''The Last Mile'' is a short comedy-drama filmed play written by Terrence McNally and directed by

Paul Bogart Paul Bogart (né Bogoff; November 13, 1919 – April 15, 2012) was an American television director and producer. Bogart directed episodes of the television series Way Out'' in 1961, '' Coronet Blue'' in 1967, '' Get Smart'', '' The Dumplings' ...

for

Public television Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing ...

's ''Great Performances 20th Anniversary Special'' (1992). The 15-minute film aired on American

stations in October 1992. The play concerns the hopes and fears of a soprano making her

Metropolitan Opera The Metropolitan Opera (commonly known as the Met) is an American opera company based in New York City, resident at the Metropolitan Opera House at Lincoln Center, currently situated on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. The company is opera ...

debut.

Synopsis

Backstage at the Metropolitan Opera House a soprano is preparing for her debut in the opera ''

Tosca ''Tosca'' is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900. The work, based on Victorien Sardou's 1887 French-language dramati ...

''. The stage manager gives her encouraging advice. She is visited by her "tenor for the evening". Equally terrified and nervous yet excited, she thinks fondly of her brother, who died from

AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual ma ...

. He appears to her in her dressing room as a ghostly apparition.

Production

Directed by

, ''The Last Mile'' stars

Bernadette Peters Bernadette Peters ( ''née'' Lazzara; born February 28, 1948) is an American actress, singer, and children's book author. Over a career spanning more than six decades, she has starred in musical theatre, television and film, performed in solo co ...

as the soprano,

Nathan Lane Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...

as the stage manager,

Tony Goldwyn Anthony Howard Goldwyn (born May 20, 1960) is an American actor, singer, producer, director, and political activist. He made his debut appearing as Darren in the slasher film '' Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives'' (1986), and had his breakthr ...

as her brother,

Paul Sorvino Paul Anthony Sorvino (, ; April 13, 1939 – July 25, 2022) was an American actor. He often portrayed authority figures on both the criminal and the law enforcement sides of the law. Sorvino was particularly known for his roles as Lucchese cri ...

as the tenor, and

Bill Irwin William Mills Irwin (born April 11, 1950) is an American actor, clown, and comedian. He began as a vaudeville-style stage performer and has been noted for his contribution to the renaissance of American circus during the 1970s. He has made a n ...

as the conductor.

Response

''Daily Variety'' wrote that the play was "uneven", but that "Peters is a gem, with Bill Irwin terrif as a cynical conductor." The ''USA Today'' reviewer wrote: "Another grande dame, Bernadette Peters, anchors the best piece, Terrence McNally's acerbic and sentimental backstage look at a soprano nervously awaiting her Metropolitan Opera debut as Tosca. Lurking in the wings: poignant awareness of that grand-opera tragedy of our time, the AIDS crisis."Roush, Matt. "'Great Performances' celebrates 20th in style", ''USA Today'', October 9, 1992, p. 3D John Leonard, reviewing for the ''New York Magazine'', wrote :"As we've come to expect from McNally, there are several twists, one of them involving AIDS."Leonard, John
"Television. Grand Performance"
''New York Magazine'', October 12, 1992, p. 66

References

External links

Internet Movie Database listingamazon.com listing
1992 television films 1992 films American television films Films with screenplays by Terrence McNally Films directed by Paul Bogart {{short-film-stub

Synopsis

Production

Response

See also

References

External links