PBS Great Performances - Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway's Best

[Dylan Smith4]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 10:42am

I could not find a discussion thread for this upcoming concert being broadcast tomorrow night, but I had to share this AMAZING medley clip that Rob McClure did celebrating the last twenty years of Broadway. If there already is a discussion thread about this, would someone please direct me to it? Thanks!

Here's the clip! Rob is such an amazing gift to the theatre!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBJyGo4UMbc

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/11/23 at 9:55pm

A note to Max Clayton's fans:

Max is featured in this program.

You're welcomed.

[thirtythirtyninety]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 7:24am

As someone who was in the audience when this was recorded, I can tell you that there’s some very fun stuff included!

[BETTY22]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 8:48am

I looking forward to this. I wish more show were aired on PBS. 

[Dollypop]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 10:58pm

I enjoyed the show but heard a whole bunch of flat notes throughout the evening. It was understandable with some of the vintage performers but some of the younger folks on that stage weren't hitting their vocal marks either.

Oh, and there wasn't enough of Max Clayton.

Updated On: 5/12/23 at 10:58 PM

[Bill Snibson]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 11:10pm

That opening of A Chorus Line gives me chills every time! Loved Donna giving it over to Robyn who danced it flawlessly. Solea’s Eva was stunning and Mamie and Norm both sounded amazing. Overall I thought it was a great show. Was really hoping that Sutton gave us some “Gimme, Gimme” but oh well. 

[BalconyClub]

Posted: 5/12/23 at 11:23pm

It’s never a good idea to wheel out a fake upright piano. 

Otherwise, great pacing and show tunes.

[DAME]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 2:13am

I thought it was a great show .  Beautifully shot.  Also .. the sound mix was glorious.  The only two numbers that for me did not hit the mark were Memory and Rob McClures specialty number .  And I am a fan of his.  But great show.  Will watch it again .  Oh and Max Clayton .. he is a stunner.  

Updated On: 5/13/23 at 02:13 AM

[DAME]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 2:24am

I thought it was a great show .  Beautifully shot.  Also .. the sound mix was glorious. The only two numbers that for me did not hit the mark were Memory and Rob McClures specialty number .  And I am a fan of his.  But great show.  Will watch it again .  Oh and Max Clayton .. he is a stunner.  

[rpvee2]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 2:53am

Did The Band’s Visit get any acknowledgment in the program?

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 9:13am

The entire opening segment was glorious. Donna passing the torch to Robyn Hurder and then Chita comes out.

[Bette's Turban]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 10:43am

Loved it.  I agree that Rob McClures number did not work and was I’ll conceived .  But that woman singing memory was making so many faces and wore a poor choice of dress.

[MikeInTheDistrict]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 11:27am

Dollypop said: "I enjoyed the show but heard a whole bunch of flat notes throughout the evening. It was understandable with some of the vintage performers but some of the younger folks on that stage weren't hitting their vocal marks either.

Oh, and there wasn't enough of Max Clayton."

 

There was a lot of questionable riffing going on. I think it would have been better had most of the performers just sung the songs straight. 
 

Highlight for me was Sara Bareilles, who sang “She Used to Be Mine” with understated gravity, and with Jessie coming on for a last moment duet. 

 

[ACL2006]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 11:48am

Robyn Hurder's IG story about meeting Donna

[inception]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 1:53pm

Bette's Turban said: "Loved it. I agree that Rob McClures number did not work and was I’ll conceived . But that woman singing memory was making so many faces and wore a poor choice of dress."

I though she was trying to act out the song as though she were a cat?

I'm actually seeing Cats for the first time ever in 2 weeks when the tour hits town.

I was just going to PVR this, but ended up staying up & watching it last night.  I wish Sutton's number hadn't been such a mash-up & had instead focused on just one show.  I enjoyed seeing her take on Being Alive.  It made me think how great it would have been to see her in the recent production of Company  - not to take anything away from Katrina Lenk, as when I saw her at the end of the run she was fantastic. 

I really enjoyed Vanessa Williams doing Kiss of the Spiderwoman.

But I think there was too much emphasis on the biggest commercial hits of Broadway, especially the run of the show that was the biggest songs from Evita, Cats, Les Mis, and Phantom.  Were any of those shows even ever filmed for Great Performances?  The great Sondheim shows from the 80's were.

[Someone in a Tree2]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 2:09pm

Generally high marks from me, but why oh why did they have to waste precious slots with songs from THREE jukebox shows (AIN'T MISBEHAVIN', SOPHISTICATED LADIES and BEAUTIFUL)? If we're doing a show about Broadway, can't we keep the focus on songs that were actually written for Bway? And look, I completely loved the original production of Ain't Misbehavin' back in '78, don't get me wrong. But with only 18 or 20 songs to feature, couldn't they have just stuck to original Broadway creations? 

I would have happily done without the Rob McClure number to make space for some ACTUAL numbers from the current millennium. 

Ah but Sutton's BEING ALIVE was a treasure worth waiting all night for. Just lovely.

 

[jagman1062]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 2:23pm

DAME said: "I thought it was a great show . Beautifully shot. Also .. the sound mix was glorious. The only two numbers that for me did not hit the mark were Memory and Rob McClures specialty number . And I am a fan of his. But great show. Will watch it again . Oh and Max Clayton .. he is a stunner."

I agree. I was more disappointed with Memory than the McClure number, but I was also disappointed with that rendition of I Dreamed a Dream. Still, anything about Broadway on PBS is welcome!

[rg7759]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 2:23pm

rpvee2 said: "Did The Band’s Visit get any acknowledgment in the program?"

Getting the boys in the bandstands visit back together was not mentioned

[Wayman_Wong]

Posted: 5/13/23 at 4:29pm

''Did 'The Band’s Visit' get any acknowledgment in the program?''

No. But it was in good company; lots of shows weren't.

When you're covering 50 years of Broadway in 90 minutes, it's inevitable that many shows won't make the cut. The PBS special even gave Rob McClure a (thankless) specialty number that named a bunch of musicals. That's where they threw ''Hairspray'' and ''The Book of Mormon,'' alongside ''Shrek,'' ''Cher,'' ''Escape to Margaritaville,'' ''''Flying Over Sunset,'' ''All Shook Up,'' ''Honeymoon in Vegas,'' ''Pretty Woman,'' ''Rocky,'' ''The Prom,'' ''Bonnie and Clyde,'' ''High Fidelity,'' etc.

That said, it's still odd to celebrate the past 50 years of Broadway without ''Annie,'' ''''Sweeney Todd,'' ''42nd Street,'' ''Dreamgirls,'' ''La Cage aux Folles,'' ''The Lion King,'' ''The Producers,'' '' Spring Awakening,'' ''Hamilton,'' to name but a few, but that's what this PBS special managed to do.. 

Updated On: 5/13/23 at 04:29 PM

[Listener]

Posted: 11/25/23 at 8:36pm

I happened to catch what I now realize was a rerun of this special, and only saw the last 20 minutes or so, starting with Sutton's career retrospective number. What was that? Bizarre bits and pieces of various songs stitched together?

And now I'm watching the clip of Rob McClure doing essentially the same thing...why? Ugh. Who comes up with these silly ideas? Let the performers do ONE number all the way, or most of the way, so the audience can experience it. Name-dropping shows is meaningless. No one laughs or applauds because Rob says "we were doing the Chitty Chitty Bang Bang!" We're not five here.

Anyway, Sara B was terrific, and I LOVE that she brought out Jessie for the very end "She Used To Be Mine". Such a nice way to transition into the next number...which sadly, Jessie did not sound terrific on. She got through it, but "Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" is a classic and that performance was not. I felt badly for her.

...someone else caught what I assume was Norm's performance "Music of the Night" (they didn't know his name) and they immediately said the sound seemed to be straining his range. I sighed and mentioned to them what I'd read on here, which was that Norm left the role early because it wasn't in his range and he was getting vocal strain or damage. So...why would they bring him on to sing it?

Leaving Sutton alone to sing "Being Alive" was a bit of a choice in the wake of the recent revival. This isn't a standard of hers, as far as I know, and while she was A-Okay (Sutton is so dependable as a vocalist, she really is) it felt empty. Why not bring out some of the other performers and make it into a group number?

I hope I can catch the rest of the event elsewhere - did Vanessa Williams do well? What about Andre? - and see it in full, but the twenty of so minutes I saw left me wishing Angela was still alive and Julie was still singing. These types of programs can be so special when done well.

[BETTY22]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 11:49am

I wanted this to great and it was awful.

Who wrote this and who directed it? OUCH 

[ErmengardeStopSniveling]

Posted: 11/26/23 at 3:41pm

BETTY22 said: "Who wrote this and who directed it? OUCH"

It's a pretty standard live TV writing/directing team: David Horn directed (who has done a lot of live-capture films like Tony Bennett & Lady Gaga, She Loves Me, Indecent, etc). David Boone wrote it (who regularly writes for the Tonys, Oscars, Emmys, KenCen Honors, etc.

[fashionguru_23]

Posted: 11/27/23 at 8:54am

I saw this when it was first aired, and rerecorded it the other night.

It's not the best thing out there, but it has its moments, and isn't the worst way to spend 90 minutes. 

Thinking back about all the Broadway shows PBS has shown over the years, I'm sort of surprised it wasn't just a clip show.