The program premieres Wednesday, May 27 at 8 p.m. (ET) on THIRTEEN’s Great Performances on PBS HD (check local listings).

Watch a preview:

Great Performances is a production of THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG – one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers.

For Miranda, bringing In the Heights to life began when he was a sophomore at Wesleyan College. Having grown up as a first generation American in one of the toughest neighborhoods in New York City, Miranda always struggled to find his identity and place in life. Writing about the stories, sacrifices and sounds of the people from his neighborhood was a way to share his experience. “When I saw Rent, it was the first time I’d seen a musical that took place now,” recounted Miranda. “A light bulb went off and it was like ‘oh, you can write a musical that’s about you, about your life.’ If you had told me it’d take eight years to finish [In the Heights] I probably would have been too scared to continue.”

In addition to thrilling extended performance sequences of the original cast of In the Heights onstage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, this Great Performances program offers an intimate look at the production backstage and off-stage. Producers from @radical.media first identified the show’s potential at one of the early readings, and began filming the process shortly thereafter. This provides unprecedented access to the cast as they went through workshops, to off-Broadway, and finally to Broadway. Karen Olivo (Miranda’s on-stage love interest, who is now starring in a new version of West Side Story as “Anita”), describes her dedication to performing as more like an “addiction”; Mandy Gonzalez finds that her real life experience growing up with immigrant parents mirrors that of her character Nina; and Seth Stewart (Graffiti Pete), who has struggled to balance his love of dancing with his football career, is emotionally overwhelmed by seeing his image seven stories tall in Times Square. For Broadway veteran Priscilla Lopez (Camila), it is a journey back in time, as she recalls how her role in the original cast of A Chorus Line changed her life, while for Chris Jackson (Benny), the stakes are extremely high, as the success or failure of the show will directly impact how he can provide for his family, which includes an autistic child. These disparate stories all come together in the rehearsal hall and onstage, as the In the Heights company takes Broadway by storm with their high octane song and dance numbers.

In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams is a @radical.media production for THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG. For Great Performances, Bill O’Donnell is Series Producer, Michael Kantor (Broadway: The American Musical, Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America) is consulting producer; David Horn is Executive Producer.

Great Performances is funded by the Irene Diamond Fund, the National Endowment for the Arts, Vivian Milstein, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, public television viewers, and PBS. Major funding is also provided by the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.

Reba McEntire: Ensign Nellie Forbush

Brian Stokes Mitchell: Emile de Becque

Jason Danieley: Lt. Joseph Cable

Lillias White: Bloody Mary

Conrad John Schuck: Capt. George Brackett

Dylan Baker: Cmdr. William Harbison

Alec Baldwin: Luther Billis

Alexio Barboza: Jerome, Emile’s son

Alex de Castro: Ngana, Emile’s daughter

Renita Croney: Liat, Bloody Mary’s daughter

Alexander Gemignani: Stewpot

Tom Deckman: Professor

South Pacific Ensemble: Nurses, Islanders, Officers, Sailors, Marines, and Soldiers

Orchestra of St. Luke’s
Paul Gemignani: Conductor

Web Credits

Producer: Anu Krishnan
Art Director: Sabina Daley
Flash Design & Programming: Stephanie Liu
Graphic Art: Ying Zhou-Hudson
Technical Director: Brian Lee
PHP Scripting: Ben Chappel
Production Assistant: Diana Cofresí-Terrero
Copy Editor: Leslie Kriesel
HTML Implementation Assistance: Brian Santalone
Writer: Thomas Hischak

GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages copyright © 2006 Educational Broadcasting Corporation.

Thirteen Online is a production of Thirteen/WNET New York’s Kravis Multimedia Education Center in New York City. Anthony Chapman, Director of Interactive & Broadband. Bob Adleman, Business Manager. Carmen DiRienzo, Vice President and Managing Director, Corporate Affairs.

About the Writer

Thomas S. Hischak is the author of 15 books on theater, film, and popular music, including THE OXFORD COMPANION TO AMERICAN THEATRE (3rd edition) and AMERICAN THEATRE: A CHRONICLE (Oxford University Press); THEATRE AS HUMAN ACTION, THROUGH THE SCREEN DOOR, BOY LOSES GIRL: BROADWAY’S LIBRETTISTS, and ENTER THE PLAYERS (Scarecrow Press); AMERICAN PLAYS AND MUSICALS ON SCREEN (McFarland); THE TIN PAN ALLEY SONG ENCYCLOPEDIA, THE THEATREGOER’S ALMANAC, and WORD CRAZY: BROADWAY LYRICISTS FROM COHAN TO SONDHEIM (Greenwood Press). He is professor of theater at the State University of New York College at Cortland and the author of 20 published plays.

Television Credits

“SOUTH PACIFIC” IN CONCERT FROM CARNEGIE HALL

Music by
Richard Rodgers

Lyrics by
Oscar Hammerstein II

Book by
Oscar Hammerstein II and Joshua Logan

Adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel
TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC by James A. Michener

Orchestrations by
Robert Russell Bennett

Dance and Incidental Music Arranged by
Trude Rittmann

Starring
Reba McEntire
Ensign Nellie Forbush

Brian Stokes Mitchell
Emile de Becque

Jason Danieley
Lt. Joseph Cable

Lillias White
Bloody Mary

Conrad John Schuck
Capt. George Brackett

Dylan Baker
Cmdr. William Harbison

and
Alec Baldwin
Luther Billis

With
Alexio Barboza
Jerome

Alex de Castro
Ngana

Renita Croney
Liat

Alexander Gemignani
Stewpot

Tom Deckman
Professor

Musical Staging by
Casey Nicholaw

Concert Adaptation by
David Ives

Sound Design by
Nevin Steinberg

Lighting Designer
Alan Adelman

Scenic Consultant
John Lee Beatty

Casting Consultants
Jay Binder, CSA/Jack Bowdan, CSA

Costume Consultant
Catherine Zuber

Associate Director
Marc Bruni

Orchestra of St. Luke’s

South Pacific Ensemble

Musical Director and Conductor
Paul Gemignani

Directed for the Concert Stage by
Walter Bobbie

Director
David Horn

Producer
John Walker

Audio Producer
Jay David Saks

Editors
Gary Bradley
Laura Young

Line Producer
Julie Schapiro Thorman

Associate Producer
Cara Cosentino

Associate Director
Karen McLaughlin

Stage Manager
Hank Neimark

Engineer in Charge
Mark Schubin

Technical Director
Manse Sharpe

Audio Designer
Bill King

Audio Engineer
David Hewitt

Post Production Audio
Ken Hahn

Audio
Daryl Bornstein
Pete Erskine
Phil Gitomer
Rick Jacobsohn
Sean McClintock
Blake Norton
Chris Peterson

Video Operators
Frank Grisanti
Susan Noll

Video Tape
Alan Buchner

Cameras
Miguel Armstrong
Juan Barrera
Win Bernfeld
Robert Del Russo
Manny Gutierrez
Ernie Jew
John Kosmaczewski
Pat Minietta
John Pry
Larry Solomon
Mark Whitman

Utility
Anthony DeFonzo
Tom Carroll
Vincent DeMaio
Bob Benedetti
Mike Cunningham

Video Maintenance
Scott Jazmin

Gaffer
Mike Callahan

Varilite
John Ellar
Richie Tydall

Graphic Design
David Chomowicz

Hair & Makeup
Angelina Avellone
Marisa Fazzina
George Vargas

Production Assistant for Television
Adam Fels

Production Secretary
Jessica Lacombe

Music Coordinator
Kristen Sonntag

Production Aides
Brian Graham
David Lanphier

Assistant Stage Manager
Leigh Boone

Rehearsal Pianist
Paul Ford

Music Preparation Coordinator
Katherine Edmonds

Assistant Costume Consultants
T. Michael Hall
David Newell
Michael Zecker

Production Assistants
Anika Chapin
Jessica Mazo

Food Services Compliments of
Restaurant Associates, Inc

For Carnegie Hall
Chairman
Sanford I. Weill

Executive and Artistic Director
Clive Gillinson

Senior Directors
Ara Guzelimain, Artistic Advisor
Richard A. Maltlaga

Program Planning and Operations
Anna Weber
Kathy Schuman
Lea Slusher
Leo Gambacorta
Kimo Gerald
James Badrak

Stage Crew
Ken Beltrone
John Cardinale
James Scollany
John Goodson
Dennis O’Connell

Carnegie Hall would like to thank Deloitte, as well as Leni and Peter May and family, The Alice Tully Foundation, The Rodgers Family Foundation, and Alice Hammerstein Mathias, whose generous support made the performance of “South Pacific” possible.

For The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
Thedore S. Chapin
Victoria Traube
Bert Fink
Bruce Pomahac

For GREAT PERFORMANCES
Series Producer
David Horn

Director, Program Development
Bill O’Donnell

Executive Producer
Barry Schulman

A production of Thirteen/WNET New York, Carnegie Hall, and The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization.

© 2006 The Carnegie Hall Corporation

The contents of these GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages are copyrighted under United States and other copyright laws. You may not download, reproduce, transmit, display, distribute or make derivative works from the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Web pages other than for personal use without the advance written permission of the copyright owner. Any unauthorized use of any of the contents of the GREAT PERFORMANCES Online Web pages may result in civil liability and criminal prosecution.

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

Brian Stokes Mitchell, the dashing baritone and acclaimed actor in several Broadway productions, plays the French planter Emile de Becque in the concert version of “South Pacific.” Mitchell was born in Seattle and grew up on naval bases in Guam and the Philippines, where his father was a civilian engineer for the military. He began acting professionally in regional theaters in California before finding notice on the television series TRAPPER JOHN, M.D. He first appeared on Broadway in the short-lived musicals “Mail” and “Oh, Kay!,” then replaced others in major roles in “Jelly’s Last Jam” and “Kiss of the Spider Woman.” Mitchell became a Broadway star with his passionate performance as the piano player-turned-radical Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime,” which he followed up with leading roles in revivals of “Kiss Me, Kate” and “Man of La Mancha.” He has also shone in plays, most memorably on Broadway as King in August Wilson’s “King Hedley II,” and frequently performs in concerts and special performances, such as the Sondheim Festival at the Kennedy Center, where he appeared in “Sweeney Todd.”

GREAT PERFORMANCES: How familiar were you with “South Pacific” and the character of Emile de Becque before you worked on this Carnegie Hall concert?

Brian Stokes Mitchell: I had never seen the musical on stage or a complete film version on television, but I knew bits and pieces of the story and had constructed the plot in my mind. But when I read the script I realized the plot I had imagined was completely wrong. I did know the music, though. That I was very familiar with.

GP: Emile is usually played as a distinguished, somewhat distant man of the world who is very confident of himself. A nice contrast to the extroverted but insecure Nellie Forbush. But your Emile seemed much more approachable — a vulnerable, very human man with a lot to lose. How did you approach the character?

BSM: At first I thought he was a rather uninteresting character. I knew he had usually been played by singers, not actors, and I didn’t think there was much depth there. But working on the piece, I realized that Emile is indeed vulnerable and, yes, he has a lot to lose. Then I found him an incredibly interesting man. Here he is alone in the world, raising two kids without a wife, and he meets this woman so unlike himself. It’s quite a challenge for him to act on his feelings for her. The stakes are high.

GP: As with Emile in “South Pacific,” you’ve played several classic musical theater roles in revivals: Petruchio/Fred in “Kiss Me, Kate,” Cervantes/Don Quixote in “Man of La Mancha,” Sweeney Todd. These roles were created by famous actor-singers and their original performances are also considered classics. Does this intimidate you?

BSM: Not at all. Like most of the audience, I never saw most of these famous performances. I’ve heard the recordings, but I don’t have this specific picture in my mind. I approach the character with my own point of view and don’t worry about how he was played in the past by such and such a performer. When I was preparing “Kiss Me, Kate,” I did go to the Museum of Broadcasting and watched an old kinescope of Alfred Drake doing the role on a television special. It was interesting, but I didn’t feel any need to try to copy him. I have one advantage over the great performers who created these classic roles: with the microphone, I can do some subtle things with the songs that may not have been possible when the actor had to fill the house with his voice.

GP: You’ve done long runs on Broadway and short, limited runs as well. “South Pacific” was a one-night-only special event. Is it exciting to be part of such a gala happening or is it frustrating not getting to play the piece over a period of time?

BSM: The answer is yes. It is very frustrating and yet it is thrilling at the same time. Usually I don’t feel comfortable with a character until I’ve played him before an audience for several performances. It is not until after three months of performing that I learn to discover what I call all the nooks and crannies of the person. With the Encores! concerts and special one-night programs, such as this one at Carnegie Hall, everything is special. You still have scripts in your hand, you’ve only worked with the orchestra briefly, and much of your energy is to get it right and not fall on your face. At the same time, it is a thrilling experience. In some ways it was the perfect way to do “South Pacific,” because no Broadway production could assemble that cast, that large orchestra, over and over again.

GP: With your performance as Coalhouse Walker in “Ragtime,” you got to create a new, classic role in musical theater. Are you sent new material all the time?

BSM: I am sometimes offered new scripts. I’m still looking for that great opportunity to create a new role, such as Coalhouse Walker. But such a prize role does not come often. When it does … that’s something very special.

Interview by Thomas Hischak for GREAT PERFORMANCES Online conducted in April 2006.

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

The year 1949 found Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein at a crossroads in their collaboration. They had enjoyed outstanding success together with “Oklahoma!” (1943) and “Carousel” (1945) on stage and with STATE FAIR (1945) on the screen, but they had stumbled awkwardly with “Allegro” (1947) on Broadway. The ambitious, experimental work had much to recommend it, but Hammerstein’s original book was too scattered to satisfy audiences and critics. The team needed to reestablish their reputation as Broadway’s premiere creators of the musical play. James Michener’s series of World War II stories titled “Tales of the South Pacific” seemed like an ideal vehicle, rich with distinctive characters, exotic locales, and potent themes. Yet “South Pacific” would break away from the established Rodgers and Hammerstein model in many ways.

First of all, the team was known for re-creating Americana on stage. These tales were set in a foreign land and, while most of the characters were American, they were reacting to situations that were far from homespun. Second, Hammerstein was an expert at dramatizing novels and plays for the musical stage, but Michener’s book consisted of short stories, not one of which could sustain a full-length musical drama by itself. But Hammerstein rose to the occasion and, working closely with co-librettist and director Joshua Logan, took characters and plots from three of the stories and fashioned them into a coherent, unified libretto. Another anomaly about “South Pacific” is that it was the first (and one of the few) Rodgers and Hammerstein musicals written for established stars. Although their previous Broadway efforts had helped launch the careers of Alfred Drake, Celeste Holm, John Raitt, and Lisa Kirk, those earlier musicals featured no names above the title. The musical itself was the star. But “South Pacific” was written and composed with Broadway belter Mary Martin and Metropolitan Opera bass Ezio Pinza specifically in mind. The pairing of two such voices was so unusual in Broadway tradition that the writers wisely kept the two stars from singing simultaneously until close to the end of the first act, figuring that audiences would accept the combination once they were involved with the stars as characters and not merely as singers. The captivating duet “Twin Soliloquies” early in the show is simply that: two separate solos that alternate, giving the illusion of a rhapsodic operetta duet without any vocal overlapping.

But of all the challenges facing Rodgers and Hammerstein in their new venture, the most daunting was theme. Racial prejudice had only rarely been the issue in a Broadway musical. Jerome Kern’s and Hammerstein’s “Show Boat” (1927) evoked the plight of African Americans in the post-Civil War South, the Gershwins tackled similar themes in “Porgy and Bess” (1935), and E. Y. Harburg, Fred Saidy, and associates took on slavery and segregation in their mocking Civil War musical “Bloomer Girl” (1944) and their satiric fantasy “Finian’s Rainbow” (1947). While the ache of prejudice and oppression served as the background for these musicals, it was central in “South Pacific.” Consider the fact that this was the first Rodgers and Hammerstein musical with no villain of any kind. The world is at war and there is conflict all around, but one cannot say that the real enemy in “South Pacific” is the Japanese military. No character in the musical attempts to harm, hinder, or provoke any other character. Yet, all dramas need a protagonist and an antagonist. “South Pacific” is no exception, but the conflicts in this musical are internal. The deep-seated prejudice that lies within nurse Nellie Forbush and Lieutenant Joe Cable provide the complications. These two are threatened by no one but their own prejudices, fears, and traditional way of thinking. “South Pacific” is the first (and remains one of the very few) musicals to draw its emotional power not merely from a love story, but from a cruel, unbending inner doubt.

While Nellie and Cable are both Americans, each caught in a romance with a foreign and questionable love, they suffer from different kinds of prejudice. Nellie comes from the segregated South; a spunky Arkansas girl, she is not highly educated, but is not afraid to be thought of as different. One reason she left home and got involved in the war was her discontent with the narrow-minded view of the world that surrounded her. The other nurses tease her for her “cockeyed” optimism, and she seems game for ‘most any adventure. Falling in love with the eloquent, sophisticated French planter Emile de Becque is an adventure, and her only doubts about the romance come from wondering what such an intelligent gent sees in a “little hick” like herself. But when she finds out about Emile’s previous marriage and is confronted with the idea that she might be stepmother to two Polynesian children, the adventure becomes too rough and her Arkansas background kicks in. Her overriding love for Emile (especially when she fears that he has died on the dangerous mission she drove him to) helps her conquer her prejudices. Cable, on the other hand, is a college-educated Northerner from a wealthy family and has a pretty good sense about how the world operates. He should, one would think, be more prepared to deal with prejudice. After all, he is no hick; he is the enlightened American, dedicated to a cause, selfless in his outlook, and willing to die for something important. Yet he cannot see himself breaking with his Philadelphia Main Line fiancée and returning to America with a Polynesian wife. That takes too much courage, even for a war hero. Cable, in the musical’s most potent and bitter song, argues that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” to carry on your ancestors’ prejudice. He can describe, calculate, and even explain his prejudice; what he cannot do is overcome it until it’s too late.

The theme of prejudice in “South Pacific” is not subtle and was not meant to be merely suggested or mildly alluded to. During final rehearsals, some acquaintances of the collaborators suggested to Rodgers and Hammerstein that “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” be cut, fearing that it might turn off or even antagonize audiences. Hammerstein said they might as well cancel the whole production if safe complacency was the goal. The song remained in the show and yes, it did (and still does) turn off and even antagonize some spectators. During the first national tour, “South Pacific” ran into trouble from locals over the song and the show had to avoid cities where its deletion was required. Although the lack of racial tolerance in the musical is about Asians, its pertinence to all kinds of prejudice was not lost on anyone.

Today, some like to dismiss Rodgers and Hammerstein’s handling of such difficult issues in “South Pacific” as simplistic. Nellie overcomes her doubts and ends up with Emile; Cable cannot conquer his and he dies. Is that begging the question or just finding a dramatic way of saying something potent within the framework of a musical entertainment? We like to pride ourselves on believing we are more tolerant and see the issues of race with a more complex understanding today. But how many of us would have had the courage to do in 1949 what Rodgers and Hammerstein did in “South Pacific”?

–Thomas Hischak

Joe Sinnott-Thirteen/WNET New York

“SOUTH PACIFIC” IN CONCERT FROM CARNEGIE HALL premiered on April 26, 2006 on PBS (check local listings).

Based on James Michener’s Pulitzer Prize-winning collection of short stories TALES OF THE SOUTH PACIFIC, Rodgers & Hammerstein’s own Pulitzer Prize-winning blockbuster was a landmark of post-World War II Broadway, a provocative romantic drama that beguiled audiences with a hit parade of instant standards. Last June, “South Pacific” reached new heights when, for one enchanted evening, Carnegie Hall presented a magnificent concert production with a dream cast headed by Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jason Danieley, Lillias White, and Alec Baldwin. Directed for the concert stage by Walter Bobbie, with musical director Paul Gemignani conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, the performance was acclaimed by THE NEW YORK TIMES as “a state of nearly unconditional rapture,” praising the production for locating “the show’s real staying power in its operatic respect for love as a force that hurts, teases, destroys and ennobles.”

“South Pacific” was among Rodgers and Hammerstein’s most successful and critically acclaimed shows, winning nine Tony Awards®, including Best Musical, in 1950. Although its first Broadway revival will not occur until the 2007-08 season (when it is presented by Lincoln Center Theater), “South Pacific” has lived on in thousands of productions, both professional and amateur, over the years, as well as in two movie versions.

Learn why “South Pacific” had to be a hit for the duo and the difficulties they encountered in presenting the controversial theme at the heart of the musical in the essay by contributor Thomas Hischak. See all the numbers from the musical in the song list, which includes links to video excerpts from the concert performance. Find photos from the original production in the Multimedia Presentation, and read an interview with musical theater star Brian Stokes Mitchell.

Special funding for the program was provided by The Rodgers Family Foundation and The LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust.

Related Web Sites

• Carnegie Hall
• The Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization
  
• Reba McEntire
• Alec Baldwin
• Lillias White
• Jason Danieley

“Another Op’nin’, Another Show”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Kaye E. Brown, Company

“Why Can’t You Behave?”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Nancy Anderson, Michael Berresse

“Wunderbar”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett, Rachel York

“So in Love”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Rachel York

“We Open in Venice”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Nancy Anderson, Michael Berresse

“Tom, Dick or Harry”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Nancy Anderson, Michael Berresse, Nick Winston, Barry McNeill

“I’ve Come to Wive It Wealthily in Padua”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett

“I Hate Men”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Rachel York

“Were Thine That Special Face”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett

“Cantiamo d’Amore” (”We Sing of Love”)
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Ensemble

“Kiss Me, Kate”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Ensemble

“Too Darn Hot”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Nolan Frederick, Ensemble

“Where Is the Life That Late I Led?”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett

“Always True to You in My Fashion”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Nancy Anderson

“From This Moment On”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Nicolas Colicos, Rachel York

“Bianca”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Michael Berresse, Ensemble

“So in Love” (Reprise)
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Brent Barrett

“Brush Up Your Shakespeare”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Teddy Kempner, Jack Chissick

“Pavane”
Music by Cole Porter
Nancy Anderson, Michael Berresse, Ensemble

“I Am Ashamed That Women Are So Simple”
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Rachel York

“Kiss Me, Kate” (Finale)
Music and lyrics by Cole Porter
Company

Cole Porter’s 1948 score was his major effort at an “integrated” musical in the wake of Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “Oklahoma!” and “Carousel.” So the story hangs together and the songs all have their place. But here is the achievement of Blakemore and his team: they go beyond that, so the breadth of Porter’s musical genius — the vaudeville, jazz, operatic lyricism, and comic patter — seems a natural expression of the drama, much more so, certainly, than it does in the 1953 film version.

Michael Blakemore deservedly won the 2000 Tony Award for Best Director (Musical Revival) for “Kiss Me, Kate.” In fact, he won a second Tony for directing the straight play by Michael Frayn, “Copenhagen.” This unprecedented double triumph alerted all Broadway to the talents of the 72-year-old Australian-born British resident whose career has included directing plays by Arthur Miller, Anton Chekhov, and Peter Shaffer.

The range of his interests is reflected in this double whammy, at the helm of the revival of one of America’s greatest musicals and the intellectually challenging Michael Frayn play about nuclear physicists and the uncertainty principle. In fact, Blakemore nearly achieved a similar same-season feat ten years earlier, when he was nominated for the Tony for directing both “City of Angels,” a brilliantly clever new thriller musical, and Maggie Smith in Peter Shaffer’s “Lettice and Lovage.”

Blakemore started out as an actor and was a star associate during Laurence Olivier’s reign at the National Theatre in London, where he directed Olivier in an unforgettable production of “Long Day’s Journey Into Night.” Since then, he has directed six plays by Michael Frayn and several films, and memorialized a vanished era of English repertory theater in a classic theatrical novel, NEXT SEASON.

So this serious, cultivated man — he was the son of an eye surgeon and enrolled in medical school before sitting guiltily in cinemas and discovering his true passion — has the acting life embedded in his character. Which is why, no doubt, he produced such a definitive version of “Kiss Me, Kate.”

A great Broadway show was restored and the compliment was returned in the bestowing of the Tony Award. At the ceremony in Radio City Music Hall, Blakemore simply said, “All I can say is, thank you, America. And when I say ‘America,’ of course, I mean New York. And when I say ‘New York,’ I mean Broadway.”

Later, he expressed surprise that anyone should think that directing a musical is a less serious business than directing a play: “You simply try to understand the material and tell the story in the terms the musical demands.” The added bonus of a show like “Kiss Me, Kate” is that there are huge technical challenges, which, if met, ensure a spectacular treat alongside the emotional pleasure. And that’s what Mr. Blakemore has provided, to resounding, unforgettable effect.

–Michael Coveney

The first Broadway revival in nearly 50 years of the musical comedy masterpiece by composer Cole Porter and authors Sam and Bella Spewack not only enchanted critics and delighted audiences, but also went on to triumph as one of the biggest prize-winners of the 2000 season. Taking its inspiration from Shakespeare, “Kiss Me, Kate” recounts the backstage and onstage antics of two feuding romantic couples during a touring production of “The Taming of the Shrew.” Sparkling with 18 classic Cole Porter songs — including “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Wunderbar,” “So in Love,” “Always True to You in My Fashion,” “Too Darn Hot,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” — “Kiss Me, Kate” epitomizes the Broadway musical comedy at its irresistible best. Directed by Michael Blakemore, this 2000 Tony-winner for Best Revival stars Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Nancy Anderson, and Michael Berresse as the bickering couples whose offstage disputes ultimately entangle them with a pair of unexpectedly erudite gangsters and a megalomaniacal U.S. Army general.

Cole Porter’s most successful musical, the original production of “Kiss Me, Kate” opened on Broadway at the New Century Theatre on December 30, 1948 and ran for 1,077 performances. It garnered five Tony Awards in 1949, the same number the revival claimed in 2000. Learn more about the revival, which was taped during its run at London’s Victoria Palace Theatre, and its celebrated director, Michael Blakemore, in an essay by writer Michael Coveney. Read an extensive biography of Cole Porter as well as many other American composers and songwriters whose music is featured this season on GREAT PERFORMANCES in the Encyclopedia of Composers & Songwriters; browse the Q&A with Professor Thomas Hischak, author of numerous books on American film and stage musicals, in Ask the Expert; and watch extended video excerpts from the program in the Video Jukebox. Lastly, see the complete list of songs and photos from the production in the “Kiss Me, Kate” Slideshow.

Special funding for this program was provided by the LuEsther T. Mertz Charitable Trust and the Irene Diamond Fund.

The “KISS ME, KATE” DVD can be purchased from Shop Thirteen.