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Arts & Culture

GREAT PERFORMANCES: Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical

The cast of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."
Courtesy of © Joan Marcus
The cast of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."

Stream now or tune in Friday, Nov. 20, 2020 at 8 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 22 at 2 p.m. on KPBS 2

The festive Roundabout Theatre Company production of “Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn” comes to PBS on KPBS 2 continuing the GREAT PERFORMANCES marathon within PBS's Fall Broadway's best lineup.

“Holiday Inn” tells the story of Jim, who leaves the bright lights of Broadway — as well as his fiancé dance partner Lila — to settle down at an old farmhouse in Connecticut … but life just isn’t the same without a bit of song and dance.

Jim’s luck takes a turn for the better when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare.

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The cast of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."
Courtesy of © Joan Marcus
The cast of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."

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?

Corbin Bleu, Lora Lee Gayer, Bryce Pinkham in "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."
Courtesy of © Joan Marcus
Corbin Bleu, Lora Lee Gayer, Bryce Pinkham in "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."

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.”

The cast of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."
Courtesy of © Joan Marcus
The cast of "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."

“Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn,” 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.

Corbin Bleu in "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."
Courtesy of © Joan Marcus
Corbin Bleu in "Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn - The Broadway Musical."

The critically-acclaimed production opened on Broadway on Oct. 6, 2016 with Variety exclaiming “Smashing performers, dynamic dancing and a lively orchestra make it the FEEL GOOD show of the fall!”

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CREDITS:

Produced in association with Universal Stage Productions. 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.

GREAT PERFORMANCES is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET, one of America’s most prolific and respected public media providers. 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.