WNET/Thirteen in the metropolitan area will rebroadcast the "Live from Lincoln Center" telecast April 3 at noon. The two-hour program also features interviews with Sondheim, book writer/director James Lapine and the musical's three Tony Award-winning stars. (KCET in Los Angeles will rebroadcast the musical April 3 at 5 PM; check local listings for other rebroadcast dates and times.)
The production (March 30-April 1) — part of the acclaimed American Songbook season — was presented at the Time Warner Center's Frederick P. Rose Hall. LuPone starred as the ill-fated Fosca with Cerveris as the object of her affections, Giorgio, and McDonald as Clara, Giorgio's married mistress. The threesome were joined onstage by Allen Fitzpatrick as Colonel Ricci, Richard Easton as Doctor Tambourri, Alexander Gemignani as Lieutenant Torasso, Timothy Gulan as Sergeant Lombardi, Devin Richards as Lieutenant Barri, James Clow as Major Rizzolli, John Sloman as Lieutenant Augenti, Gina Ferrall as Fosca's Mother, John Cunningham as Fosca's Father, George Dvorsky as Ludovic and Kate Baldwin as the Mistress.
LuPone, McDonald and Cerveris — who all starred in the Sondheim-James Lapine musical at Chicago's Ravinia Festival — re-created their performances for Lincoln Center audiences. Directed by Lonny Price, Passion featured the 35-piece American Theater Orchestra under the direction of Paul Gemignani.
The creative team for the limited engagement of Passion comprised James Noone (set design), Gail Brassard (costume design), Alan Adelman (lighting design) and Tom Clark (sound design).
Based on Ettore Scola's Italian film "Passion d'Amore," Passion opened on Broadway on May 9, 1994, with a cast that featured Jere Shea (Giorgio), Marin Mazzie (Clara) and Donna Murphy (Fosca). The tale of obsessive love includes such Sondheim tunes as "Happiness," "I Read," "I Wish I Could Forget You," "Loving You" and "No One Has Ever Loved Me." The original Broadway production received the 1994 Tony Award for Best Musical; Donna Murphy also garnered her first Tony for Best Actress in a Musical, and Sondheim and Lapine were awarded prizes for, respectively, Best Original Score and Best Book of a Musical.
