New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
Westport special to air on PBS
A limited TV series starring Broadway performers and that was filmed in Westport will premiere on PBS Fridays Jan. 7 through 21.
“Stars on Stage from Westport Country Playhouse” will feature Tony and Olivier Award-winner Gavin Creel, Billboard number-one recording artist Shoshana Bean and Tony, Emmy and Grammy Award-nominee Brandon Victor Dixon.
According to Director of PBS Programming and Development Zara Frankel, the point of the series is to give viewers a front-row seat to concerts they might otherwise have not attended and spark a curiosity for live performance.
“There’s nothing quite like the excitement of live performance and sharing that experience has always been central to our mission, now more than ever,” Frankel said in a news release.
Westport resident Andrew C. Wilk is the creator and executive producer of the series. He also was the executive producer of PBS’s “Live From Lincoln Center” from 2012-2019, according to previous reporting.
“I chose Westport Country Playhouse because of its renown as one of the most esteemed and historic regional theaters in the country,” Wilk told Hearst earlier this year. “Together, we are launching this series in the tradition of bringing great art to television viewers everywhere.”
The series kicks off Jan. 7 with a performance by Creel, in which he will sing songs from musicals such as “West Side Story” and “The Sound of Music.”
The following Friday, Bean will perform an array of songs, including tributes to pop icons such as Barbara Streisand and Whitney Houston, along with some of her own original songs.
Dixon closes out the series Jan. 21 with songs from Marvin Gaye, Donny Hathaway, Stevie Wonder and more.
“Stars on Stage from Westport Country Playhouse will air Fridays, Jan. 7, 14 and 21 on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video app.