Character Relationship Map: On Broadway

Characters

• Self (played by Alec Baldwin) — protagonist
• Self (played by Christine Baranski) — supporting
• Self (played by James Corden) — supporting
• Self (played by David Henry Hwang) — supporting
• Self (played by Nicholas Hytner) — supporting
• Self (played by Michael Eisner) — supporting
• Self (played by Helen Mirren) — supporting
• Self (played by Cameron Mackintosh) — supporting
• Self (played by John Lithgow) — supporting
• Self (played by Hugh Jackman) — supporting
• Self (played by Ian McKellen) — supporting
• Self (played by Richard Bean) — minor
• Self (played by George C. Wolfe) — minor
• Self (played by August Wilson) — minor
• Self (played by Hal Prince) — minor
• Self (played by Emanuel Azenberg) — minor
• Self (played by Tommy Tune) — minor
• Self (played by John Breglio) — minor
• Self (played by Alexandra Billings) — minor
• Self (played by Cora Cahan) — minor

Story Analysis

The documentary explores Broadway's tension between commercial survival, historic preservation, and the need for original voices that reflect American life.

Plot Progression

1. The Broadway Promise — Performers and theater figures recall the romance and uncertainty of coming to New York. They describe the shared energy of live theater while acknowledging the commercial demands placed on production...
2. A Chorus Line Breaks Through — The Public Theater gives A Chorus Line a place to develop before its move to Broadway. Its acclaim, awards, and long run alter expectations and demonstrate an audience for stories about performers fro...
3. Preservation and Change — Actors and activists campaign to save historic Broadway theaters, but the Morosco Theater is demolished. The Marriott Marquis Hotel illustrates the competing pressures of development and preservation...
4. Whose Stories Reach Broadway — The documentary considers plays centered on Black family and African American experience, emphasizing their role in bringing new audiences and representation to Broadway. Speakers worry that commercia...
5. A New Musical Takes Shape — A hip-hop concept album about Alexander Hamilton is reconsidered as a possible musical after its opening song is performed. The team chooses the Public Theater as its starting point, and the film clos...