User:Collintanderson/sandbox

Bathtubs Over Broadway is a 2018 American documentary film directed by Dava Whisenant. Comedy writer Steve Young’s assignment to scour bargain-bin vinyl for a Late Night segment becomes an unexpected, decades-spanning obsession when he stumbles upon the strange and hilarious world of corporate musicals in this feel-good music documentary. The film premiered at the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival and is currently on the film festival circuit.

Synopsis
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 cache of 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. They also featured writers and performers who would become legends, such as Chita Rivera, Kander & Ebb, Florence Henderson, and Bob Fosse. 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 uncover all he can about this hidden world. While delving into treasure troves of forgotten archives, tracking down rare albums, unearthing unseen footage, and rediscovering composers and performers, Steve comes to form unlikely friendships and discovers how this discarded musical genre starring tractors and bathtubs was bigger than Broadway.

Appearances

 * David Letterman
 * Chita Rivera
 * Martin Short
 * Florence Henderson
 * Susan Stroman
 * Jello Biafra
 * Sheldon Harnick
 * Hank Beebe
 * Sid Siegel

Reception
Bathtubs Over Broadway has been warmly received on the festival circuit, garnering multiple awards and standing ovations. It currently holds a 9/10 rating on IMDb. Hugh Jackman, Alec Baldwin, Marc Shaiman, Craig Thomas and Robert DeNiro have all expressed praise for the film. The film was included in Robert DeNiro's top 6 picks for the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. While promoting the film, Steve Young has been featured on NPR's Ask Me Another show and Alec Baldwin's Here's The Thing podcast. Of the final scene in the film, Baldwin said it's "hands-down the best movie-musical number since Robert Morse in How to Succeed."

Festival Premiere
Bathtubs Over Broadway premiered on April 21, 2018 at the BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center as part of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival. The film's director, Dava Whisenant, won Tribeca's Albert Maysles Award for Best New Documentary Director. "Tribeca Jury: “The winner of the Best New Documentary Director goes to a film that we chose for many reasons. The story, the specific subject, the journey into a world we never knew existed. This film also has an element every great film, doc, and story needs...heart.”"Described as "the most feel-good film event of the 2018 Tribeca Film Festival," the premiere featured post-screening live performances, including a duet about motion-activated faucets that reunited the stars of American Standard's cult favorite industrial show The Bathrooms Are Coming!