"Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About" to Debut on PBS in February 2009

By Andrew Gans reprinted from Playbill.com12 Nov 2008

"Jerome Robbins: Something to Dance About," a two-hour film about the life of the late director-choreographer, will make its premiere on PBS in February 2009.

Part of Thirteen/WNET's American Masters series, the Robbins profile is scheduled to air in the New York metropolitan area Feb. 4, 2009; check local listings.

Directed and produced by Judy Kinberg and written by Robbins biographer Amanda Vaill, the film is narrated by Ron Rifkin ("Brothers & Sisters," Broadway's Cabaret).

The documentary, according to WNET, "features excerpts from [Robbins'] personal journals, archival performance footage, and never-before-seen rehearsal recordings, as well as interviews with Robbins himself and over forty witnesses – among them Mikhail Baryshnikov; Jacques d'Amboise; Suzanne Farrell; Arthur Laurents; Peter Martins; Frank Rich; Chita Rivera; Stephen Sondheim; and Robbins' Fiddler collaborators Jerry Bock, Sheldon Harnick, and Joseph Stein."

In a statement Susan Lacy, creator and executive producer of WNET's American Masters, said, "Robbins' remarkable body of work forever redefined dance and musical theater for a contemporary audience. The revival of West Side Story on Broadway this winter just validates his lasting importance, his lasting impression. We are thrilled to air this film in tribute to Robbins' genius, celebrating the 90th anniversary of his birth."

Robbins is perhaps best known for directing and choreographing such Broadway musicals as West Side Story, Fiddler on the Roof and Gypsy.