The Academy Award winner has an affinity for musical biographies. Beyond the 2004 Ray Charles biopic that earned him Oscar nominations for best picture and director and a statuette for Ray's lead, Jamie Foxx, Hackford produced the Ritchie Valens biopic La Bamba and directed The Idolmaker, based on the life of promoter Bob Marcucci, who discovered Frankie Avalon and Fabian. "I grew up singing and playing the piano," Hackford says. "I was in innumerable singing groups and played in a rock 'n' roll band in Santa Barbara, where I grew up. I also did theatre in school, in shows such as Guys and Dolls. I have always been fascinated by the process of music -- not just musicians but songwriters too -- and how people conceive that magic. Musicians communicate in notes, not in words. They concoct this musical brew that somehow taps right into our souls, gets our toes tapping."

That Old Black Magic

Watching Louis & Keely, Hackford recalls, he felt that Broder and Smith were extremely talented and afterward called to congratulate them, but he also suggested improvements to the show, based partially on firsthand knowledge. "Three years ago I met with Keely, as I was thinking of doing a film with her," he says. "I've been a big fan of Louis and Keely forever. I loved talking to her. She was unbelievably candid with me, completely forthright. So when I saw the way Jake and Vanessa had dealt with the dramaturgy, I felt there were some things that didn't fit. Plus I knew a lot of things nobody else knew, because of my relationship with Keely. I told them the show could go a lot farther than it did. The true story has a perfect beginning and ending that encapsulates this career, kind of a star-is-born story. I told them I would tell them what my ideas were and they could decide whether they wanted to invite me on board. Luckily they did. We began working on it last fall, while they were at the Matrix. This was tough because we were rewriting the show during the same time they were doing the old version every night."

The collaborators are reluctant to spoil the surprises in the new version, but they say the changes are substantial. With Hackford serving unofficially as dramaturge, about 40 percent of the book has been rewritten. Songs have been added and others dropped. The score incorporates many of the duo's biggest hits, including "I Wish You Love," "Night Train," and "I Can't Believe That You're in Love With Me." Two actors have been added (Nick Cagle as Frank Sinatra and other characters, and Erin Matthews in multiple roles), but there are still seven onstage musicians, who also have lines of dialogue. Says Broder, "For those who have seen this before, there will be a new layer of things going on. There will be new things to tickle you and new things to be upset about."

The show has elements of a rousing cabaret entertainment, though it's enriched with hard-hitting drama. So is it a musical? Broder and Smith have debated the issue. "That question," says Broder, "underlines a belief on our part that this is a beautiful love story, a biography, and that what we're doing is all about stretching the form -- what's possible to do and how big a story can you tell with a few people." Adds Smith, "And in just 90 minutes." The two concur that music is an integral and indispensable part of telling the story, whatever genre you might assign it to.

The performers chose to avoid mimicry, opting instead to capture the psychological and temperamental essence of their characters. "I could never do an impersonation of Keely," says Smith, "because you just can't beat what she did. There are suggestions of physical things she would do." Broder adds, "Every time you create characters, whether imaginary or historical, you're not so much imitating physical attributes as going back to what made them the way they were. You ask yourself, 'If I had the same sort of preconditions and needs and wants as they did, how would that manifest truthfully in me?' Trying to split a fine line, you want to have enough physical fidelity so people don't walk out saying, 'That's wrong,' but at the end of the day, what carries, and what most people are coming to the theatre for, is to experience these people, the deep truth of them -- emotionally, spiritually, musically. When there's a choice between fidelity and truth, we go for truth."

Broder has earned widespread critical praise -- and award nominations -- for his boundlessly energetic portrayal, which captures the manic performing style that Prima was known for as well as the dark and tender sides of his personality. The actor says the role shares similarities with one he has played previously: the hyperkinetic Mozart, in a Broadway revival of Amadeus. Smith has also received good notices. With a cropped '50s wig and a sultry singing style, she creates an easygoing stage presence -- in contrast to her character's offstage hostility and the pain of a souring relationship with a domineering and philandering spouse. Prima died in 1978 from a brain tumor; Keely Smith still performs occasionally. Theirs is the quintessential story of a couple deeply in love who raise children and yearn for domestic bliss but who ultimately can't make their union work. Louis & Keely charts the blossoming of a legendary partnership and its step-by-step disintegration, juxtaposing galvanizing musical sequences and heart-wrenching peeks behind the scenes. "We've selected songs whose lyrics really express the emotions and sometimes the dramaturgy of where we are during particular moments," says Hackford. "It's really fantastic -- to hear a familiar song, but now told with a different meaning."

Cheek to Cheek…
to Cheek

Smith became fascinated with the singers while researching a screenplay, developed the Louis & Keely concept for several years, then worked closely with Broder to finish the script. What happens when a third artist enters the equation? "It's been a great collaboration," says Hackford. "Jake and Vanessa are very smart. When you get people who are talented and smart, they're not uptight or limited. If you express something that has validity, they see it. It's difficult to have created something that has worked and then have someone ask you to change it. You can dig in your heels and say no, but they've been unbelievably receptive. They're interested in growth. I offered not to destroy what they had created; that wasn't my intention. I wanted to build on and develop the foundation they had created. Anybody who saw the show before and loved it needs to see it [again], because this is the next step in its evolution."

Broder believes that the success of this endeavor has less to do with artists sharing a vision than with their being committed to honoring the story and being true to the intrinsic drama of what happened to these people. "We had fleshed things out in the writing so much that the energy and the nuance we thought we'd bring to the story deepened, and the script almost became an insufficient reflection of what the story was," he says. "With Taylor's help, we started to square off the edges of it. It was a delightful process. It was like the characters were bigger than the script and the script changed. We kept a lot of stuff and added a lot of new stuff. I don't think any creative process suffers from a re-examination of the basics of where one is coming from."

Smith adds, "Yet we also had to make sure we held on to whatever it was that people have been so drawn to."

"Yes," responds Broder, "but we also had to be brave enough to let the whole damn thing go, and kill babies -- murder litters of them -- and trust that our underlying principles of this story are true and that as we iterate and invent this on a deeper level, that will carry us."

Of the show's future, Hackford says, "I don't have any plans past this point, but I would like this run to be extended and play as long as possible. When people come, they're going to see a very polished show…. I'm not looking at this as a way station toward something else. I want this to be an opportunity to perfect what we have. If it turns out to have another life beyond this, fantastic."

Smith reports that several interested parties are "circling this show." Yet she and Broder emphasize that their focus is on doing the very best work they can. "We're aware we might be creating our legacy right now," she says, "so we're working very, very hard. It's sort of our magnum opus in a way."

Broder adds, "There are few times in life when you can feel the universe saying to you, 'Okay, show us what you've got. Give us your best shot, and the world will respond accordingly.' To me, this is the definition of success -- not accolades, not things coming back to you from others saying it's wonderful. It's the act of working in an environment like this and with colleagues who are dedicated to the act itself. It's a joy and a pleasure, and this right now is the very best thing there is for us."

Louis & Keely Live at the Sahara runs March 19–April 26 at the Geffen Playhouse's Audrey Skirball Kenis Theater, 10886 Le Conte Ave., Los Angeles. Geffen Playhouse