December 28th, 2018 - 4:00 pm
BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY OPENING AT THE CINEMA ART THEATER
Starting on December 28, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society’s Cinema Art Theater invites you to dive into the wacky world of the industrial musical with “Bathtubs Over Broadway,” a documentary that follows a comedy writer’s accidental discovery of this unknown but highly entertaining subgenre of musicals and his passion for tracking down every artifact of its existence. The viewer will hear rare archival recordings never intended to be released to the public and meet composers and cast-members who created and performed in these shows.
While gathering material for a segment on “The Late Show with David Letterman,” comedy writer Steve Young 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” accompanies Steve on his quest to find all he can about this hidden world. Along the way, he forms unlikely friendships with fellow obsessives 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. [2018, US, 87 minutes, Rated: PG-13].
“’Bathtubs Over Broadway’ is pure pleasure, both in its exploration of a hidden and uniquely American corner of show business and its portrait of the charmingly nerdy Young," writes Alfonso Duralde of “TheWrap.com”. Peter Debruge of “Variety.com” writes, “Anyone who loves musical theater owes it to themselves to see “Bathtubs Over Broadway,” a delightful deep-dive documentary into one man’s obsession with the obscure world of industrial musicals — corporate-sponsored song-and-dance revues from the golden age of American capitalism.”
Screening times are 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Friday (Dec 28), 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm on Saturday (Dec 29), 3:00 pm on Sunday (Dec 30), 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Monday (Dec 31), 1:00 pm and 4:00 pm on Wednesday (Jan 2) and 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm Thursday (Jan 3). Admission is $8 for members and $11 for future members. Customers are encouraged to purchase tickets online. If seats are available, tickets can be purchased at the theater, starting 30 minutes prior to each screening.
The mission of the RBFS is promoting cinematic arts and providing education and cultural enrichment for our community. The Film Society sponsors ongoing screenings, special events, and the Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival (October 31 – November 10, 2019). Having met all the requirements for best practices in nonprofit management, the Rehoboth Beach Film Society is accredited by the Standards for Excellence Institute®. The Film Society is funded, in part, by a grant from the Delaware Division of the Arts, a state agency, in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts. The Division promotes Delaware arts events on www.DelawareScene.com. For more information on this series, other events, or to become a member, visit the Rehoboth Beach Film Society website at www.rehobothfilm.com, or call 302-645-9095.