New PBS Program Debuting Tonight Shows How Broadway Turned The Lights Back On After Covid-19 Shutdown

A new Great Performances program, “Reopening: The Broadway Revival”—debuting tonight at 9 p.m. ET on PBS—will pull the curtain back on some of Broadway’s most popular shows, revealing how the New York theater industry undertook the monumental process of turning the lights back on after its longest hiatus in history due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Offering exclusive behind-the-scenes access to shows including “Wicked,” “Aladdin,” “Tina: The Tina Turner Musical,” “Jagged Little Pill,” “The Phantom of the Opera,” “Waitress” and others, the film follows each production’s journey as cast and crew reunite, rehearse and re-stage for their long-anticipated reopening nights.

 Hosted by three-time New York Emmy Award-winning journalist and host of “On Stage” on Spectrum News NY1, Frank DiLella, the documentary is told by Broadway stars and legends, including 2021 Tony Award winner for Best Actress in a Musical Adrienne Warren (“Tina: The Tina Turner Musical”), 2021 Tony Award winner for Best Actor in a Musical Aaron Tveit (“Moulin Rouge”), Tony and Emmy nominee Sara Bareilles (“Waitress”), Michael James Scott (“Aladdin”), Tony nominee Elizabeth Stanley (“Jagged Little Pill”), Alexandra Billings (“Wicked”), Jawan M. Jackson (“Ain’t Too Proud”), Jeanna de Waal (“Diana: The Musical”), Rachel Tucker (“Come From Away”), Tony nominee Andrew Rannells, Tony nominee Norm Lewis (“Chicken and Biscuits”), Olivier Award winner Sharon D. Clarke (“Caroline, or Change”), Tony winner Lea Salonga, Tony winner and Emmy winner Kristin Chenoweth, Tony winner Chita Rivera, Tony winner Laura Benanti, Tony winner David Rockwell and the legendary award-winning composer Andrew Lloyd Webber.

 “When Broadway reopened this past fall, our cameras were granted unprecedented access to these incredible shows and the wonderful actors who bring them to life eight times a week. This hour will take viewers on a journey even we never saw coming,” said Stu Weiss, chief creative officer at Studio City/PXL and executive producer of the program.

 Throughout its nearly 50-year history on PBS, Great Performances has provided an unparalleled showcase of the best in all genres of the performing arts, serving as America’s most prestigious and enduring broadcaster of cultural programming. Showcasing a diverse range of artists from around the world, the series has earned 67 Emmy Awards and six Peabody Awards

The Great Performances website hosts exclusive videos, interviews, photos, full episodes and more. The series is produced by the WNET Group.