The Arts & Entertainment Network (A&E) joins the many folks celebrating the Richard Rodgers Centenary when it broadcasts "Falling in Love: A Richard Rodgers Tribute" on June 16 at 5 PM (and again on June 23 at 8 AM).
Filmed live in New York's Times Square Studios, "Falling in Love" boasts performances from Liz Callaway, Stephanie Blythe, Ann Hampton Callaway, Barbara Carroll, James Naughton, James Morris, Joshua Bell, Kristin Chenoweth, Terence Blanchard and Lea Salonga as well as a number from the current revival of Oklahoma!. Elliott Forrest hosts.
Highlights of the Rodgers special include Chenoweth's rendition of "My Funny Valentine," which features accompaniment by violinist Bell; and two songs rendered by Salonga from the upcoming Broadway production of Flower Drum Song, "Love Look Away" and "I Am Going to Like It Here." The broadcast will also include a song from the upcoming production of the revival of The Boys From Syracuse, which will begins previews at the American Airlines Theatre in July.
During his lifetime, Richard Rodgers penned over 900 songs. His partnerships with Lorenz Hart and later with Oscar Hammerstein II produced some of the most successful musicals in Broadway history. His works with Hart included On Your Toes, Babes in Arms, I Married an Angel, The Boys from Syracuse, Pal Joey and By Jupiter, and the Rodgers-Hammerstein collaboration spawned Oklahoma!, Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, Flower Drum Song and The Sound of Music. The hit revival of Oklahoma! currently plays Broadway's Gershwin Theatre.
—By Andrew Gans