When the sofa is your theater seat
AN UPDATED GUIDE TO APPRECIATING THE GREAT WHITE WAY FROM YOUR COUCH
Theaters in New York are dark, but some great Broadway hits from the past are being offered via public broadcasting.
“Great Performances” presents “Boadway at Home,” bringing favorite theater productions to PBS every Friday at 9 p. m.
This week, watch for “Present Laughter,” a comedy by Noel Coward. That this play was first produced in 1942 and is still produced today at many theaters is a testament to its timeless appeal. The production originally featured Coward in the leading role. The playwright said it was semiautobiographical in that it is about a theater star at the height of his career. The lead character has a way of getting entangled in relationships which are comically more difficult to get out of. There’s plenty of hilarious situations as he tries to get ready for a tour.
“In the Heights — Chasing Broadway Dreams” is about how the musical written by Quiara Alegria Hudes with music and lyrics by Lin- Manuel Miranda of “Hamilton” fame came to Broadway. It is a program that offers an intimate look at the production backstage and off- stage. It includes an up close and personal look at the cast members as they moved through workshops to off- Broadway and ultimately to a full Broadway production. It is scheduled for Aug. 7. Having won many awards, the show opened on Broadway in 2008. It is the story of the lives of Latinos in Washington Heights in New York City and it is filled with great music and romance.
Aug. 14 welcomes The Public Theater’s “Much Ado About
Nothing,” which was recorded live at Free Shakespeare in the Park. This bold interpretation features an all Black cast. This is Shakespeare’s comedy featuring Benedick and Beatrice. The storyline focuses on love and deception and with Shakespeare you can expect plenty of misunderstanding.
Last but certainly not least is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s “The
King and I.” The production was recorded during its 2018 run in London’s West End with original Lincoln Center Theater cast members Ken Watanabe as the King and Kelli O’Hara in her Tonywinning performance as Mrs. Anna, along with Ruthie Ann Miles as “head wife” Lady Thiang, who won the 2015 Tony Award for Best Featured Actress in a musical. It went on to receive the Tony Award for Best Musical Revival. Many people don’t realize that this story is based on a true story. In 1862, a British schoolteacher Anna Leonowens went to Siam ( today known as Thailand) to teach the royal children of the king’s several wives. There are so many well- known and wonderful songs in this show that it will be hard not to sing along as you watch on Aug. 21.
The coronavirus can’t erase theater with shows like this airing straight into your living room. PBS programming will be available for streaming on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS. org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Chromecast. PBS station members will be available to view all episodes via Passport.