Mitch Owgang

Purlie Victorious: A Non-Confederate Romp Through the Cotton Patch

The comedic play tells the story of a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner.

Shakespeare in the Park: Richard III

Experience The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Shakespeare’s tragedy with one of his most indelible villains starring Danai Gurira in the title role. Recorded live in July 2022 from Central Park.

Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best

Enjoy 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.

Merry Wives

Experience Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece from the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park. Set in South Harlem, the play tells the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter and vitality.

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age

Broadway: Beyond the Golden Age explores the world of Broadway from 1959 through the early 1980s as recounted by a diverse cast of Broadway stars who lived through it, creating a first-hand archive of personal backstage stories and memories. The new documentary is the long-awaited sequel to late filmmaker Rick McKay’s award-winning 2003 film Broadway: The Golden Age, continuing the saga into the '60s and '70s and spotlighting beloved classic Broadway shows including Once Upon a Mattress, Bye Bye Birdie, Barefoot in the Park, Pippin, A Chorus Line, Ain’t Misbehavin’, Chicago, and 42nd Street. Featuring a galaxy of stars including Alec Baldwin, Carol Burnett, Glenn Close, André De Shields, Jane Fonda, Robert Goulet, Liza Minnelli, Chita Rivera, Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, and many more, the film also includes rare archival photos and never-before-seen footage both onstage and off.

The Public's Much Ado About Nothing

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 (“American Son,” “A Raisin in the Sun”) directs with choreography by Tony Award nominee Camille A. Brown (“Choir Boy”). Set in contemporary Georgia with an election race underway, Great Performances: Much Ado About Nothing finds the community of Messina celebrating a break from an ongoing war, but not all is peaceful amid the merriment. Former rivals battle it out, revenge is sought and trickery runs amok in this timeless comedy of romantic retribution and miscommunication. Earning a New York Times Critic’s Pick, the play was recorded during its final weekend of Free Shakespeare in the Park performances, June 22-23, 2019.

Light Falls

Take a theatrical journey with physicist Brian Greene to uncover how Albert Einstein developed his theory of relativity. In this vivid play, science is illuminated on stage and screen through innovative projections and an original score.

Indecent

TV production of the Tony Award-winning play, based on the story of a Broadway acting troupe arrested for indecency for performing Sholem Asch's "God of Vengeance" and their fight against censorship.

Noël Coward's Present Laughter

A self-obsessed actor in the midst of a mid-life crisis juggles a fawning ingenue, a crazed playwright, his ex-wife, and the personal lives of his friends. Originally broadcast as an episode of the PBS series "Great Performances" (season 45, episode 4).

If I Forget

A play about the stories we choose to believe, the compromises we can't avoid and the hurt only our nearest and dearest can inflict. In the final months before 9/11, a liberal professor has reunited with his two sisters to celebrate their father's 75th birthday. Each having their own version of family history, the siblings clash over everything. Destructive secrets and long-held resentments surface as the three negotiate—with biting humor and razor-sharp insight—how much of the past they’re willing to sacrifice for a chance at a new beginning.

Long Day's Journey Into Night

Eugene O'Neill's semi-autobiographical masterpiece pulls back the curtain on the Connecticut home of the Tyrone family, where deep-seated resentments and bourbon-fueled tirades cause a family to expose their darkest natures. Starring Alfred Molina as James Tyrone and Jane Kaczmarek as Mary Cavan Tyrone, this powerful production depicts a single day that begins as any other, only to become a night from which they will never recover.

Buried Child

Sam Shepard's Pulitzer Prize-winning play in a production by The New Group, directed by Scott Elliott. Dodge (Ed Harris) and Halie (Amy Madigan) try to hang on to their farmland and their sanity while caring for their two wayward grown sons (Rich Sommer and Paul Sparks). When their grandson (Nat Wolff) arrives no one seems to recognize him and a secret must be kept.

The Woodsman

Based on the beloved writings of L. Frank Baum, The Woodsman, an imaginative retelling of the origins of Oz's Tin Woodsman, is the story of the Tin Man, the woman he loved, and the witch that would stop at nothing to keep them apart. Through spectacular life-size puppetry by and Edward W. Hardy's original music, the ensemble of Strangemen & Co. presents an inventive take on one of America's original fairy tales.

She Loves Me

Amalia and Georg work together at a modest Hungarian perfumerie, and have disliked each other from the very beginning. He thinks she's stuck up, and she thinks he's arrogant and mean. But each rapturously writes to a lonely hearts pen pal when the workday is done, and it doesn't take long for the audience to see that they're in love without realizing it. Originally live-streamed by BroadwayHD, then broadcast as an episode of the PBS series "Great Performances" (season 45, episode 3).

Chita Rivera: A Lot Of Livin' To Do

A retrospective of Chita Rivera's film, television and stage career, including interviews with Dick Van Dyke, Ben Vereen, Carol Lawrence and others. Originally aired as Episode 2 of Season 43 of the PBS series Great Performances.

Wiesenthal

Written by and starring Tom Dugan, Wiesenthal is the riveting true story of Simon Wiesenthal—nicknamed the “Jewish James Bond”—who devoted his life to bringing more than 1,100 Nazi war criminals to justice.

Rasheeda Speaking

This tense workplace thriller examines the realities of so-called “post-racial” America. Co-workers are driven apart by the machinations of their boss, and a chilling power struggle ensues that spins wildly out of control.

The Dukes of September - Live at Lincoln Center

THE DUKES OF SEPTEMBER a super group comprised of pop/rock/R&B icons Donald Fagen (Steely Dan), Michael McDonald (Doobie Brothers) and Boz Scaggs a brand new DVD and Blu Ray to coincide with its PBS debut airing on Great Performances. Filmed in November of 2012, this concert features the Dukes of Septembers dynamic rock and soul revue with not only showcasing their well-known hits such as Reelin in the Years, Lido Shuffle and Takin it to the Streets , but also forays into rock and R&B gems such as Sweet Soul Music and Love T.K.O.

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival 2004 Recorded Live at the Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas Captures Highlights from Festival With Performances and Collaborations by Guitar Wizards Eric Clapton, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, Jeff Beck, John Mayer, Robert Cray, Robbie Robertson, Sheryl Crow, Derek Trucks and More

The Women

Mary Haines's life falls apart and her social circle shatters after her husband's affair is revealed. Filmed version of the 2001 Broadway revival with the original cast reprising their roles.

Fosse

Fosse is a three-act musical revue showcasing the choreography of Bob Fosse. The musical was conceived by Richard Maltby, Jr., Chet Walker, and Ann Reinking. It won the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2000. In 2002, Fosse, featuring Reinking and Ben Vereen, was aired as part of the "Great Performances — Dance In America" series on PBS television. This filmed Broadway tribute strings together acclaimed director/choreographer Bob Fosse's "greatest hits."

American Dream: Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert

International tenor Andrea Bocelli fulfills a personal dream with a spectacular outdoor concert taped under the stars at New Jersey's Liberty State Park in American Dream: Andrea Bocelli's Statue of Liberty Concert. The concert celebrates Italian heritage and musical tradition and honors the immigrant experience with this enchanting evening of famous arias, Neapolitan songs and audience favorites. Special guest Sarah Brightman takes the stage with Bocelli for "Time to Say Goodbye."

Crazy For You

Crazy For You is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy", it is largely based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical Girl Crazy, but incorporates songs from several other productions as well. Crazy For You won the 1992 Tony Award (Broadway), 1993 Olivier Award (London), and 1994 Dora Award (Toronto) for Best Musical. Originally aired on the PBS series "Great Performances" (season 28, episode 2).

Andrea Bocelli - Sacred Arias

Released in 1999, the album, featuring music composed in traditional Christian styles, is not only Bocelli's most commercially successful classical album to date with over 5 million copies sold, but also the biggest selling classical album by a solo artist in history.

The World of Jim Henson

In this episode of PBS' Great Performances, the history and legacy of puppeteer Jim Henson is explored, from his six-second commercial beginnings to a five-season run on ABC of The Muppet Show to several theatrically released films, including five Muppet movies, The Dark Crystal, and Labyrinth.

Songs for Drella

Songs for Drella is a concept album by Lou Reed and John Cale, both formerly of The Velvet Underground, and is dedicated to the memory of Andy Warhol, their mentor, who had died unexpectedly in 1987. Drella was a nickname for Warhol coined by Warhol Superstar Ondine, a contraction of Dracula and Cinderella, used by Warhol's crowd. The song cycle focuses on Warhol's interpersonal relations and experiences, with songs falling roughly into three categories: Warhol's first-person perspective (which makes up the vast majority of the album), third-person narratives chronicling events and affairs, and first-person commentaries on Warhol by Reed and Cale themselves. The songs on the album are, to some extent, in chronological order.

Fifth of July

Ken Talley, a Vietnam vet who lost his legs in combat, lives in a farmhouse in rural Missouri with his lover, Jed. Traumatized and bitter, Ken struggles to find meaning in his life. As he contemplates selling the farmhouse, old friends and family members descend for a vacation. Originally broadcast as part of the series "American Playhouse" (season 1, episode 9).