Watch Tony nominee Rob McClure celebrate two decades of Broadway musicals in a sneak peek of the upcoming PBS concert, Great Performances: Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best. Two-time Tony winner Sutton Foster, who hosts the evening, also makes an appearance in "Rob McClure's Broadway Medley of Musicals 2003-2023" above. The song features music and lyrics by Tony nominee Michael John LaChiusa.
The special concert, marking the 50th anniversary of the PBS series, was filmed at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater March 23, and will begin airing on PBS and streaming via the PBS Video app May 12.
The concert also features Corbin Bleu, Donna McKechnie, Robyn Hurder, André De Shields, Sara Bareilles, Chita Rivera, Shoshana Bean, Raúl Esparza, James Monroe Iglehart, Ledisi, Norm Lewis, Patina Miller, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Mamie Parris, Solea Pfeiffer, Britton Smith, Jessica Vosk, and Vanessa Williams.
The evening was staged by Warren Carlyle with Patrick Vaccariello serving as music director. The concert is written by Dave Boone.
Originally launched as Theatre in America, Great Performances has long been one of the premiere television destinations for filmed theatrical performances. Past broadcasts have included the 1979 Broadway revival of The Most Happy Fella, the 1984 revival of You Can't Take It With You, the original production of Sweeney Todd filmed during its first national tour, Paper Mill Playhouse's 1989 revival of Show Boat, and a stage capture of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats, among any others.
The 50th anniversary concert is part of the series' 2023 season, and will be followed May 19 by Richard III, filmed last year at the Public Theater's Free Shakespeare in the Park with Danai Gurira in the title role. To see the series' full schedule, visit PBS.org.