Bill O'Donnell Videos

In this contemporary rendering of Shakespeare’s beloved romantic tragedy, a company of actors in a shuttered theater bring to life the tale of two young lovers who strive to transcend a world of violence and hate.

An original film for television by the National Theatre, Great Performances: Romeo & Juliet premieres Friday, April 23 at 9 p.m. on PBS, pbs.org/gperf and the PBS Video app.

The fascinating history behind Shakespeare's greatest plays continues with a third series of Shakespeare Uncovered, premiering Fridays, October 12-26 on PBS (check local listings) and streaming the following day at pbs.org/shakespeareuncovered and on PBS apps. The ambitious series concludes with celebrated new hosts Helen Hunt, F. Murray Abraham, Romola Garai, Brian Cox, Simon Russell Beale and Sir Antony Sher, who seamlessly weave their personal passions with history, biography, iconic performances and new analysis to tell the stories behind the stories of Shakespeare's famous works. The final season investigates “Much Ado About Nothing,” “The Merchant of Venice,” “Measure for Measure,” “Julius Caesar,” “The Winter's Tale” and “Richard III.” 

A star-studded array of vocal talent with deep ties to Chicago gathers on stage at Lyric Opera to pay tribute to the city's wide-reaching influence across blues, jazz, rock, folk, hip-hop, gospel, opera and classical music in Great Performances: Chicago Voices, premiering nationwide Friday, August 10 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings) and streaming the following day on pbs.org/gperf and PBS apps. Hosted by four-time Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming, the multi-genre concert special features performances by Fleming, Tony-winner Jessie Mueller (Waitress, Beautiful: The Carole King Musical), Grammy-winning rapper Lupe Fiasco, three-time Grammy-winning folk legend John Prine, Grammy-winning pop and gospel singer Michelle Williams (Destiny's Child), Grammy-winning jazz singer Kurt Elling and many more in a celebration of Chicago's rich and diverse vocal music legacy.

Great Performances: The Opera House, the new documentary by multiple Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Susan Froemke (Grey Gardens; Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton) surveys a remarkable period of the Metropolitan Opera's rich history and a time of great change for New York City. Drawing on rarely seen archival footage, stills and recent interviews, the film chronicles the creation of the Met's storied Lincoln Center home of the last 50 years, set against a backdrop of the artists, architects and politicians who shaped the cultural life of New York City in the 1950s and 60s. Among the notable figures featured in the film are famed soprano Leontyne Price, who opened the Met's present Opera House in 1966 with a starring role in Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra; Rudolf Bing, the Met's imperious general manager who engineered the move from the old house to the new one; Robert Moses, the unstoppable city planner who bulldozed an entire neighborhood to make room for Lincoln Center; and Wallace Harrison, whose quest for architectural glory was never fully realized.

Great Performances: The Opera House, the new documentary by multiple Emmy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Susan Froemke (Grey Gardens; Lalee's Kin: The Legacy of Cotton) surveys a remarkable period of the Metropolitan Opera's rich history and a time of great change for New York City. Drawing on rarely seen archival footage, stills and recent interviews, the film chronicles the creation of the Met's storied Lincoln Center home of the last 50 years, set against a backdrop of the artists, architects and politicians who shaped the cultural life of New York City in the 1950s and 60s. Amongst the notable figures featured in the film are famed soprano Leontyne Price, who opened the Met's present Opera House in 1966 with a starring role in Samuel Barber's Antony and Cleopatra; Rudolf Bing, the Met's imperious general manager who engineered the move from the old house to the new one; Robert Moses, the unstoppable city planner who bulldozed an entire neighborhood to make room for Lincoln Center; and Wallace Harrison, whose quest for architectural glory was never fully realized.

Blending the boundaries between hip-hop, pop, electronic dance music and contemporary R&B in his signature musical style, will.i.am performs from London's Royal Albert Hall in will.i.am and Friends Featuring the Black Eyed Peas - Landmarks Live in Concert: A Great Performances Special, premiering nationwide Friday, April 20 at 10 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). The concert will be available to stream the following day on http://pbs.org/gperf and PBS apps.

OLD HATSTheater Close-Up - the unique collaboration between THIRTEEN and the large community of New York City area Off-Broadway and regional theaters - presents Tony Award winners Bill Irwin and David Shiner in their award-winning, critically acclaimed production of Old Hats from Signature Theatre, Tuesday, June 13 at 8 p.m. on THIRTEEN, with an encore presentation on early Thursday morning, June 15 at 1:30 a.m. Watch a trailer for the show below!

Chita Rivera: A Lot of Livin' to Do, a retrospective of her extraordinary life and career -featuring interviews, archival performance footage, and newly filmed numbers from Rivera's concert including such numbers as 'A Boy Like That,' 'America,' 'A Lot of Livin' to Do,' 'All That Jazz,' and 'Nowadays' -- aired on Great Performances. Below, BroadwayWorld brings you the WHOLE performance! Enjoy!

World-renowned American opera singer Renée Fleming convenes a festival of special guests to celebrate the diverse range of America's vocal artistry. Young artists receive mentoring from respected singers including Ben Folds, Dianne Reeves, Sutton Foster, Eric Owens, Kim Burrell and Alison Krauss. Also see performances by Josh Groban, Sara Bareilles and Norm Lewis.

See Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers, featuring Edie Brickell, in their first-ever live concert performance to be broadcast on television.

Sting: The Last Ship will air on THIRTEEN's Great Performances, Friday, February 21 at 9 p.m., ET on PBS (check local listings) and features the 16-time Grammy Award-winning musician performing songs from his new album, The Last Ship

In celebration of this extraordinary legacy on the occasion of the series' 40th anniversary on PBS, a stellar roster of diverse alumni gather to share their personal stories of what Great Performances has meant to them, with reminiscences and performances by Julie Andrews, Audra McDonald, Don Henley, David Hyde Pierce, Josh Groban, Itzhak Perlman, Peter Martins, Patti Austin and Take 6, Met Opera star El?na Garan?a and Michael Buble. The evening, taped at Lincoln Center last November, will be televised on Great Performances, Friday, October 18 at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings). Click below to watch a preview!

Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in a new production of Wagner's final masterpiece Parsifal, staged by acclaimed French Canadian director François Girard in his Met debut, on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, July 28 at 12 noon on PBS (check local listings). (In New York, THIRTEEN will air the opera in two parts: Friday, August 16 at 9 p.m. and Friday, August 23 at 9 p.m.)

Star tenor Jonas Kaufmann sings the title role in a new production of Wagner's final masterpiece Parsifal on Great Performances at the MetSunday, July 28 at 12 noon on PBS

Elina Garanca, star of the Great Performances at the Met broadcasts of Carmen and La Cenerentola, appears in the trouser role of Sesto in the Met's rare revival of Mozart's opera of ancient Rome, La Clemenza di Tito. Check out the video below!

British composer Thomas Ades conducts the Met premiere of his contemporary Masterpiece THE TEMPEST, an English-language opera based on Shakespeare's final play. The Met's fantastical new production by Robert Lepage airs on Great Performances at the Met today, March 17 at 12 noon on PBS (check local listings). Get a sneak peek below!

British composer Thomas Ades conducts the Met premiere of his contemporary Masterpiece THE TEMPEST, an English-language opera based on Shakespeare's final play. The Met's fantastical new production by Robert Lepage airs on Great Performances at the Met Sunday, March 17 at 12 noon on PBS (check local listings). Get a sneak peek below!

As Sir Robin carols merrily to King Arthur in Monty Python's Spamalot, 'In any great adventure, if you don't want to lose...you won't succeed on Broadway if you don't have any Jews.' Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy is a new, 90-minute documentary by Michael Kantor, creator of the Emmy-winning series, Broadway: The American Musical. The special just aired on Great Performances yesterday, January 1 on PBS. Click below to watch!