Continuing their exciting presentation of Broadway plays and musicals, PBS’s Great Performances series will air Holiday Inn on Friday, November 24th. Based on the classic 1942 film of the same name, and drawing from a catalog of Irving Berlin’s timeless song classics, the Broadway production opened in 2016 at Studio 54 and was preserved for posterity when it was recorded live. The musical will air at 9 PM (ET). To check your local listing, click HERE.
Featuring the original Broadway cast, which includes Bryce Pinkham, Corbin Bleu, Lora Lee Gayer, Megan Lawrence, and Megan Sikora, Holiday Inn was produced by the Roundabout Theatre Company, with direction by Gordon Greenburg and choreography by Denis Jones. The limited-engagement played from October 6, 2016 until January 15, 2017, for a total of 117 performances.
According to the Roundabout website, the festive story is explained as follows: “Jim leaves the bright lights of show business behind to settle down on his farmhouse in Connecticut… but life just isn’t the same without a bit of song and dance. Jim’s luck takes a spectacular turn when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together they turn the farmhouse into a fabulous inn with dazzling 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?”
The original 1942 film produced by Paramount Pictures starred musical legends Bing Crosby and Fred Astaire, and featured a supporting cast that included Marjorie Reynolds, Irving Bacon, and Louise Beavers. The film is best-known for introducing the yuletide classic “White Christmas”, sung in the film by the hypnotically-soothing voice of Crosby. The song won an Academy Award for Best Song.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals and maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.