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

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

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

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

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

Otherwise, great pacing and show tunes.

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.  

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

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. 

 

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.

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!

''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

I wanted this to great and it was awful.

Who wrote this and who directed it? OUCH 

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.