Who Could Ask for Anything More? A Celebration of Ira Gershwin
Who Could Ask for Anything More? A Celebration of Ira Gershwin (24 November 1996) was a concert at the Royal Albert Hall, London, in aid of Mencap to celebrate the centenary of Ira Gershwin's birth.[1][2] It was initially broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on 7 December 1996[3] and then for television on BBC Two on 31 December 1996.[4]
| Who Could Ask for Anything More? A Celebration of Ira Gershwin | |
|---|---|
| Genre | One-off TV special, recorded at the Royal Albert Hall, London, 24 November 1996 |
| Written by | Ira Gershwin |
| Directed by | Paul Kafno (television) |
| Creative director(s) | Hugh Wooldridge (theatre) |
| Presented by | Charles Dance David Soul |
| Starring | Larry Adler Peter Barkworth John Barrowman Fiona Benjamin Daniel Benzali Sarah Brightman Leslie Caron Gerard Casey Victor Trent Cook B.J. Crosby Lorna Dallas Tim Flavin Maria Friedman Debbie Gravitte Linzi Hateley Ruthie Henshall Derek Jacobi Shona Lindsay Lorna Luft Maureen McGovern Paul Nicholas Nigel Planer Michael Praed Stephanie Pope Grania Renihan Liz Robertson Helen Shapiro Gareth Snook Marti Webb The Gershwin All-Stars: Tracie Bennett / Warren Carlyle William Folan-Conray / Simon Green / Paul Gyngell / Catherine Hoskins / Nicola Hughes / Megan Kelly / Michael McCarthy / Lawrence Merry / Lisa Pavane / Jon Petersen / Emma Tunmore / Dave Willetts Ensemble: / Julie Barnes / Elizabeth Cooper-Smokler / Julia Ann Dixon / Lisa Donmall / Joantha Dunn / Greg Horsman / Amanda Lavin / Annette McLauglin / Marianne Richards / Claire Taylor / Anne Skates |
| Composer(s) | Various |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom |
| Original language(s) | English |
| Production | |
| Producer(s) | Ian Martin (for BBC Two) David Rayvern Allen (for BBC Radio 2) |
| Production location(s) | Royal Albert Hall, London |
| Camera setup | Multi-camera |
| Running time | 95 mins |
| Production company(s) | Euroarts Primetime HD Thames TV BBC A&E Networks |
| Distributor | Euroarts Primetime |
| Release | |
| Original network | BBC |
Background
The show was produced by Ian Martin[5] and directed by Paul Kafno.[6] Those performing included: Peter Barkworth; Tracie Bennett; Sarah Brightman; Tim Flavin; Maria Friedman;[7] Greg Horsman; Derek Jacobi; Nigel Planer;[8] Michael Praed; Helen Shapiro and Dave Willetts. It was hosted by Charles Dance and David Soul.[6][9]
Present at the event were Ira Gershwin's family and the then Prime Minister John Major.[10]
Songs
Songs performed for the show included:[11][12]
Part 1
- I Got Rhythm – company
- The Saga of Jenny – Ruthie Henshall
- They Can't Take That Away from Me – Paul Nicholas
- How Long Has This Been Going On? – B.J. Crosby
- I Don’t Think I’ll Fall In Love Today – Linzi Hateley (with Gerard Casey)
- Love Is Here To Stay – Debbie Gravitte
- The Man I Love
- Love Walked In – Gareth Snook and Shona Lindsay
Part 2
- Shall We Dance? – company
- My Ship – Grania Renihan
- Delishious – Stephanie Pope
- Embraceable You – Marti Webb
- The Man That Got Away – Lorna Luft
- Strike Up the Band – John Barrowman and the company
Part 3
- I’ll Build A Stairway To Paradise – company
- But Not For Me – Daniel Benzali and Liz Robertson
- I Can't Be Bothered Now – Daniel Benzali and Liz Robertson
- I Can't Get Started – Daniel Benzali and Liz Robertson
- There Is No Music
- I've Got a Crush on You
- Little Jazz Bird – Maureen McGovern
Part 4
- It Ain't Necessarily So – Victor Trent Cook
- He Loves and She Loves – Larry Adler and The Gershwin All-Stars, introduced by Leslie Caron
- Heaven on Earth – company
gollark: HERESY. Add Psi and Botania!
gollark: But *is* it my choice? As a human, do I even have free will?
gollark: Or just make a CC Morse program and run it over some other wireless redstone thing?
gollark: Hmm, I could make BundleNet over Wireless Modem and then run Morse over that, could be fun.
gollark: Venus? Nonsense. Nothing comes from Venus except, er, pain.
References
- Staff writer (7 November 1996). "Production news". The Stage. p. 55. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Staff writer (19 December 1996). "Light entertainment review: A Celebration of Ira Gershwin". The Stage. p. 17. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Staff writer (5 December 1996). "Who Could Ask for Anything More? BBC Radio 2, 7 December 1996 19.30". Radio Times (3802). p. 122. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Staff writer (31 December 1996). "Who Could Ask for Anything More? BBC Two England, 31 December 1996 19.15". Radio Times (3804). p. 136. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Staff writer (August 2011). "Ian Robert Martin". BAFTA. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Staff writer. "Who Could Ask for Anything More? A Celebration of Ira Gershwin (1996)". British Film Institute (BFI). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- "Concerts". About Maria: The Maria Friedman website. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- "Planer, Nigel (1953-)". British Film Institute (BFI). Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- Staff writer. "Who Could Ask for Anything More? A Celebration of Ira Gershwin (1997)". Turner Classic Movies (TCM). Archived from the original on 6 March 2018. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- "Michael McCarthy". Profs on Stage. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- "'IRA GERSHWIN AT 100 – Volume II' (December 1896 – August 1983) 'WHO COULD ASK FOR ANYTHING MORE'". iOffer. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
- "Ken Mandelbaum's MUSICALS ON DISC: Always, etc". Playbill. 17 August 1997. Retrieved 5 March 2018.
External links
The following archive material relating to the concert is held in the Royal Albert Hall Events collection (RAHE):
- Programme, ref: RAHE/1/1996/151
- Poster, ref: RAHE/2/1996/1
- 5 sheets of colour transparencies, ref: RAHE/3/17/20
- Handbill, ref: RAHE/6/1996/37
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