Great Performances : Season 29

“Recording 'The Producers': A Musical Romp with Mel Brooks” shows him during the making of the cast album, and discussing his score (for which he won a Tony, one of a record 12 awarded to the show). He recalls how the idea came about to musicalize his 1968 movie, and records his one line in the “Springtime for Hitler” number. Also: Nathan Lane gets costar Matthew Broderick to imitate Marlon Brando; director-choreographer Susan Stroman comments.

Mark Adamo's opera, based on Louisa May Alcott's 1868 classic tale of the four March sisters, begins with Jo (Stephanie Novacek) recalling earlier times. Meg: Joyce DiDonato. Beth: Stacey Tappan. Amy: Margaret Lloyd. Laurie: Chad Shelton. Alma: Gwendolyn Jones. Brooke: Daniel Belcher. Bhaer: Chen-Ye Yuan. Patrick Summers conducts. Taped March 2000.

Hawaii's Halau o Kekuhi dance company performs “Holo Mai Pele,” a tale of sibling rivalry between the fire goddess Pele and her sister, Hi'iaka. The performance incorporates elements of the hula and Hawaiian chant. Taped in Honolulu.

Violinist Joshua Bell performs the “West Side Story Suite” and other music by Leonard Bernstein. Kristin Chenoweth sings “Glitter and Be Gay” and “Lonely Town” from Bernstein's “Candide” and “On the Town,” respectively. Also: “Mambo” (from “West Side Story”), the overture from “Candide,” “Make Our Garden Grow” (“Candide”) and “New York, New York” (“On the Town”). The New York Philharmonic is conducted by William Eddins. Taped at Central Park's Great Lawn in Manhattan on July 10, 2001.

“Alessandro Safina in Concert: Only You” presents the tenor in a program of Italian ballads, many accompanied by dancers. Guest Patricia Manterola sings solo and in duets with Safina. Steven Mercurio conducts the Symphony Orchestra of Messina. Taped in Taormina, Sicily, at the Greek amphitheater.

A martial-arts stage show, “Wheel of Life,” is performed by 24 ordained soldier monks from China's Shaolin Temple, actors and musicians. Emperor: Tom Yang. Abbot: Cecil Cheng. Bad General: Jason Ninh Cao. Emperor's Assistant: Wang Zhi Gang. Taped in 2000 at London's Apollo Theater.

“The Art of Violin,” a documentary saluting virtuosos of the 20th century, includes performance clips and comments from Itzhak Perlman and others. Among those featured: Jascha Heifetz, Fritz Kreisler, Yehudi Menuhin and Isaac Stern. Also: a remembrance of three artists whose careers ended early.

Julie Andrews introduces “The Nutcracker from the Royal Ballet,” which stars Anthony Dowell as Drosselmeyer. Miyako Yoshida and Jonathan Cope dance the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Prince. Evgenii Svetlanov conducts the Royal Opera Orchestra. Clara: Alina Cojocaru. Hans-Peter, the Nutcracker: Ivan Putrov. Mouse King: Christopher Saunders. Coffee Odalisque: Nicola Tranah. Rose Fairy: Zenaida Yanowsky. Taped at London's Royal Opera House in December 2000.

“From Vienna: The New Year's Celebration 2002.” Seiji Ozawa leads the Vienna Philharmonic in the holiday perennial featuring music of Johann Strauss. Included: “Die Fledermaus” Overture, “Blue Danube Waltz,” “Radetzky March,” and a number of polkas. Walter Cronkite is the TV host.

Ben Vereen and Ann Reinking head a cast of 27 dancers in “Fosse,” a musical celebration of choreography created by Bob Fosse (1927-87). Included: “Big Spender,” “I Wanna Be a Dancin' Man,” “Shoeless Joe Ballet,” “Steam Heat,” “Nowadays,” “Hot Honey Rag” and “Mr. Bojangles.” Taped in August 2001 at Broadway's Broadhurst Theatre.

A superb profile of filmmaker Akira Kurosawa (1910-98), featuring clips from his films, including “Rashomon,” “Seven Samurai,” “Throne of Blood” and “Ran”; and comments from Kurosawa, members of his family, Clint Eastwood and James Coburn. Paul Scofield reads excerpts from Kurosawa's autobiography. Sam Shepard narrates.

The 50th anniversary of England's Queen Elizabeth II is celebrated in a program featuring cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, soprano Kiri Te Kanawa, and the Royal Ballet's Zenaida Yanowsky and Roberto Bollé in a pas de deux from “Swan Lake” that was staged by Anthony Dowell. Also: opera singers Roberto Alagna and Angela Gheorghiu.

Tenor Roberto Alagna and his wife, soprano Angela Gheorghiu, portray Romeo and Juliet in Charles Gounod's 1867 opera, based on William Shakespeare's play. Tybalt: Tito Beltran. Mercutio: Pavel Novak. Voice of Mercutio: Vratislav Kriz. Capulet: Jan Svab. Voice of Capulet: Ales Hendrych. Friar Lawrence: Daniel Lipnick. Voice of Friar Lawrence: Frantisek Zahradicek. Paris: Marcel Acquarone. Voice of Paris: Zdenek Harvanek. Anton Guadagno conducts the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Orchestra. Taped in t

Mariss Jansons conducts the Berlin Philharmonic for Mozart's Second Concerto for Flute and Orchestra, featuring flutist Emmanuel Pahud; and Berlioz's “Symphonie fantastique.” Taped May 1, 2001, at the Church of the Holy Peace, Hagia Irene, in Istanbul, Turkey.