Why can't anyone today write like Cole Porter?

Three guys with the effrontery to try are premiering a stage version of Porter's 1949 movie musical, The Pirate, at the Prince this weekend. They are including four songs they've written themselves in the Porter style.

Zack Manna and David Levy wrote the new book and lyrics and Brad Ross came on board to write the new music. Manna got the idea for the show when he worked for legendary Broadway producer David Merrick in 1997. When Merrick died Manna's idea went into hibernation until the Prince Theater took an interest.

The Pirate came at the peak of Porter's career, in the year right after Kiss Me Kate. Concentrating on action adventure, it contained only five songs, not nearly enough for a stage musical. And those five were mainly dance numbers that showcased Gene Kelly and the Nicholas Brothers—no romantic ballads. So the Porter estate invited Manna to pick anything he wanted from the Porter catalog, and he selected "I Concentrate on You," "What Is This Thing Called Love" and "You Do Something to Me" plus some little-known numbers. Still, there were scenes that needed specific songs to move the plot.

Manna and Levy say they tried to capture the "theatrical, sassy and sophisticated style" of Porter's words. "I attempted to write in his style so the seams wouldn't show," says composer Ross. "Porter's melodies are unpredictable. He takes big leaps, odd jumps and he's not uniform or symmetrical. Also he loved to switch back and forth from major to minor." Levy says that Porter's movie always looked "like a stage musical waiting to burst out of the screen."