“The Hairpiece” from The Colored Museum

The PBS broadcast of George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum is now streaming online from February 3^rd through February 28^th.

The Colored Museum originally premiered at Crossroads Theatre Company in 1986, which is fitting since they are hosting the stream on their website.

The show features 11 scenes designed to satirize stereotypes in Black culture, bring awareness, and, ultimately, dismantle those same stereotypes.

The PBS cast includes original cast members Loretta Devine, Tommy Hollis, Reggie Montgomery, and Danitra Vance.

You can view The Colored Museum in its entirety here. Also, visit Crossroads Theatre to check out André De Shields and Haarlem Nocturne, Melba Moore: Sweet Songs of the Soul, and more!

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The concert, United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America, was filmed in front of a socially-distanced audience from George Washington’s home in Mt. Vernon. Special guests will include 6-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald (Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill) , Tony winner Brian Stokes Mitchell (Shuffle Along), Tony nominee Anna Deavere Smith (Twilight, Los Angeles 1992), Grammy winner Patti LaBelle (After Midnight), and more.

The concert will simultaneously stream at PBS.org or on the PBS Video App.

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If you’re like me and haven’t been able to snag a ticket, you’re in luck. Hamilton is coming to the small screen. Wait. Pause. No, not the full musical! But rather, the incredible story of its journey to the Richard Rodgers Theater and its blockbuster status as the hottest show on Broadway.

PBS will air Hamilton’s America as part of its “Great Performances” series this fall. Filmed by the Oscar nominated film company, RadicalMedia, the documentary chronicles the two years leading up to its Broadway open with interviews, cast trips to Washington DC, Philadelphia, New York, and the home of Alexander Hamilton, and of course footage of the production.

“Great Performances” has been making concerts, shows, and performances accessible through public programming for many years. In fact, this is the second time Lin-Manuel Miranda’s work has been featured on the show. In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams aired in 2009, shedding light on Miranda’s other hit, In the Heights.

This intimate look behind the scenes promises to bring fresh insight! I think we’ll be “Satisfied”..At least until we hear of a full length Original Broadway Cast filmed performance in the works. *crosses fingers*

Hamilton is the highly acclaimed, hip hop-infused story about America’s first treasurer, Alexander Hamilton. It has topped rap charts. It has beat out the almighty Lion King as top grossing musical TWICE. It’s members have appeared on a cypher on BET. And it has welcomed thousands of public school students into the theater to give the gift of the arts. Based on the biography of Alexander Hamilton by Ron Chernow, Miranda has penned what has come to be one of the most influential and talked about shows of our generation. 

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Touting an all-star cast, Williams stars as “Julie” and is joined by Broadway vets Norm Lewis (Porgy and Bess, Les Miserables) as “Joe” and Natasha Yvette Williams (Porgy and Bess, The Color Purple) as “Queenie.”  The show also features Tony Award-nominee Lauren Worsham (A Gentleman’s Guide to Love & Murder) as “Magnolia;” and Julian Ovenden, of “Downton Abbey” fame, as “Gaylord Ravenal.”  The semi-staged Philharmonic performance played a brief run at Avery Fisher Hall in Lincoln Center last fall.

The broadcast of Showboat  is a part of Live From Lincoln Center, PBS’ award-winning performing arts series showcasing the best of their wide-ranging programming. Reigning “Tony Queen” Ms. Audra McDonald continues as host. (Fun Fact: McDonald sings a lovely rendition of Showboat’s “Bill” on her second album, “How Glory Goes.”)

Showboat has been listed as one of Broadway’s “most-revived and revised works.” Recent productions have garnered the Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical (1995) and the Laurence Olivier Award for Best Musical Revival (1991).

Once an exciting and essential part of American entertainment, the river boats of the Mississippi are now a fleeting memory of times past. Showboat gives us a vivid glimpse into the world of these floating theatres, showing the myriad stories and lives that surrounded and depended on each one. Beginning in 1887, we see three generations of performers and workers as they navigate the epic tale of enduring love and racial tolerance.

2014 was a busy year for Vanessa Williams. After appearing in the Tony-nominated Trip to Bountiful, the recording artist did a brief stint in the Langston Hughes-inspired musical After Midnight.  Tony nominated for her role as the Witch in Into the Woods, the versatile artist has amassed an impressive theater resume over the years including Kiss of The Spider Woman, Sondheim on Sondheim and St. Louis Woman at City Center Encores!

Showboat on PBS premieres on Friday, Oct. 16 at 9 p.m. EST.

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PBS show Great Performances will air the two-time Tony award winning actor’s performance,as Hoke Coburn, alongside his five-time Tony Award winning costar Angela Lansbury who will play the title role of Daisy Werthan.

Written by Alfred Uhry, Driving Miss Daisy chronicles the story of a widowed 72-year-old woman, living in Atlanta, deemed too old to drive. In order to remedy the situation, Daisy’s son hires Hoke Colburn, a Black man, to serve as her chauffeur.

Although Hoke and Daisy’s relationship begins with a rocky start, it soon turns into a long lasting and life changing friendship that transcends race and other societal issues during that time period.

David Esbjornson directed the show for the stage and it was recorded in Australia at the Comedy Theatre in Melbourne. The show will also feature four-time Tony award winning actor Boyd Gaines who will reprise Broadway role as Boolie Werthan

The show ran off-Broadway in 1987 and returned with successful revival on Broadway in 2010.

The Wall Street Journal referred to its Broadway run as “A perfect night on Broadway. Do whatever you have to do to get a ticket!”

It was also made into an award winning film, with Jessica Tandy and Morgan Freeman, where it won four Academy Awards including Best Picture.

Driving Miss Daisy airs on Great Performances Friday, July 17 at 9 p.m. on PBS. Check local listings here.

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One series that gained huge popularity last year was Variety and PBS SoCaL’s “Actors on Actors,” which will have a second installment on June 14 and 21. The first installment of “Actors on Actors” was nominated for an Emmy in the entertainment programming category.

The series features one-on-one conversations between actors including Queen Latifah with Taraji P. Henson, Jane Fonda with Tony Award Winner Viola Davis, Claire Danes with Don Cheadle, Gina Rodriguez with Uzo Aduba, and several others. The conversations cover subjects that pertain to the craft of acting and the industry itself such as: their process, why they chose to move to television, fighting for roles, and playing complex women in television.

“After the great success from our initial partnership with Variety, PBS SoCal is excited to once again bring these intimate conversations to our esteemed viewers,” said Andy Russell, PBS SoCaL COO. “Variety Studios: Actors on Actors” gives the PBS audience an informative and in-depth look at the behind-the-scenes workings of the entertainment industry similar to the extraordinary journalism that Variety provides on a daily basis.”

“Variety Studio: Actors on Actors” is presented by Autograph Collection Hotels, Marriott International’s distinctive portfolio of hotels. The series is sponsored by Caesarstone.

In addition to the premiere on PBS, the Variety YouTube account has already began uploading some of the interviews, including those of Taraji P. Henson/Queen Latifah and Viola Davis/Jane Fonda.

Check out some of the interviews below!

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It has been said that Smith created a new form of theater. When granted the prestigious MacArthur Award, her work was described as “a blend of theatrical art, social commentary, journalism, and intimate reverie”; the re-aring of this film couldn’t be timelier. In the film adaptation, Smith’s performance is intertwined footage and interviews with rioters and victims from the 1992 riots that took place in Los Angeles following the Rodney King trial. The encore showing marks the 23^rd anniversary of those riots, with Smith providing a brand new introduction to her piece that aligns with the current state of race relations and outrage against police brutality in the United States. The themes of rage, sorrow, loss and hope that are prevalent in the film still resonate with us today.

Smith is no stranger to creating a blend of social commentary and theatrical art. Her play, Fires in the Mirror (1991), went in depth about the Crown Heights riots in regards to racial relations between black and Jewish neighborhoods, which was also broadcast on PBS. Most recently PBS aired Let Me Down Easy in 2012, another Smith piece that examined human resilience though the national debate on health care.

Twilight: Los Angeles originally aired on PBS in 2001, and once again in 2012. On April 29, 2015 it was made available online on PBS’ THIRTEEN’s website. It was also performed on Broadway in 1994, directed by George C. Wolfe (Lucky Guy), staring Smith herself. PBS praises her for giving every “character” depth and staying true to each interviewee’s story (using only their words and duplicating their speech patterns, mannerisms, dress, and attitudes). Smith’s Twilight: Los Angles played on Broadway and around the country. It received two Tony Nominations, an Obie, Drama Desk Award, the New York Drama Critics Circle’s Special Citation and a number of other honors.

Twilight: Los Angles will air on PBS June 12 at 9 p.m. ET (check your local listings), as apart of THIRTEEN’s Great Performances.

I know my reminder will be set, will yours?

Twilight: Los Angeles

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Check out this promo for Billy’s Live from Lincoln Center episode, hosted by Broadway royalty and Tony Awards history-maker Audra McDonald:

For four decades, Live From Lincoln Center has presented the world’s greatest performing artists. Yo-Yo Ma, Renée Fleming, Josh Groban, Audra McDonald, and dozens more have graced Lincoln Center’s hallowed stages for concerts broadcast across the country. Now celebrating its 40th anniversary, the pioneering series has collected 13 Emmy Awards and been seen by hundreds of millions of viewers.

Billy Porter: Broadway & Soul premieres Friday, April 3rd at 9pm on PBS. Check your local listings.

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