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MUSICAL TOAST, A: THE STARS SHINE ON PUBLIC TELEVISION (TV)

Summary

This televised fundraising concert special, held at the Marriott Marquis hotel in New York, features a "mixed bag" of performances of various numbers from operas and Broadway musicals. Host Itzhak Perlman offers opening remarks about the importance of public television, and then introduces Sherrill Milnes, who sings "Fin ch'han dal vino calda la testa," also known as "The Champagne Aria," from "Don Giovanni," followed by "Welcome Home" from "Fanny." Next, Roberta Peters sings "Vilja Song" from "The Merry Widow" and "Italian Street Song" from "Naughty Marietta." A series of photographs from various productions of "Show Boat" from over the years are then shown, and the American Symphony Orchestra performs a medley of songs from the musical, including "Old Man River" and "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Next, Howard McGillin sings "All the Things You Are" from "Very Warm For May," followed by "Johanna" from "Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street." Leona Mitchell performs "O mio babbino caro" from "Gianni Schicchi" and "I Could Have Danced All Night" from "My Fair Lady," and Michael Feinstein performs "Every Street's a Boulevard in Old New York" from "Hazel Flagg."

The symphony orchestra performs the famous theme music from PBS' "Masterpiece Theatre," which Perlman explains is in fact the "Fanfare-Rondeau" by Jean-Joseph Mouret. Marilyn Horne then sings "Or la tromba in suon festante" from "Rinaldo," and pianist Alicia de Larrocha plays "Tango in D, Op. 165, No. 2" from "España" by Isaac Albéniz and "Spanish Dance No. 7" by Enrique Granados. Perlman performs Mendelssohn's "Violin Concerto in E minor, Third Movement," followed by a traditional Romanian piece known as a doina. Eileen Farrell and Leonard Bernstein take the stage and perform "Come Rain or Come Shine" from "St. Louis Woman," followed by "Some Other Time" from "On the Town." Bernadette Peters then sings a medley of other numbers from "On the Town," including "New York, New York," "Lucky to Be Me," "I Can Cook Too" and "Lonely Town/Pas de deux." The orchestra performs "Entr'acte" from Act IV of "Carmen," and Samuel Ramey takes the stage to perform "They Call the Wind Maria" from "Paint Your Wagon." Next, The Romero Guitar Quartet, comprised of father Celedonio and three sons Celin, Pepe and Angel, plays "The Miller's Dance" from "The Three-Cornered Hat."

Pinchas Zukerman joins Perlman for "Sonata for Two Violins" by Jean-Marie Leclair, and Zukerman switches to a viola for "Passacaglia for Violin and Viola" by Handel. The orchestra plays the overture from "Girl Crazy," and Perlman is joined by John Lewis, Milt Jackson, Percy Heath and Connie Kay for a "chamber jazz" version of "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess." Feinstein then performs "'S Wonderful" from "Funny Face," and Feinstein, Peters and other performers close the evening with "I Got Rhythm" from "Girl Crazy." Commercials deleted.

Details

  • NETWORK: PBS
  • DATE: March 22, 1987 8:00 PM
  • RUNNING TIME: 2:20:26
  • COLOR/B&W: Color
  • CATALOG ID: B:75463
  • GENRE: Specials
  • SUBJECT HEADING: Specials; Music
  • SERIES RUN: PBS - TV, 1987
  • COMMERCIALS: N/A

CREDITS

  • Jack Sameth … Executive Producer
  • Jacqueline Donnet … Supervising Producer
  • John Adams … Producer
  • William Cosel … Director
  • Michael Winship … Writer
  • John Mauceri … Conductor
  • American Symphony Orchestra … Symphony Orchestra
  • Itzhak Perlman … Host, Performer
  • John Bartholomew Tucker … Announcer
  • Sherrill Milnes … Performer
  • Roberta Peters … Performer
  • Howard McGillin … Performer
  • Leona Mitchell … Performer
  • Michael Feinstein … Performer
  • Marilyn Horne … Performer
  • Alicia de Larrocha … Performer
  • Leonard Bernstein … Performer
  • Eileen Farrell … Performer
  • Bernadette Peters … Performer
  • Samuel Ramey … Performer
  • Celedonio Romero … Performer
  • Celin Romero … Performer
  • Pepe Romero … Performer
  • Angel Romero … Performer
  • Pinchas Zukerman … Performer
  • John Lewis … Performer
  • Milt Jackson … Performer
  • Percy Heath … Performer
  • Connie Kay … Performer
  • Isaac Albéniz
  • Enrique Granados
  • George Frideric Handel
  • Jean-Marie Leclair
  • Felix Mendelssohn
  • Jean-Joseph Mouret