Great Performances’ “Broadway’s Best” series returns with four TV premieres debuting Fridays, November 2–23 at 9 PM ET on PBS. First up is a filmed West End performance of the Broadway musical An American in Paris.
Great Performances’ “Broadway’s Best” series returns with four TV premieres debuting Fridays, November 2–23 at 9 PM ET on PBS. First up is a filmed West End performance of the Broadway musical An American in Paris.
The second year of the Broadway-themed series also includes the 2015 live U.K. broadcast of The Sound of Music, plus documentaries about the making of John Leguizamo's Tony-nominated play Latin History for Morons and 21-time Tony winner Harold Prince. All programs will be available to stream the following day via PBS.org and PBS apps.
Details about the four programs follow:
An American in Paris (premieres November 2 at 9 PM, streams November 3)
The 1951 MGM film starring Gene Kelly was inspired by George Gershwin’s score and became one of the most famous movie musicals, winning six Academy Awards. In 2015 a new stage adaptation of the film, directed and choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, opened on Broadway and earned four Tony Awards. During its May 2017 run in London’s West End, the Broadway production was recorded with its original stars, Tony nominees Robert Fairchild and Leanne Cope.
Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music (premieres November 9 at 9 PM, streams November 10)
Great Performances presents the 2015 live U.K. broadcast of the Rodgers and Hammerstein classic starring Kara Tointon as Maria, Julian Ovenden as Captain von Trapp, Katherine Kelley as Baroness Schraeder, Alexander Armstrong as Max, and Maria Friedman as the Mother Abbess.
John Leguizamo’s Road to Broadway (premieres November 16 at 9 PM, streams November 17)
A behind-the-scenes documentary, directed by Ben DeJesus, that chronicles Leguizamo’s Tony-nominated Latin History for Morons, which debuted on Broadway last season and offered a comedic, yet pointed look at the systematic repression of Hispanic culture throughout American history. Leguizamo was also a recipient of a 2018 Special Tony Award.
Harold Prince: The Director's Life (premieres November 23 at 9 PM, streams November 24)
Directed by Lonny Price, the Great Performances retrospective celebrates the extraordinary career of producer and director Harold Prince. Featuring archival clips from his many groundbreaking productions, the performance-documentary features interviews with many of Prince’s collaborators, including Stephen Sondheim, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Mandy Patinkin, John Kander, Susan Stroman, and Angela Lansbury, all sharing their firsthand insights into his pioneering achievements in the theatre.
Great Performances is produced by THIRTEEN Productions LLC for WNET.
The new play, now on Broadway via Second Stage, stars Jessica Lange, Jim Parsons, and Celia Keenan-Bolger.
The Max Martin musical features a number of his most beloved songs, including “…Baby One More Time,” “Roar,” “Since U Been Gone,” “It’s My Life,” “I Want It That Way,” “Can’t Stop the Feeling!,” and more.
The mononymic star is currently promoting her newest film Challengers, where she stars opposite Tony nominee Mike Faist.
Winners will be named May 13 with an awards ceremony set for May 23.
On April 28, Clark and the entire company of the Tony-winning musical will take their final bows at Broadway's Booth Theatre.
The 1975 musical favorite has returned to Broadway at the Marquis Theatre, where a new revival opened April 17.
The production is currently running in Washington, D.C. and will also receive a series of cinema screenings.
The 20-city concert tour will play Seattle, New York, Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, and more.
Lindsay Posner will direct the Ryan Craig-penned script.