Corbin Bleu, Nikki Renée Daniels, Norm Lewis & More Star in BLACK BROADWAY Concert Special on PBS

BLACK BROADWAY: A PROUD HISTORY, A LIMITLESS FUTURE premieres on Tuesday, February 28, 8:00 p.m. ET.

By: Jan. 17, 2023
Corbin Bleu, Nikki Renée Daniels, Norm Lewis & More Star in BLACK BROADWAY Concert Special on PBS
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BLACK BROADWAY is a new concert special that celebrates iconic stage performances made famous by Black artists and features the best of the current generation of Black Broadway stars.

Performing classics from The Wiz, The Color Purple, Company, Porgy & Bess, Ain't Misbehavin' and more, the cast is joined by multiple guest conductors and a choir of students from HBCUs Howard University and Morgan State University. All are accompanied by the American Pops Orchestra, founded by Music Director Luke Frazier.

Filmed on October 5, 2022, at Howard University's Cramton Auditorium, BLACK BROADWAY: A PROUD HISTORY, A LIMITLESS FUTURE premieres on Tuesday, February 28, 8:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS App.

Featured artists include television and Broadway star Corbin Bleu ("Make Them Hear You" from Ragtime); Broadway performer and concert soloist Nikki Renée Daniels ("Being Alive" from Company and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" from St. Louis Woman); and Broadway and TV star Tiffany Mann ("Fools Fall In Love" from Smokey Joe's Café and "I Got Love" from Purlie).

Nova Payton sings "I'm Here" from The Color Purple, a show in which she starred in Washington, D.C., followed by Stephanie Mills - Dorothy in the original Broadway run of The Wiz - with "Home."

Additional performers include Emmy, Tony and SAG Award nominee Norm Lewis ("I Got Plenty O' Nuttin'" from Porgy and Bess and "Waiting For Life" from Once On This Island); Broadway artist and choreographer John Manzari ("Low Down Blues" from Shuffle Along), and teenage prodigy violinist Leah Flynn ("Summertime" from Porgy and Bess).

From Broadway's Hamilton, Amber Iman performs "Learn To Love" followed by Grammy winner Sydney James Harcourt with "Stan' Up An' Fight" (Carmen Jones). Actress, singer and drag artist Peppermint gives her rendition of the title song from Ain't Misbehavin,' and Nova Payton returns to close the concert with the showstopping "And I Am Telling You" from Dreamgirls.

Additional interview appearances are made by TV star and Tony Award-winning actor Brian Stokes Mitchell and Broadway veterans E. Clayton Cornelious, Allyson Tucker and Ephraim Sykes.

Guest conductors featured in BLACK BROADWAY are Dr. Eric Conway (Morgan State University), Brittany Chanell Johnson (Howard University), Sean Mayes (Broadway's Hadestown and Michael Jackson: the Musical) and Dr. Eric Poole (Howard University).

In addition to the concert special, there are multiple experiences planned for PBS's digital platforms including additional performances, extended interviews with the cast, and interactive elements to extend the Black Broadway experience.

BLACK BROADWAY: A PROUD HISTORY, A LIMITLESS FUTURE will be available to stream on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Android TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO.

About PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances.

PBS's broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life.

Decades of research confirms that PBS's premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life.


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