American Heart in WWI: A Carnegie Hall Tribute
PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / 49.1)
Sunday, Feb. 15, at 2 PM
Powerful storytelling, breathtaking music, rare and iconic archival film and images, unforgettable characters, and meticulously researched history all come together in AMERICAN HEART IN WWI: A CARNEGIE HALL TRIBUTE, a panoramic musical and visual account that brings America’s World War I story to life. Created, written and narrated by historian John Monsky and directed for the stage by Tony Award winner Michael Mayer (Spring Awakening), this tribute to those who fought, and those they left behind.
Filmed at Carnegie Hall in April 2025 by the Academy Award-winning RadicalMedia, this living documentary features the 60-piece Orchestra of St. Luke’s and a stellar cast — Adam Chanler-Berat (Next to Normal), Nicholas Christopher (Hamilton, Chess), Micaela Diamond (Parade), Gracie McGraw (BABE) and Diego Andres Rodriguez (Sunset Boulevard, Evita), conducted by music supervisor and arranger Ian Weinberger (Hamilton, Chess).
Bursting with dozens of songs from the period by composers Irving Berlin, James Reese Europe, George M. Cohan and others; rare archival film of American soldiers and WWI figures; historic flags from the period and a narrative rich with twists and turns, AMERICAN HEART captures the voice of a generation set adrift, forever changed and looking for answers.