As a part of their Broadway at Home series, PBS will be bringing theatre to people at home by broadcasting She Loves Me, Present Laughter, In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams, Much Ado About Nothing, and The King and I on a weekly basis starting July 24 and ending August 21.
Since the Broadway shutdown was extended to 2021, many are still finding ways to keep theatre alive. Following the Disney Plus release of Hamilton, on Fridays this summer, PBS will broadcast some past Broadway favorites. She Loves Me will kick the series off on July 24 at 9PM ET. The musical features Tony award winner Laura Benanti and Tony nominee Zachary Levi. This 2016 revival of the 1963 show was the first ever Broadway show to be livestreamed. The next week, Noel Coward’s Present Laughter will air July 31 at 9PM ET. This comedy follows a self-obsessed actor as he deals with women who want him, crazed playwrights, twists, and his impending mid-life crisis.
On August 7 at 9, PBS will broadcast In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams. The film documents the stories of composer and lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In the Heights as they prepare for their opening night in 2008. It is about the difficulty of going out and achieving dreams when all odds are stacked against you. Although writing a show about a mainly Hispanic neighborhood in NYC may have been risky, it certainly paid off. In the Heights took home 4 Tonys, including Best Musical and Best Score of a Musical. Its film adaptation will be released summer 2021.
For the first time, PBS will show a Shakespeare in the Park show–Much Ado About Nothing from 2019. Danielle Brooks and Grantham Coleman star in this Shakespeare comedy directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon and choreographed by Tony nominee Camille A. Brown. Much Ado About Nothing will air on August 14 at 9.
PBS wraps the series up on August 21 at 9 with Rogers and Hammerstein’s The King and I. The 2015 revival of this 1951 classic won the Tony for Best Musical Revival. This production was recorded during its 2018 run and stars Tony award winners Ruthie Ann Miles and Kelli O’Hara, who won for this performance as Mrs. Anna in The King and I in 2015.
The shows will also be available for streaming on all station-branded PBS platforms, and all PBS station members will be able to watch the shows on Passport. Check your local PBS station for more information.
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