Purlie Victorious Leslie Odom Jr and cast

Great Performances

Arts and Music Series / 6 Seasons

Great Performances brings the best in the performing arts from across America and around the world to a US television audience. It presents a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.

Watch Latest: S52 E3

1h 23m / TV-PG

Much Ado About Nothing Preview

30s

This bold interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece features Danielle Brooks (“Orange is the New Black,” Broadway’s “The Color Purple”) and Grantham Coleman (“Buzzer,” “The Americans”) as the sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick. Tony Award winner Kenny Leon directs with choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown.

Rothko's Rant on Other Artists

1m 47s

Rothko and Ken get into a spirited argument about the relevance and longevity of modern art, citing painters like Andy Warhol, Jasper Johns, Frank Stella, Robert Rauschenberg, and Roy Lichtenstein.

Red Preview

30s

Under the watchful gaze of his young assistant—and the growing competitive presence of a new generation of artists—Rothko takes on his greatest career challenge yet: to create a definitive series of paintings for the Philip Johnson-designed Four Seasons restaurant in architect Mies van der Rohe’s iconic Seagram Building.

R&H GOES POP!

4m 51s

Contemporary twists on timeless classics, R&H GOES POP! is an unforgettable celebration of 75 years of Broadway’s most influential collaborators. Join your favorite Broadway stars as they put their own spin on the Rodgers & Hammerstein songbook.

Rodgers & Hammerstein's The King and I Preview

30s

Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe star in a Tony Award-winning revival of the beloved musical about a British schoolteacher instructing the royal children of the King of Siam, featuring classic songs including “Shall We Dance?" and “Hello, Young Lovers.”

42nd Street Preview

30s

The 1981 Tony Award winner for Best Musical, 42nd Street is the song-and-dance, American dream fable of Broadway, featuring the iconic songs “42nd Street,” “We’re In the Money,” “Lullaby of Broadway,” “Shuffle Off To Buffalo,” “I Only Have Eyes For You” and many more.

Official Preview: GRAMMY Salute to Music Legends® 2019

30s

In collaboration with the Recording Academy™, Great Performances presents GRAMMY Salute To Music Legends®, the fourth annual all-star concert offering a primetime spotlight for the Recording Academy’s 2019 Special Merit Awards recipients.

Handel: Italian Style | Preview

30s

Before becoming the most famous composer of his time, Handel gained a lifetime of experience in Italy. Welcomed by wealthy patrons, he traveled with the Scarlatti family and learned from Corelli and the masters of the Italian Style. Yoo returns to Italy to follow in Handel’s footsteps, taking in the art, architecture, fashion, food, wine, light and landscape.

In Memoriam: Diahann Carroll

1m 7s

GREAT PERFORMANCES mourns the passing of Diahann Carroll, the groundbreaking star of Broadway, film and television. After her film debut in “Carmen Jones” (1954), Carroll made her Broadway debut in “House of Flowers” (1958), winning a Best Actress Tony Award for “No Strings” (1962). She made history with the 1968 television series “Julia.”

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