Theater

T.V. critic David Bianculli reviews "Bye Bye Birdie," a three hour TV version of the 1960 stage musical. It airs on ABC Sunday night.

Composer and Lyricist Ralph Blane died Monday at the age of 81 at his home in Oklahoma. He is best known for his work with Hugh Martin. Together they wrote songs for Broadway and Hollywood. They are best known for songs in the MGM classic, "Meet Me in St. Louis." That starred Judy Garland and featured the songs "The Trolley Song," "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," and "The Boy Next Door." (Originally aired 10/31/89)

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews recordings by British singers soprano Margaret Tate (stage name Maggie Teyte), and tenor Heddle Nash. (on the British label, Pearl.)

Actor Jason Robards. He's 73 years old and he's been acting for 50 of those. He won an Oscars for his performance as Ben Bradlee in "All the President's Men," and Dashiell Hammett in "Julia." In 1956 Robards first came to the attention of the critics with his performance in Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh." His performance helped define the role for a generation. It also began Robards collaboration with director Jose Quintero, resurrecting the works of O'Neill.

South African playwright and actor Athol Fugard. For years Fugard fought apartheid on the stage in his plays including "My Children! My Children," "The Blood Knot," (in which he put a black actor alongside a white actor on the same stage) and "Sizwe Banzi is Dead." For his efforts Fugard's passport was revoked, and he was put under virtual house arrest from 1967-1971. His new play "Valley Song" is his first play in the post-apartheid Africa.

Classical music critic Lloyd Schwartz reviews two new productions by Peter Sellars.

Monologist, actor and writer Spalding Gray. He's written and performed several monologues including, "Monster in a Box" about all the distractions that prevented him from completing his novel, Impossible Vacation, and Swimming to Cambodia about filming a movie in Cambodia. Now Gray has a new monologue and book about his eye problems, and his adventures in the mainstream and alternative health care industries. It's called Gray's Anatomy. (Vintage Books).

Broderick is making his singing and dancing debut in the revival of the Frank Loesser musical. He plays J. Pierrepont Finch, an ambitious window washer who climbs the corporate ladder by "fawning, brown-nosing, sucking up and a touch of backstabbing." Broderick is best known for his acting, in such movies as "Torch Song Trilogy," "War Games," and "The Freshman."

Hammerstein is also past president of the Society of Stage Directors and Choreographers. He has recently helped in the making of a new PBS tribute show about his father, Oscar Hammerstein.

Parker has been acting for most of her life, including playing Annie on Broadway, the young bimbo SanDeE* in "L.A. Story," and a fed-up fiancee in "Honeymoon in Vegas." She is now starring in the film "Miami Rhapsody," playing a woman having second thoughts about marriage as she learns that everyone in her family has had an affair.