Each year, PBS does something others overlook: It celebrates Broadway.
There used to be lots of TV people who did that, from Ed Sullivan to Rosie O’Donnell. But for now, it’s mostly this one burst — four Fridays on PBS (May 10-31) and then the Tony Awards on CBS (June 16).
In that stretch, PBS will offer two plays (“Hamlet,” shown here, and “Purlie Victorious”) and two concerts, stuffed with Broadway tunes. One has Audra McDonald, the all-time Tony-leader, alone and another has her joined by lots ofother stars. “I’m the only one I’ve never heard of,” powerhouse baritone Michael Ball says during the concert.
These shows offer awesome talent … but still aren’t for everyone. For instance:
— William Shakespeare and Ossie Davis were amazing wordsmiths. But when their words cascade like a volcano, the audience can only hope to catch some of them. Davis’ “Purlie” and Shakespeare’s “Hamlet,” like many plays, can seem terribly broad on TV; their endings seem contrived – one toward joy, the other toward despair.
— And McDonald? For all of her immense talent and charm, she sometimes pushes her voice to an upper octave; modern audiences are accustomed to a middle range.
Still, each of these shows offers a chance to see great talent at work; that’s a PBS specialty. “We’re America’s biggest stage,” said Paula Kerger, the network’s CEO, “We can be in every home – no matter where you live, what your economic means.”
Here are the four shows, each starting at 9 p.m.:
“HAMLET” (May 10). Back in 2019, Kenny Leon directed an amiable Shakespeare in the Park production of “Much Ado About Nothing.” Four years later, he returned with a similar set design, but a much different show.
Leon eases us into it, with splendid acappella songs. But soon, we’re into hard-core Shakespearean tragedy.
Viewers might be unfamiliar with many of the actors, including the terrific Ato Blankson-Wood (shown here, right) as Hamlet. But Lorraine Toussaint – Aunt Vi in CBS’ “The Equalizer” –plays his mom, Queen Gertrude. All are steeply talented, in a show that – like any “Hamlet” – will be loved by some and dismissed by many.
“AUDRA McDONALD AT THE LONDON PALLADIUM” (May 17). Among actors, McDonald is the all-time champion, with six Tonys in competitive categories. (Angela Lansbury and Julie Harris each have five, plus an honorary award.) Now, backed by a 40-piece orchestra, she strolls through Broadway history,
Some of the moments are light; this London audience, as expected, goes gaga for “I Could Have Danced All Night.” And several have a serious core.
McDonald – who grew up in Fresno (the daughter of educators) when it was about 8-percent Black – talks about the concept of being “the other.” She opens with “I Am What I Am” (“I love what the song says”) and later adds passionate takes on the Muppets’ “It Isn’t Easy Being Green” and a blending of “You’ve Got to Be Carefully Taught” and “Children Will Listen.”
“PURLIE VICTORIOUS” (May 24): Once again, it’s Leon directing a show filled with turbo-paced dialog.
Ossie Davis wrote and starred in “Purlie” back in 1961. Then came a long dormancy. “It’s not the most commercially viable product,” granted David Horn, who produces PBS’ “Great Performances.”
But it works well for TV. (The stage easily transforms into the two sets, plus a third one for the epilogue.) And it had a cast capable of its fierce demands.
The show closed in February after less than five months, but it now has a Tony nomination for best play revival, plus ones for Leon’s direction, the costumes, the sets, Leslie Odom Jr.’s jet-paced performance in the lead and Kara Young’s work – broadly comic, in the Carol Burnett mode – as his protege.
“RODGERS & HAMMERSTEIN’S 80TH ANNIVERSARY” (May 31). There’s a richly cross-Atlantic feel to this night.
Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II were Americans; the concert is in London. Some of the most vibrant moments come from Marisha Wallace, an American who became a star in England.
There are plenty of British stars here, but the show starts with classic Americana (an “Oklahoma” medley and Patrick Wilson) and ends with McDonald singing “Climb Ev’ry Mountain.”
She does the same song, brilliantly, in her solo concert. But here, it provides a grand finish to a four-week Broadway spree.