Concord Theatricals and CLI Studios Announce New Video Series Celebrating the 85th Anniversary of Irving Berlin's TOP HAT

Today Concord Theatricals, on behalf of The Irving Berlin Music Company and in coordination with CLI Studios, announced a new video series to celebrate the 85th anniversary of Irving Berlin's 1935 musical film TOP HAT, starring Ginger Rogers and Fred Astaire. These videos will feature modern renditions and brand new choreography for some of the film's iconic songs: "Cheek to Cheek," "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)," and "Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)?"

To honor the original while expanding into a contemporary sound, Concord Theatricals partnered with songwriters signed to Concord Music Publishing to create modern covers of these classic songs, while CLI Studios worked with award-winning choreographers to create brand new choreography with a nod to the source material. This campaign aims to celebrate this classic property and invite a new generation to fall in love with Irving Berlin's timeless songs.

The first video can be found HERE.

This video features a modern take on "Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)?" performed by The Powder Room. The music video, shot on location in Brooklyn, was directed and choreographed by Emmy Award-winning Choreographer Al Blackstone ("So You Think You Can Dance") and features dancers Jordan Betscher and Courtney Crain. The video was filmed and edited by Pierre Marais. Costumes were by Lauren Starobin, with title design by Abraham Lule.

"It's hard not to get high off an Irving Berlin melody!" said vocalist and arranger The Powder Room. "With this version I wanted to create a little suspense, draw it out longer and swim in that tingly buzz."

"The opportunity to celebrate the music of Irving Berlin and the anniversary of Top Hat was immediately enticing," said Al Blackstone. "The original choreography performed so effortlessly by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers to 'Isn't This a Lovely Day' remains a stunning example of two people communicating through dance in a way that both transports and uplifts the audience. Released during the Great Depression, Top Hat was an excellent example of how song and dance helped bring joy to a troubled nation, and the fantastic new version of the song by The Powder Room immediately made me want to tell that kind of story: joyful movement in the midst of chaos. It felt appropriate to have two women - roommates Courtney Crain and Jordan Betscher - dance in the shelter of a New York City tunnel, as young artists facing an uncertain future but unwilling to let anything get in the way of their pure joy of movement."

This video is the first in a three-part series featuring music from the film. Additional videos will be released weekly during the month of October.

In addition to watching these videos, fans can also stream the film this month. Top Hat is available to stream from Turner Classic Movies (TCM) through the WatchTCM platform through November 9.

Featuring music and lyrics by Irving Berlin and directed by Mark Sandrich, Top Hat tells the story of Jerry Travers (Fred Astaire), an American musical revue star. While staying in a London hotel, Jerry accidentally wakes up fashion model Dale Tremont (Ginger Rogers) by dancing in the hotel room above hers. Upon meeting her, Jerry instantly falls in love. His attempts to woo Dale receive an inexplicably haughty response, however, but that's because she's mistaken him for her best friend's husband.

Top Hat premiered on August 29, 1935 and features several of Berlin's most famous songs, including "Cheek to Cheek," "No Strings (I'm Fancy Free)," "Isn't This a Lovely Day (To Be Caught in the Rain)?" and "Top Hat, White Tie and Tails." The film received five Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Song for "Cheek to Cheek." In 1990, Top Hat was inducted into the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."