Historian John Monsky knows his acclaimed special, The Eyes of the World: From D-Day to VE Day, defies easy classification. Released last year, it chronicles the end stages of World War II through a monologue by Monksy, multiple musical interludes, and rare and never-before-seen photography. It is an emotional historical document and live performance all rolled into one.

“It’s hard to describe to people. People say, ‘What is it?’ It comes from the heart,” Monsky tells Gold Derby during a special roundtable about making the PBS special. “There are a lot of elements on the stage. There’s the orchestra, which Ian Weinberger [Hamilton] drives, and the music. There’s what people like to call material culture — the actual flags that landed on the beach on D-Day. There are five Broadway singers.

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