"Despite much effort, Movin' Out will not air on 'Great Performances.' While we have a long association with both Billy and Twyla and remain dazzled by their dynamic collaboration on Movin' Out, bringing a Broadway show to public television requires formidable financial resources beyond our usual fare," a PBS spokesperson told Playbill.com. "Alas, we were unable to raise the necessary foreign and commercial investment before the tour ended."
The planned broadcast was announced in the "Great Performances" 2006-2007 season brochure and slated to air some time in winter/spring 2007.
Following a tryout at Chicago's Shubert Theatre, Movin' Out officially opened on The Great White Way Oct. 24, 2002, closing Dec. 11, 2005. The production took home Tony Awards for Best Choreography (Tharp) and Orchestrations (Joel and Stuart Malina).
Launched in Detroit on Jan. 27, 2004, the dance-heavy musical's national tour ended its run in Birmingham, AL, Jan. 21, 2007, having played 1, 111 performances.
The bookless show uses Joel's song lyrics and Tharp's choreography to craft a story of five friends and lovers across three decades through love, war and loss. There is no dialogue, and all songs are performed by the pianist-singer, who sings non-stop and heads an onstage band during the show.