This new documentary shows Saturday, May 11, at 9:20 pm & Sunday, May 12, at 6:30 pm, at the Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque, Peter B. Lewis Theater, 11610 Euclid Ave. Admission $10; ages 25 & under $7.

 

BATHTUBS OVER BROADWAY

USA, 2018, Dava Whisenant

Longtime David Letterman writer Steve Young explores the hidden world of industrial musicals in this delightful new documentary. During the postwar era, some of America’s biggest corporations (GE, GM, Xerox, et al.) produced lavish, Broadway-style musicals that were seen only by company employees and their spouses at annual sales meetings and new product launches. Professionally cast and staged, these unique one-offs boasted original songs by luminaries like Fiddler on the Roof’s Sheldon Harnick and featured such showstoppers as “The Bathrooms Are Coming” and “Diesel Dazzle.” Steve Young excavates this buried realm via rare recordings and new interviews. Has a 100% critics and audience rating on Rotten Tomatoes! DCP. 87 min.