The WNET Group Presents "Broadway and Beyond," Must-See Theater and Arts Programming On-Air & Online

Local PBS stations THIRTEEN, WLIW and NJ PBS; arts and culture hub ALL ARTS; and NPR station WLIW-FM present special programming throughout May and June

NEW YORK, May 7, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- The WNET Group, home to New York PBS stations THIRTEEN and WLIW; New Jersey's statewide public television network NJ PBS; arts and culture media provider ALL ARTS; and Long Island's only NPR station WLIW-FM are raising the curtain on all things Broadway with Broadway and Beyond (thirteen.org/Broadway), a special collection of arts programming focused on theater productions and the actors that bring them to life.

Throughout May and June 2024, theater lovers will have front-row seats to a lineup of performances, sold-out concerts, and salutes to great Broadway composers, all while diving into the greatest songs of American musical theater, exploring the complexities behind iconic performers, and discovering the unsung heroes that make Broadway magic happen every night.

This special programming collection kicks off with Great Performances' seventh annual "Broadway's Best" line-up, premiering on THIRTEEN and streaming on pbs.org/gperf at the same time as broadcast. This year's offerings include Hamlet (May 10 at 9 p.m.) from The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park; Audra McDonald at the London Palladium (May 17 at 9 p.m.) with the six-time Tony Award-winner and a 40-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra; Tony Award-nominated comedic play Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch (May 24 at 9 p.m.) starring Tony Award-winner Leslie Odom, Jr.; and starry concert Rodgers & Hammerstein's 80^th Anniversary: My Favorite Things (May 31 at 9 p.m.).

Broadway and Beyond programs are available across all of The WNET Group's public media channels and platforms: THIRTEEN, WLIW/WLIW-FM, ALL ARTS, and NJ PBS. Below is a selection of broadcast and streaming options. Broadcast schedules are available to livestream at thirteen.org/live, wliw.org/live and MyNJPBS.org/live.  

BROADCAST & STREAMING LINEUP

One Voice: The Songs We Share – Join Luke Hawkins (A Celebration of Cole Porter), Amber Iman (Hamilton), Alexis Michelle (RuPaul's Drag Race), and more to celebrate uniquely American music. Tuesday, May 7 at 10:30 p.m. on ALL ARTS; stream now.

American Songbook at NJPAC: Salute to Broadway Composers – Michael Feinstein hosts an all-star salute to great Broadway composers. Featuring Billy Porter, Christine Ebersole, James Monroe Iglehart, Laura Osnes and Santino Fontana, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and more. Tuesday, May 7 at 10 p.m. on NJ PBS; stream now.

Broadway Sandwich – Follow Broadway stars on their breaks in between matinee and evening performances in this New York Emmy-winning series hosted by Garen Scribner. Thursday, May 9 at 7 p.m. on ALL ARTS; stream now.

Great Performances: Hamlet – From The Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park, experience this Shakespearean classic directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon. Friday, May 10 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN; stream on thirteen.org/Broadway.

Great Performances: Lea Salonga in Concert – Tony Award winner Lea Salonga performs the beloved songs she made famous throughout her career from the Sydney Opera House. Sunday, May 12 at 3 p.m. on WLIW; stream now.

American Masters – Rita Moreno: Just A Girl Who Decided to Go For It – Discover how Moreno defied her humble upbringing and racism to become one of a select group of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony Award winners. Sunday, May 12 at 7 p.m. on WLIW. 

Great Performances: Keeping Company with Sondheim – Take an inside look at the reimagined gender-swapped production when it returned to Broadway during the COVID-19 pandemic. Sunday, May 12 at 7:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN; stream now.

We Are Broadway – Discover the often-unsung heroes of the theater that make the magic happen night after night. From music direction to stage management, it takes a village to keep Broadway shows wowing audiences. Monday, May 13 at 8 p.m. on ALL ARTS; stream now on AllArts.org/Broadway and at YouTube.com/AllArtsTV. A live post-show Q&A on YouTube with Broadway insiders offers a chance to win tickets to Moulin Rouge! The Musical. Monday, May 13 at 8:30 p.m. on YouTube.com/AllArtsTV.

Black Broadway: A Proud History, A Limitless Future – Celebrate the rich history of Black roles and voices on Broadway with an all-star cast including Stephanie Mills, Nova Payton, Corbin Bleu, and Norm Lewis. Thursday, May 16 at 8:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Great Performances: Audra McDonald at the London Palladium – The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards as well as two Grammy awards and an Emmy, Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs, including "I Am What I Am" and "Summertime." Friday, May 17 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN; stream on thirteen.org/Broadway.

Great Performances: Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best – A revue of milestone Broadway shows and songs from 1973 to 2023 hosted by two-time Tony Award winner Sutton Foster. Features performances by André De Shields, Chita Rivera, Vanessa Williams, and more from Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater. Sunday, May 12 at 9 p.m. on WLIW; Sunday, May 19 at 8 p.m. on NJ PBS.

Great Performances – Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch – Starring Tony Award winner Leslie Odom, Jr., the comedic play that received six 2024 Tony Award nominations tells the story of a Black preacher's scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner. Friday, May 24 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN; stream on thirteen.org/Broadway.

Les Misérables: The Staged Concert – A staged concert of the beloved musical that became a worldwide phenomenon seen by more than 120 million people. Sunday, May 26 at 8 p.m. on ALL ARTS. Learn more here.

Great Performances – Rodgers & Hammerstein's 80th Anniversary: My Favorite Things – An all-star cast honors Broadway revolutionaries Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II, whose collaborations produced musical theater blockbusters Carousel, South Pacific, The King and I, The Sound of Music and more. Friday, May 31 at 9 p.m. on THIRTEEN; stream on thirteen.org/Broadway.

STREAM ON-DEMAND

Great Performances: Black Lucy and the Bard – Explore Shakespeare's love life through the perspective of the "Dark Lady" in this work from Nashville Ballet. Stream now.

Great Performances: Ann – A powerful and revealing look at legendary, larger-than-life Texas governor Ann Richards who enriched the lives of her followers, friends and family in this critically acclaimed play written by and starring Emmy Award-winner Holland Taylor. Stream now.

American Masters: Ailey – Learn about legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, whose dances center on the Black American experience with grace, strength and beauty. Stream now.

Great Performances: Anything Goes – Sutton Foster reprises her Tony-winning role as Reno Sweeney in this London production of Cole Porter's classic musical. Stream now.

Bare Feet with Mickela Mallozzi: "Open Stages" – After over a year of live theater, dance, and music being shut down in NYC, dive into what these open stages mean for the city. Stream now.

Great Performances: Much Ado About Nothing – A bold interpretation of Shakespeare's comedic masterpiece features Danielle Brooks (Broadway's The Color Purple) and Grantham Coleman (The Americans) as the sparring lovers Beatrice and Benedick. Stream now.

House Seats: Broadway Responds to Antisemitism – Broadway panelists discuss the rise of antisemitism and Broadway's response through recent productions, with actress Tovah Feldshuh, renowned lyricist Bruce Sussman and award-winning playwright Alfred Uhry. Stream now.

WLIW-FM: Broadway to Main Street – Each week, Larry Maslon showcases the greatest songs of the American Musical Theater, celebrating the shows, stars, songwriters, and cultural phenomena that makes Broadway a legendary place. Stream on wliw.org/radio.

Famous Cast Words: Julie Benko – Actors Julie Benko (Broadway's Funny Girl) and Lynne Marie Rosenberg (HBO's High Maintenance) discuss Jewish representation in media and the increase of Jewish stories on Broadway amid rising antisemitism. Stream on AllArts.org/Broadway.

About Broadway and Beyond 

Broadway and Beyond (thirteen.org/broadway) is a special collection of Broadway and other performing arts programs from The WNET Group premiering on-air and online in May and June 2024. Curated especially for theater lovers, the line-up kicks off with Great Performances' "Broadway's Best" and includes specials from ALL ARTS, American Masters, and more. Broadway and Beyond programs are available across all of The WNET Group's public media channels and platforms: THIRTEEN, ALL ARTS, WLIW/WLIW-FM, and NJ PBS. Highlights include the Great Performances' "Broadway's Best" premieres of Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch and Rodgers & Hammerstein's 80^th Anniversary on THIRTEEN; We Are Broadway and House Seats: The Fire This Time Festival on the ALL ARTS YouTube channel (@AllArtsTV), website, and broadcast channel; Great Performances: Lea Salonga in Concert on WLIW; Broadway to Main Street on WLIW-FM; and American Songbook at NJPAC: Showstoppers on NJ PBS. Broadway and Beyond is part of The WNET Group's ongoing mission to provide inspiring arts and culture programming to the tri-state area and beyond, offering viewers a front-row seat to the best theater and arts content on-air, online, and everywhere you watch TV. 

About The WNET Group

The WNET Group creates inspiring media content and meaningful experiences for diverse audiences nationwide. It is the community-supported home of New York's THIRTEEN – America's flagship PBS station – WLIW21, THIRTEEN PBSKids, WLIW World and Create; NJ PBS, New Jersey's statewide public television network; Long Island's only NPR station WLIW-FM; ALL ARTS, the arts and culture media provider; newsroom NJ Spotlight News; and FAST channel PBS Nature. Through these channels and streaming platforms, The WNET Group brings arts, culture, education, news, documentary, entertainment, and DIY programming to more than five million viewers each month. The WNET Group's award-winning productions include signature PBS series Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, and Amanpour and Company and trusted local news programs like NJ Spotlight News with Briana Vannozzi. Inspiring curiosity and nurturing dreams, The WNET Group's award-winning Kids' Media and Education team produces the PBS KIDS series Cyberchase, interactive Mission US history games, and resources for families, teachers and caregivers. A leading nonprofit public media producer for more than 60 years, The WNET Group presents and distributes content that fosters lifelong learning, including initiatives addressing poverty, jobs, economic opportunity, social justice, understanding, and the environment. Through Passport, station members can stream new and archival programming anytime, anywhere. The WNET Group represents the best in public media. Join us.

SOURCE The WNET Group