Sunday, Aug. 21, 2022 at 10 p.m. on KPBS TV / On demand now with KPBS Passport!
GREAT PERFORMANCES ”Reopening: The Broadway Revival” pulls the curtain back on some of Broadway’s most popular shows, revealing how the New York theater industry undertook the monumental process of turning the lights back on after its longest hiatus in history due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A music-filled, intimate production told by the people who’ve been achieving the entertainment industry's largest comeback,
Offering exclusive behind-the-scenes access to shows including “Wicked,” “Aladdin,” “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” “Jagged Little Pill,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Waitress” and others, the film follows each production’s journey as cast and crew reunite, rehearse and re-stage for their long-anticipated reopening nights.
Hosted by three-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of “On Stage” on Spectrum News NY1, Frank DiLella, the documentary is told by Broadway stars and legends, including:
- 2021 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical Adrienne Warren (“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”)
- 2021 Tony Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical Aaron Tveit ("Moulin Rouge")
- Tony and Emmy nominee Sara Bareilles (“Waitress”)
- Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”)
- Tony nominee Elizabeth Stanley (“Jagged Little Pill”)
- Alexandra Billings (“Wicked”)
- Jawan M. Jackson ("Ain't Too Proud")
- Jeanna de Waal (“Diana: The Musical”)
- Rachel Tucker ("Come From Away")
- Tony nominee Andrew Rannells
- Tony nominee Norm Lewis (“Chicken and Biscuits”)
- Olivier Award winner Sharon D. Clarke ("Caroline, or Change")
- Tony winner Lea Salonga
- Tony winner and Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth
- Tony winner Chita Rivera
- Tony winner Laura Benanti
- Tony winner David Rockwell
- The legendary award-winning composer Andrew Lloyd WebberBack to the Rehearsal Room
Filmmaker Quotes:
“GREAT PERFORMANCES remains committed to telling the survival and now revival stories of how artists have been weathering the pandemic, which we initiated last spring with our first documentary in the #PBSForTheArts campaign, GREAT PERFORMANCES: The Arts Interrupted,” said Executive Producer David Horn. “After this long performance shutdown, the return of Broadway is a beacon of hope for American arts and culture.”
“When Broadway reopened this past fall, our cameras were granted unprecedented access to these incredible shows and the wonderful actors who bring them to life eight times a week. This hour will take viewers on a journey even we never saw coming,” said Stu Weiss, chief creative officer at Studio City/PXL and executive producer of GREAT PERFORMANCES “Reopening: The Broadway Revival.”
Watch On Your Schedule:
This episode is now on demand with KPBS Passport, a benefit for members supporting KPBS at $60 or more yearly, using your computer, smartphone, tablet, Roku, AppleTV, Amazon Fire or Chromecast. Learn how to activate your benefit now.
Credits:
A production of Emmy Award-winning Studio City/PXL. Directed by Cody Williams; Stu Weiss, Frank DiLella and Williams are executive producers, Dudley Beene is co-executive producer. For GREAT PERFORMANCES, Bill O’Donnell is series producer and David Horn is executive producer.
