Event
Bathtubs Over Broadway
Return Engagement
100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes
“ENDEARING. A portrait of hobby turned obsession, a chronicle of a little-known subgenre of musical theater and an elegy for a period in midcentury America when company loyalty was, well, fun.” – Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times
When he started as a comedy writer for the Late Show with David Letterman, Steve Young had few interests outside of his day job. But while gathering material for a segment on the show, Steve stumbled onto a few vintage record albums that would change his life forever.
Bizarre cast recordings – marked “internal use only” – revealed full-throated Broadway-style musical shows about some of the most recognizable corporations in America: General Electric, McDonald’s, Ford, DuPont, Xerox. Steve didn’t know much about musical theater, but these recordings delighted him in a way that nothing ever had.
Bathtubs Over Broadway follows Steve Young on his quest to find all he can about this hidden world. While tracking down rare albums, unseen footage, composers and performers, Steve forms unlikely friendships and discovers that this discarded musical genre starring tractors and bathtubs was bigger than Broadway.
With David Letterman, Chita Rivera, Martin Short, Florence Henderson, Susan Stroman, Jello Biafra and more.
"An unexpectedly moving ode to an ignored creative world."
"A chronicle of an obsessive quest to compile an unknown history that combines a music nerd’s love of esoterica with a detective's love of following leads down interesting detours."
"...sings the praises of the secret world of industrial musicals."
