Video: Watch Kelli O'Hara, Adrienne Warren & More Perform at America 250 Special
The PBS special celebrated the nation’s Semiquincentennial from the capital of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area.
Tony winners Kelli O'Hara, Adrienne Warren, and Michael Feinstein all gathered to perform this past weekend in America Made in Virginia: 250 Years Together. The PBS special celebrated the nation’s Semiquincentennial from the capital of Colonial Williamsburg’s Historic Area.
The two-hour broadcast blended music and large-scale spectacle, with the national event that aimed to connect the nation’s founding to the present day while celebrating the ideas, people, and defining moments that gave rise to the United States. Watch the full special now, featuring performances of Leonard Bernstein and Alan Jay Lerner's "Take Care of This House", Bette Midler's "Wind Beneath My Wings," and more.
Other performers included Grammy Award-winning opera bass-baritone Ryan Speedo Green and Grammy Award-winning singer-songwriter Judy Collins. The special also features narration by Tony and Golden Globe nominee and Emmy Award-winning actor Richard Thomas and a special greeting from acclaimed documentary filmmaker Ken Burns.
Additional highlights included “The Heartbeat of Freedom,” with Indigenous, West African and English Colonial drums coming together as one and a dramatic presentation of excerpts from the Declaration of Independence by a cast representing key historic figures, including Thomas Jefferson, Martha Washington and James Lafayette, an enslaved Virginian who won his freedom as a Revolutionary War double agent.
The event also features the Colonial Williamsburg Fifes & Drums and includes the world premiere of “Through a Window,” performed by Leah Glenn Dance Theatre, the Virginia Chorale, and Ryan Speedo Green, with inspiring images created by 400 synchronized drones. The finale featured a fireworks display accompanied by classic American favorites as recorded by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band.
