Merriment and Milton are hardly synonymous, but the poet who penned Paradise Lost also inspired Handel’s L’Allegro, il Penseroso ed il Moderato, which concludes “Mirth, with thee we mean to live.” Choreographer Mark Morris garnered international fame for this 1988 “work of genius” (The New York Times) set to Handel’s Baroque masterpiece, in which a colorful array of dancers embodies the ecstasy of art that transforms. Mikhail Baryshnikov hosts.
"Mark Morris Dance Group: L'Allegro" on Great Performances airs on Friday, March 27th at 9 pm on channel 3.