GREAT PERFORMANCES to Air Audra McDonald Concert, Public Theatre's HAMLET & More This Spring

Audra McDonald's London Palladium Concert, The Public Theater’s production of Hamlet, and a star-studded Rodgers & Hammerstein celebration are coming to PBS this spring.

The lineup also includes the previously announced Elton John And Bernie Taupin: The Library Of Congress Gershwin Prize For Popular Song concert special.

Filmed at from London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane, the Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th anniversary celebration will include Michael Ball, Maria Friedman, Daniel Dae Kim, Audra McDonald, Julian Ovenden, Aaron Tveit, Marisha Wallace, Patrick Wilson, and more.

Check out highlights from Great Performances' spring premiere schedule below!

Elton John AND Bernie Taupin: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG

Premieres: Monday, April 8, 8 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS App (check local listings)

Elton John and Bernie Taupin, one of the greatest songwriting duos of all time, will be the 2024 Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song recipients. John and Taupin will be honored with a tribute concert in Washington, D.C., on March 20 that will premiere on PBS.

Since meeting in 1967 John, then a young piano player, and lyricist Taupin have forged a songwriting partnership that continues after over 50 years. Taupin writes lyrics and sends them to John who goes to work at the piano and creates a song. The results of their enduring partnership have been simply incredible.

Elton John AND Bernie Taupin: THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS GERSHWIN PRIZE FOR POPULAR SONG will also be available via streaming on PBS.org and the PBS App as part of the co-produced Emmy Award-winning music series. It will also be available to U.S. Department of Defense locations around the world via the American Forces Network.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “Hamlet”

Premieres: Friday, May 10, 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS App

From The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, experience this Shakespearean classic directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon, featuring Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (“Slave Play”) in the title role. He is joined by Solea Pfeiffer, Lorraine Toussaint, John Douglas Thompson, Greg Hildreth, and more.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “Audra McDonald at the London Palladium”

Premieres: Friday, May 17, 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS App

The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards as well as two Grammy awards and an Emmy, Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs, including “I Am What I Am,” “Climb Every Mountain,” “Summertime,” “Everything’s Coming Up Roses,” and many more. Recorded from the London Palladium, musical director Andy Einhorn leads the 40-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra to accompany McDonald.

GREAT PERFORMANCES “Rodgers & Hammerstein 80th Anniversary Celebration” (w.t.)

Premieres: Friday, May 31, 9 p.m. ET on PBS, PBS.org & PBS App

Beginning with their first collaboration on the groundbreaking musical “Oklahoma! in 1943,” Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II revolutionized Broadway by integrating music and dance with well-crafted storylines to create a cohesive new form that became the gold standard for midcentury musical theater.

Continuing with a string of blockbusters including “Carousel,” “South Pacific,” “The King and I,” “Flower Drum Song” and “The Sound of Music,” the duo garnered 34 Tony Awards along with 15 Academy Awards from the movie adaptations of their shows.

To commemorate Rodgers & Hammerstein’s 80th Anniversary, an all-star cast celebrates their timeless music from London’s Theatre Royal Drury Lane including Michael Ball, Maria Friedman, Daniel Dae Kim, Audra McDonald, Julian Ovenden, Aaron Tveit, Marisha Wallace, Patrick Wilson, and more.

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