The festive Roundabout Theatre Company production of Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical comes to PBS. The musical continues the Great Performances marathon within the Broadway’s Best lineup on PBS.
About the Episode
Airs Friday, November 20 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings), Streaming now on PBS Passport
Roundabout Theatre Company’s dazzling 2016 Tony-nominated Broadway musical, Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn starring Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Megan Lawrence, Danny Rutigliano, Megan Sikora and Corbin Bleu, was captured live at the Roundabout’s Studio 54. Directed by Gordon Greenberg, choreographed by Denis Jones and featuring classic songs, including “Shaking the Blues Away,” “Heat Wave” and “White Christmas,” Holiday Inn tells the story of Jim, who leaves the bright lights of Broadway—as well as his fiancé and dance partner Lila—to settle down at an old farmhouse in Connecticut. Jim’s luck takes a turn for the better when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together, they turn the farmhouse into a seasonal inn with show-stopping performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. But when Jim’s best friend, Ted, tries to lure Linda away to be his new dance partner in Hollywood, will Jim be able to salvage his latest chance at love?
Songs include such Irving Berlin all-time classics as “Shaking the Blues Away,” “Heat Wave,” “Blue Skies,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” “Easter Parade,” and, of course, “White Christmas.”
Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn, produced in association with Universal Stage Productions, starring Tony Award®nominee Bryce Pinkham, Lora Lee Gayer, Tony Award® nominee Megan Lawrence, Danny Rutigliano, Megan Sikora and Corbin Bleu, was captured live on 14 high-definition cameras at Roundabout’s Studio 54. The critically-acclaimed production opened on Broadway on October 6, 2016 with Variety exclaiming “Smashing performers, dynamic dancing and a lively orchestra make it the FEEL GOOD show of the fall!”
The musical was directed by Gordon Greenberg and choreographed by Denis Jones. With music and lyrics by Irving Berlin, the new book by Gordon Greenberg and Chad Hodge was inspired by the Academy Award-winning film “Holiday Inn” starring Fred Astaire and Bing Crosby.
Major support for the stage production of “Holiday Inn” was provided by The Blanche and Irving Laurie Foundation. “Holiday Inn” benefits from Roundabout’s Musical Theatre Fund with lead gifts from The Howard Gilman Foundation, Perry and Marty Granoff, Horace W. Goldsmith Foundation, and Michael Kors and Lance Le Pere.
For GREAT PERFORMANCES, Mitch Owgang is producer; Bill O’Donnell is series producer; David Horn is executive producer.
For BroadwayHD, this performance of Holiday Inn was produced by Stewart F Lane; Bonnie Comley is executive producer.
About BroadwayHD, Roundabout Theatre Company, and Universal Stage Productions
About BroadwayHD
Since launching in 2015, BroadwayHD has aimed to extend the reach of Broadway-caliber productions to theater fans all over the world. BroadwayHD is the only theater streaming service of its kind, offering Broadway to all through an unprecedented theater experience. In addition to exclusive live-streamed content, BroadwayHD offers subscribers unlimited on-demand access to a lineup of over 200 theater productions from the comfort and convenience of their own homes—or wherever streaming is possible. It’s the Broadway you know and love, curated from the stage to your screen. BroadwayHD subscribers can stream BroadwayHD on BroadwayHD.com, Chromecast, Roku, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and Android mobile devices.
About Roundabout Theatre Company
Roundabout Theatre Company is committed to producing the highest-quality theatre with the finest artists, sharing stories that endure, and providing accessibility to all audiences. A not-for-profit company, Roundabout fulfills its mission each season through the production of classic plays and musicals; development and production of new works by established and emerging writers; educational initiatives that enrich the lives of children and adults; and a subscription model and audience outreach programs that cultivate and engage all audiences.
Roundabout Theatre Company presents a variety of plays, musicals, and new works on its five stages. Off-Broadway, the Harold and Miriam Steinberg Center for Theatre, which houses the Laura Pels Theatre and Black Box Theatre, with its simple sophisticated design, is perfectly suited to showcasing new plays. The grandeur of its Broadway home on 42nd Street, American Airlines Theatre, sets the ideal stage for the classics. Roundabout’s Studio 54 provides an exciting and intimate Broadway venue for its musical and special event productions. The Stephen Sondheim Theatre offers a state of the art, LEED-certified Broadway theatre in which to stage major large-scale musical revivals. Together these distinctive homes serve to enhance Roundabout’s work on each of its stages. www.roundabouttheatre.org
About Universal Stage Productions
Universal Stage Productions, a division of Universal Theatrical Group, is the live theatre division of the world-famous motion picture studio. UTG, which oversees both Universal Stage Productions and DreamWorks Theatricals, is currently represented on Broadway by the record-breaking musical phenomenon Wicked. With a national tour and multiple international productions, Wicked has been seen by nearly 50 million people worldwide, making it one of the most successful theatrical ventures of all time. In 2008, Universal’s critically acclaimed musical adaptation of Billy Elliot opened on Broadway and went on to win ten Tony Awards including Best Musical. Universal also produced the Tony-nominated Broadway production of Bring It On: The Musical as well as Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn with the Roundabout Theatre Company.
Blue skies- NARRATOR: 'It's a parade of broadway's best Irving Berlin tunes.
-By letting her seat wave- NARRATOR: When Great Performances checks into Holiday Inn -Shaking the blues away- NARRATOR: A nostalgic new show that's a song and dance delight.
Take a wonderfully old-fashioned walk that's filled with favorites.
-Dancing cheek to cheek- NARRATOR: In Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn: The Broadway Musical.
