New performance clips have been released from the Great Performances presentation of Irving Berlin’s Top Hat, premiering on PBS this Friday, May 15. The clips feature renditions of two Berlin staples: “No Strings” and “Top Hat, White Tie and Tails,” both performed by Phillip Attmore in character as performer Jerry Travers.
Inspired by the 1935 movie musical starring Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, this Chichester Festival Theatre revival was recorded from the West End in January 2026 and directed and choreographed by three-time Tony winner Kathleen Marshall.
The musical follows Broadway star Jerry Travers (Attmore), who arrives in London to open a new show. He crosses paths with a model, Dale Tremont (Amara Okereke), whose beauty sleep is interrupted by Jerry tap dancing in the hotel suite above hers. Instantly smitten, Jerry vows to abandon his bachelor life to win her, but the path of true love is never easy. With a score by Berlin, the musical also features classics such as “Cheek to Cheek,” “Let’s Face the Music and Dance,” and “Puttin’ on the Ritz.”
Great Performances: Irving Berlin’s Top Hat is part of “Broadway’s Best” from Great Performances on PBS, premiering Fridays, May 8-29 at 9/8c on PBS, pbs.org/gperf, and the PBS App.
“No Strings (Fancy Free)”
“Top Hat, White Tie and Tails”
Photo Credit: Johan Persson
2026 Theater Fans’ Choice Awards – Live Stats
Best Sound Design – Top 3
1.
Adam Fisher – The Lost Boys
38.9% of votes
2.
Tony Gayle – Two Strangers (Carry a Cake Across New York)
12.4% of votes
3.
Kai Harada – Ragtime
7.4% of votes
