Stream now with KPBS Passport on KPBS+ / Watch Saturday, Jan.17, 2026 at 9 p.m. on KPBS TV
Filmed live at New York’s Town Hall in March 2025, this star-studded concert celebrates the women who have defined Broadway and those who are shaping its future. Hosted by Emmy, Tony and Drama Desk Award winner Bebe Neuwirth, the program features an extraordinary lineup of talent and pays tribute to the unforgettable female characters and beloved songs sung by women throughout the decades. Luke Frazier conducts The American Pops Orchestra in this dazzling celebration of song and legacy.
The concert features the following artists:
- LaChanze (Tony Award winner, "The Color Purple")
- Kate Baldwin (Tony nominee, 2009 Broadway revival of "Finian's Rainbow")
- Jennifer Holliday (Tony Award, "Dreamgirls"; Grammy Award, "And I Am Telling You I'm Not Going")
- Judy Kuhn (four-time Tony nominee)
- Lindsay Mendez (Tony Award winner, "Carousel")
- Jessie Mueller (Tony Award winner, "Beautiful: The Carole King Musical")
- Jennifer Simard (three-time Tony nominee)
- Mandy Gonzalez (originated the role of Nina Rosario in the Off-Broadway and Broadway productions of "In the Heights")
- Adrianna Hicks (originated the role of Catherine of Aragon in "SIX" and Sugar in "Some Like it Hot")
- Amber Iman (Tony Award nominee, "Lempicka")
- Solea Pfeiffer (Eliza Hamilton in the first national tour of "Hamilton")
- Helen J. Shen (originated the role of Claire in "Maybe Happy Ending")
- McKenzie Kurtz (Glinda in "Wicked" on Broadway and the national tour)
The program also includes a special tribute from "A Chorus Line" legends and Tony Award winners, Kelly Bishop, the original Sheila Bryant; Baayork Lee, the original Connie Wong, a role based on her own life; and Priscilla Lopez, the original Diana Morales.
Performances in BROADWAY’S LEADING LADIES include:
- “Hello, Dolly!” (Hello, Dolly!) – Jennifer Holliday
- “If I Loved You” (Carousel) – Jessie Mueller
- “Vanilla Ice Cream” (She Loves Me) – Judy Kuhn
- “Can’t Help Lovin’ Dat Man” (Show Boat) – LaChanze
- “As If We Never Said Goodbye” (Sunset Boulevard) – Mandy Gonzalez
- “I'm Not Afraid of Anything” (Songs For A New World) – Solea Pfeiffer
- “Moments in the Woods” (Into The Woods) – Lindsay Mendez
- “Hurt Someone's Feelings Today” – Jennifer Simard
- “Back to Before” (Ragtime) – Kate Baldwin
- “Come Rain or Come Shine” (St. Louis Woman) – Jennifer Holliday
- “Blame It on the Summer Night” (Rags) – Judy Kuhn
- “You’re a Queer One, Mr. Snow” (Carousel) – Jessie Mueller and Lindsay Mendez
- “Everything’s Coming Up Roses” (Gypsy) – Mandy Gonzalez
- “My Man” (Funny Girl) – Solea Pfeiffer
- “What’ll I Do”/“Time Heals Everything” (As Thousands Cheer/Mack & Mabel) –Kate Baldwin
- “Be A Lion” (The Wiz) – LaChanze
- “I Have Confidence” (The Sound of Music) – Amber Iman, McKenzie Kurtz, Adrianna Hicks, Helen J. Shen
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Credits: Directed and produced for broadcast by Kristin Fosdick and Cody McLeod Rogers.
