Announcing The Third Broadway Bound Blogathon!

Things might be weird and tense right now because of the coronavirus, but we’re still, God willing, going back to Broadway. We need all the fun we can get, people. We really do.

For those of you who are new to Taking Up Room, this is when we pay tribute to the symbiotic relationship between Hollywood and the Great White Way. Both places are considered pinnacles in a perfomer’s career, and consequently there’s a lot of cross-traffic between the two. Hollywood eyes what Broadway’s doing and thinks, “Hey, that would look great on the big screen.” Broadway eyes Hollywood and ponders which beloved musical would work on the stage. Or which non-musical movie might make a great stage show. It’s all very chummy, and we the public don’t mind a bit, do we? Heck no.

This year’s blogathon is going to be on June 5th though the 7th, the same weekend as the Tony Awards, and just like last time, it’ll have the following categories:

• Movies made from Broadway shows,
• Movies made about Broadway,
• Performers, writers, directors, and producers who worked in both Broadway and Hollywood,
• Broadway shows made from movies.

These categories aren’t cast in stone, though–overlap will be a thing, as will thinking outside the box. Every year the intrepid folks who sign up for this little shindig invariably wow everyone because they’re awesome and know how to bring it. 🙂

If anyone is stuck for an idea, here’s a list (Once again, I’m too lazy to type it. It’s a biiiig list). Ignore the strikethroughs, of course.

One little note I should probably make is this: If you want to write about an off-Broadway play, does that work for this blogathon? Well, yes, as long as the play didn’t stay off-Broadway.

What constitutes “off-Broadway”? It doesn’t necessarily have to do with a show being located away from the actual street, although being in New York is obviously a big part of it. A show in Minneapolis, for instance, is, yeah, way off Broadway.

Seriously, though, any New York theater that has between four-hundred ninety-nine and one hundred seats is considered off-Broadway. Any theater that has less than one hundred seats is called off-off Broadway. So, if your off- or off-off-show made it to a Broadway theater at one time or another, you’re good. I just thought I should clear that up because it’s confusing.

And now for the other rules:

1. If anyone wants to participate, please let me know which topic or topics you’d like to write about, as well as your blog’s URL if we’re unacquainted.
2. Posts can be sent to me on or around June 5-7 via Twitter (@TakingUpRoom), my Contact page, the comment section, or to my e-mail address (rebeccadeniston@gmail.com).
3. Posts will be limited to three, new material only, and no duplicates, please. However, the same movie or topic can be approached from different angles, such as one person doing a straight review and another including a movie in a list.
4. If anyone has to back out, please let me know so I can put your topic back in play.
5. Grab a banner and advertise the blogathon!

The Roster

Taking Up Room: The Broadway Melody (1929), The Broadway Melody of 1936 (1935) and The Broadway Melody of 1938 (1937)

Movie Movie Blog Blog II: Movie Movie (1978)

Realweegiemidget Reviews: Alfie (1966)

Caftan Woman: Blue Denim (1959)

The JLH Collective: Hairspray (2007)

The Flapper Dame: Rent (2005)

Wide Screen World: Sweeney Todd (2007)

Silver Screenings: Annie Get Your Gun (1950)

Dubsism: Kinky Boots (2005)

Pale Writer: The Producers (1967)

Pure Entertainment Preservation Society: All About Eve (1950)

Midnite Drive-in: Bent (1997)

18 Cinema Lane: Cyrano de Bergerac (1990)

Vitaphone Dreamer: Oklahoma (1955)

Crítica Retrô: You Can’t Take It With You (1938)

The Classic Movie Muse: One Touch of Venus (1948)

The Banners