the same person. The music flows in such a way I would have never imagined listening to the recording.
How Can Anyone Not Like This Show?
First, I must say that comparing Sondheim shows to each other is ridiculous.Would you tell a plumber that you liked his sink installation in one house more than in another?Each piece is completely different and should be judged on its own merits.
Sondheim's Worst!
Normally, I love Stephen Sondheim's work. I consider Company, Follies, Night Music, Sunday in the Park, Pacific Overtures, Into the Woods, Sweeney Todd, and even the much derided shows Anyone Can Whistle and Bounce. But this one is...BAD. Yes, I just criticised Stephen Sondheim. I literally could not finish the show. The story is weak, the script sounds like it was done by Andrew Lloyd Weber (from me, that's as low a blow as you can get) and the lyrics, usually Sondheim's showcase, are clumsy and ineffective. The whole show has a breathy, affected air which ruins any pretense of true passion. The only good thing about the show is the logo. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Movie    2. Musical Features    3. Musicals    4. Musicals & Cast Recordings    5. Musicals (Theatrical)   

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Charming period piece
A charming period piece on many levels- a look at the 1890's from the perspective of the 1970's. Pleasant songs, none of which go on too long (except one- on purpose) and a very capable cast. The romantic lead is Daniel Davis, who might surprise those who know him as Niles the butler in THE NANNY, or Professor Moriarity on STAR TREK. Likewise Charlotte Rae (from THE FACTS OF LIFE) reveals a remarkably good singing voice behind her comic facade. The quality of the image is quite good, with the usual dificulties of shooting a live performance. There is one tape glitch about midway through, but I'm thankful that this minor gem survived. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Filmed Stage Plays    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts - Theater   

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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Filmed Stage Plays    3. Performing Arts - Theater   

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Reviews (3)

Sad, Brave And Superbly Acted By Richardson And Gielgud
"Clouds," says Harry. "Watch their different shapes. See how they drift apart? First sight, nothing. Then just watch the edges. See?" "Amazing," says Jack.
Terribly frustrating
I enjoy theatrical drama, and recently I have rented several of Broadway Theatre Archive's DVDs of classic televised plays. All of them I have enjoyed - with one, notable exception: "Home."
Breathtaking--gives new meaning to the word "drama."
Winner of the New York Critics Best Play of the Year Award in 1970, this hilariously funny but ineffably sad, five-character play by David Storey, directed by Lindsay Anderson, pairs Sir Ralph Richardson and Sir John Gielgud as two proud men who meet and talk in the garden of what appears, at first, to be some sort of assisted living facility.Well-spoken Jack (Richardson) and Harry (Gielgud), dressed in jackets and ties and carrying a cane and gloves, are clearly men of some status as they meet and make small talk-about the news, the clouds, varieties of chrysanthemums, whether Vale Evesham in England is the Garden of Eden, and the fact that their wives are not going to be visiting that day.
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Subjects:  1. Drama    2. Movie    3. Performing Arts - Theater    4. TV Shows   

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Subjects:  1. Classical    2. Filmed Stage Plays    3. Performing Arts - Theater