Ellen Krauss

A 70-year old birthday party for Tomas Ledin, who also celebrates 50 years as an artist, is an appropriate celebration to mark the first big concert since Covid restrictions have been lifted. During his long life as an artist, he has toured with ABBA and recorded Never Again with Agneta Fältskog. In 2019, his songs were made into a musical movie with Malin Åkerman in the lead role as Isabella.

Last week programming on Bandsintown LIVE, the livestreaming channel of streaming and live music discovery hub Bandsintown, scored an unprecedented 4 slots in the Top 10 of Pollstar's Live Stream Chart and three other days ranked in the Top 40.

Today we are talking to one of the top-tier talents in her field of producing theatre for television, the estimable Ellen Krass who is largely responsible for many of the greatest television captures of theatrical events in the last thirty years, starting with the filming of SWEENEY TODD and continuing with FOLLIES: IN CONCERT in the early 1980s, through to SWEENEY TODD: IN CONCERT, CANDIDE: IN CONCERT, COMPANY and last year's CYRANO starring Kevin Kline and Jennifer Garner. Tonight marks the PBS debut of SONHDEIM! The Birthday Concert and in honor of that momentous occasion, Ms. Krass joined me for a look back at her career that began backstage at the Dick Cavett show and will continue on into next year with COMPANY: IN CONCERT and far, far beyond to be sure!

A world premiere screening of the Sondheim: The Birthday Concert was held at the NYIT Auditorium on November 1, 2010 and attended by cast, crew and friends. The star-studded event, Sondheim! The Birthday Concert, celebrating the 80th birthday of the Broadway and film legend Stephen Sondheim with performances of his music and songs by some of the world's biggest talents, will make its debut on PBS stations across the country on November 24th, thanks to the Emmy Award-winning producer Ellen M. Krass and multiple Tony Award-winning co-producers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley in association with Thirteen/WNET and Image Entertainment. The production, which is hosted by David Hyde Pierce, will air at 9PM ET (check local listings).