In The Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams

If you missed it a few months ago, the PBS special “In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams” will re-air tonight on WEDU-PBS at 9 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the show and how this amazing musical found its way to Broadway and will soon be launching it’s first National Tour right here at the TBPAC. If you saw it the first time, watch it again. It will continue to inspire!

-Angela L.

DVR alert... In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams

The TBPAC is delighted to launch the first National Tour of the four-time Tony Award-winning musical In the Heights, Oct. 27 - Nov. 1, as part of the 2009-2010 Bank of America Best of Broadway Tampa Bay series. As we prepare to welcome the show to Tampa, we invite you to watch In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams that airs on WEDU tomorrow, May 27, at 8 p.m. as part of their Great Performances series.

In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams chronicles the personal stories of composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In the Heights in the months leading up to opening night. This is a wonderful opportunity to learn how this young, diverse group of relatively unknown artists and performers dreamed of making it on Broadway and after eight years found success beyond their wildest expectations!

View the trailer of the PBS special here.

After you watch the program, circle around and leave a comment. We'd love to hear what you think!

Show the love for the sweater!

When I was a kid we only had PBS and Saturday morning cartoons. No singing dinosaurs, Wiggles or Doras. Those were the good old days of Sesame Street, 3-2-1 Contact and of course Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood.


I use to love singing along to his theme song "... I always wanted to have a neighbor like you so, let's make the most of this beautiful day, since we're together we might as well say..." well, you get the idea. There was the trolley that went to the Land of Make-Believe and of course you can't forget to feed the fish. Mr. Rogers loved music, loved the arts, loved to imagine and of course loved to teach kids.


So needless to say I was quite sad when we all learned of his death five years ago. I have the book "The World According to Mister Rogers: Important Things to Remember." It sits on my bookshelf next to my copy of "It's Not Easy Being Green: And Other Things to Consider."


So what brought on my nostalgia? I just found that March 20 is "Sweater Day." If you know the show, you know that Mr. Rogers started each show by changing into his "play clothes"... a cardigan sweater and sneakers. March 20 would have been Mr. Rogers' 80 birthday so the Family Communications Inc. of Pittsburgh (the company Fred Rogers created to produce his show) has asked everyone to celebrate by wearing a sweater.


I know, we live in Florida, but come on... he's an icon. You can count on me to be sporting a Mr. Rogers' sweater.

And thanks for letting me take a walk down memory lane. :)