By Samantha Gleisten

The performers take a bow.

Anyone who has ever been involved with a live production will tell you: it's a very demanding endeavor. From gathering the talent to the rise of the curtain, the "to do" list is seemingly endless. This was certainly the case in the creation of "My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs." Beginning with an idea and culminating in an evening's entertainment, the journey to the final product was a very busy one.

With the success of "My Favorite Broadway: The Leading Ladies" behind them, GREAT PERFORMANCES producer David Horn and Metropolitan Entertainment's Allen Newman, Tony Adams, and Jeff Rowland decided to create another showcase for some of Broadway's hottest stars. It was in November of 1998 that Rowland originated the idea for the next in the series, the love songs, and with that the long journey began. A relationship had been developed with Julie Andrews, host of "The Leading Ladies," and with her star power and stage presence to build from, another "My Favorite Broadway" was possible.

Bebe Neuwirth with dancers during her number, "I'm a Brass Band."

But before anything could take shape, the time and place needed to be pinned down. And the only way to gather working Broadway stars and a space that could hold the large audience assembled to see them was to work on the only night Broadway has off. "We start by finding a date based on theater availability, usually a Sunday or Monday night because that's when the theaters are dark. Then we find a date and ask a few people to appear," said Horn, who directed "The Love Songs" for television in addition to his role as GREAT PERFORMANCES series producer. They found a date and time, October 16, a Monday evening at City Center, and the ball was rolling.

There was still the immense challenge of gathering Broadway's big stars. "It is always difficult to get a large number of performers to congregate for such an event. We had three things going for us: Julie Andrews, the quality of our first show as a template, and PBS television exposure," said Rowland. Those three vital ingredients attracted an awe-inspiring group of performers.

Once the lineup was set, the problems ironed out, and with many talented people committed to the project, it was time to prepare. "The idea was to craft a show that would have an entertaining dynamic, some surprises, some humor, and a sense of originality," remarked Rowland. So the performers, orchestra, and production crew separately set out to accomplish just that goal. Under the direction of the show's co-creator Graciela Daniele, the performers, with busy schedules that include as many as two

Peter Gallagher.

performances a day, began rehearsing in the beginning of October to create a show complete with large-scale production numbers and intimate acts. Meanwhile, The American Theater Orchestra and conductor Paul Gemignani were going over the extensive number of songs they would perform on that fateful night. And behind the scenes, a set was being created, lights designed, costumes built, and recording details worked out.

Then, in no time, the day it would all come to fruition arrived. In the hours before the audience appeared there was a lot of work to complete. This was the first time in the performance space and the moment all of the elements of the show needed to fit together. There were lights to focus, sound checks to make, and choreographed numbers to set in the new space. Add to the mix 11 cameras to record the show to be aired on GREAT PERFORMANCES, and you've got the recipe for an extremely busy day. October 16, 2000 was such a day for the many people involved in "My Favorite Broadway: The Love Songs."

"The day of the performance is quite hectic. It's the first chance to get on the stage," said Horn. The set having been loaded in the night before, the cast and crew arrived early to begin the day's labor. Once the initial technical elements were in place, before the orchestra arrived the

Linda Eder performing "What Kind of Fool Am I?"

performers and technical crew ran the show for the cameras; they had to make sure they would be able to capture everything from grand sweeps of the audience to cozy close-ups of the singers, all the while clinching technical details and last-minute touch-ups. Then, with few minutes to spare, it was time for the recorded dress rehearsal. The orchestra ready, microphones in place, and cameras rolling, it began. This was the first and last comprehensive go of the show, complete with costumes and orchestra, before the audience would arrive a few hours later. After the dress rehearsal was finished, there was only an hour and a half left to make any last-minute changes before the public settled into their seats. As Horn later remarked, "Everything comes together at the last minute."

The rest, as they say, is history, recorded for future audiences to see. "It's a very exhausting and hectic day. In the end you have to provide an evening's entertainment," says Horn, and they certainly did.