Front Row - 29/07/2008

Presented by Mark Lawson. Including: As Alistair McGowan and Connie Fisher open in Neil Simon's musical They're Playing Our Song, they discuss Maria, impressions and the pitfalls of musical theatre. Michael Portillo announces the long list of 13 books for this year's Man Booker prize. Pianist and singer Buddy Greco has worked with artists of the calibre of Frank Sinatra and Benny Goodman and recorded countless hit versions of classic songs. He discusses why he doesn't want to retire, working with Sinatra and playing to casino audiences. Early one morning in August 1974, a young Frenchman achieved his dream of tightrope-walking on a cable he illegally rigged between the tops of the Twin Towers in New York. Using archive footage, a new documentary Man On Wire follows Philippe Petit's eight months of planning through to the daring execution and its aftermath. Documentary maker Jane Treays gives her verdict on the film.