A spoonful of Julie Andrews
The Best Worst Thing That Could Ever Have Happened (2016) Available from Saturday
“ONE of the lessons of adulthood is disappointment,” says a tremulous Abigail Pogrebin as she looks back on her time in the original production of Merrily We Roll Along, Stephen Sondheim and Hal Prince’s notorious Broadway flop that ended both their decades-long collaborative friendship and the impression that neither of them could never fail when it came to musical theatre. Based on the popular 1934 play by George S. Kaufman and Moss Hart, Merrily — the musical within this documentary — tells the life stories of its three main characters in reverse order; they start out bitter and jaded adults, and by the show’s end have reverted to hopeful and starry-eyed kids. Those same young people — now themselves middle aged — take up the majority of the interviews in this documentary which looks at how such a winning combination and a hugely-backed production managed to create one of the box office bombs of the decade. Bolstered wonderfully by some incredible archival footage, it’s a meditation on friendship, betrayal and the bittersweet twists and turns that middle age can bring. And fans of Sondheim’s music will of course find much to enjoy.
Once Upon A Time Six seasons, (new episodes from season six available weekly)
WITH comic books long since exhausted for new characters TV producers turned some years ago to fairytales, with some success. Grimm, which is more of a procedural drama with a fairy tale twist, is already on its sixth season and winning increasingly warm reviews. But it’s this series, Once Upon A Time, that has been the stand out fairy tale-themed drama. It tells the story of a group of characters in the not-so-subtly-named town of Storybrooke Maine. They all have other identities and other jobs now, like owning a hotel or school, and they don’t realise their current roles echo their fairy-tale lives. Over six seasons there are a lot of twists and turns and some critics think it has recently jumped the shark with season six; we see one of the characters falling in love with a figment of the imagination of another character. But if you got that far there’s no talking to you, and if there is, try the first couple of seasons — those are the best.
Julie’s Greenroom 1 season, available from Friday
IF there was ever an actress you’d trust to babysit your kids, it would surely be Mary Poppins herself, Julie Andrews. Here she guides kids through musical episodes of light-hearted drama starring a group of puppets — the series was co-created by the daughter of legendary puppeteer Jim Henson. Julie’s Greenroom follows the Greenies (aka the puppets) as they explore musical and theatrical arts under the direction of Ms Julie (played by Andrews) and her assistant Gus. Almost every episode features an original song; guest stars showcase a new art form each week. And these guest stars are A-list, including: Alec Baldwin, Josh Groban, Glee’s Idina Menzel and Chris Colfer, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt’s Ellie Kemper and Tituss Burgess. Several puppeteers from the original Broadway cast of Avenue Q work on the show. Each of the season’s 13 episodes builds toward the Greenies’ final performance, which demonstrates what they’ve learned under Ms Julie’s direction. The catch: a wealthy benefactor will be attending the event, and the theatre is in need of funding. That benefactor turns out to be none other than comedy legend Carol Burnett, who plays herself, and channels the steely gaze of Simon Cowell wonderfully.
Angry Indian Goddesses (2015) Available from Tuesday
WE hear a lot about how embattled women in India are and so the time feels right for some kind of feminist statement from the country’s film-makers. Despite what the title here suggests, it’s more like a happy Bollywood-ish romp where the leading actors just happen to be female (which is maybe its own kind of feminist statement). The setup is a bit Sex and the City, following a disparate group of seven women as they struggle with issues like inequality at work, controlling family members and lewd comments on the street. The writing is thankfully never overly didactic and the performances make these friendships believable. Definitely worth a look.