In Bruce Jay Friedman’s play “Steambath,” an elderly character observes that as a theatergoer he figured “the real show” was what happened in the wings. He would love “Moon Over Broadway,” a backstage documentary available next week on VHS and DVD.
Husband and wife team D.A. Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus, who collaborated on the Oscar-nominated “The War Room,” were allowed extraordinary access to chronicle Carol Burnett’s return to Broadway after a 30-year absence in Ken Ludwig’s farcical play “Moon Over Buffalo.”
Unlike recent documentaries that employ dramatic feature film techniques, “Moon Over Buffalo” was shot in the cinema verite-style of such Pennebaker classics as “Primary,” “Monterey Pop” and “Don’t Look Back,” which followed Bob Dylan on his 1965 British concert tour.
Pennebaker, an Evanston native, and Hegedus unobtrusively recorded the tumultuous process of mounting a Broadway show, from the press conference launch to the anxious reading of opening night reviews. “We imagined we would have a `Carol Burnett Show,'” Pennebaker said, laughing, in a phone interview. “There was a dimension of drama with her return, but it turned out that there were all these people with different stakes in the production. All were equally important, and we had to deal with them all.”
“It became such a collaborative effort,” added Hegedus, “that we had to follow not just the stars, but the director, the writer and the producers. The problems would shift from one to the other.”
For example, an increasingly frustrated Ludwig bemoans the liberties the actors are taking with his play. “It’s like a pact with the devil, having to cast stars,” he complains. Meanwhile, the actors bristle if their creative input doesn’t seem appreciated. “Don’t you want the benefit of our years of experience?” Burnett’s esteemed co-star Philip Bosco huffs in one tense moment.
Watching the play take shape is as entertaining as anything we glimpse on-stage. One priceless moment was not in the script. A backstage glitch halts one performance, and as the crew works frantically to fix it, Burnett rises to the occasion and graciously fields questions from the audience as she did on her beloved variety show.
Pennebaker and Hegedus said they came away from the experience with a new respect for the Herculean effort it takes to bring a play to life. “It’s a special world all its own,” Hegedus said. “I was in awe of how much work goes into it; the hours and the stamina. It was amazing to watch these people with unique talents form this special family.”
Pennebaker and Hegedus have been married since 1982 and have worked together since the mid-’70s. Though their reputation precedes them, the process of earning a subject’s trust can be delicate.
“It’s like going to a party,” Pennebaker said. “You’re not going to be instant best friends with everyone there. You strike up a conversation as best you can. They have to have a feeling that you will take their life seriously. What happened on `Moon’ is that because they were actors and represented by unions, they had a clause that after two weeks, if they didn’t want us hanging around, we would have to burn the film. But what usually happens is that people are so busy with what they’re doing, they don’t have time to worry about us.”
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“Moon Over Broadway,” a Docurama release, retails for $25 on VHS. The DVD, which contains audio commentary with Pennebaker, Hegedus and Bosco, retails for $30. To order, call 800-314-8822.
