Browse all episodes of Great Performances

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

A young Irish ward boss has a chance to be elected mayor, but the disgraced current mayor makes sure the candidate's wife learns about his affair with a just-deceased rich girl.

Hogan's Goat

Long-nosed Cyrano de Begerac helps an army officer woo Roxanne, the woman he loves. Directed by William Ball, starring Peter Donat and 	Marsha Mason.

Cyrano de Bergerac

In a nod to the days of classic American comedy, a 1929's Tin Pan Alley lyricist meets a composer who has a big hit: "Paprika... the Spice of My Life."

June Moon

Mr. Holroyd is an alcoholic, abusive miner in pre-WWI England who terrorizes his family. Mrs. Holroyd plans to run away with her would-be lover when Mr. Holroyd dies in a mining accident, leaving the family torn with guilt over their hatred of the dead man. Geraldine Page and Rex Robins star.

The Widowing of Mrs. Holroyd

Antigone

King Lear, old and tired, divides his kingdom among his daughters, giving great importance to their protestations of love for him. When Cordelia, youngest and most honest, refuses to idly flatter the old man in return for favor, he banishes her and turns for support to his remaining daughters. But Goneril and Regan have no love for him and instead plot to take all his power from him. In a parallel, Lear's loyal courtier Gloucester favors his illegitimate son Edmund after being told lies about his faithful son Edgar. Madness and tragedy befall both ill-starred fathers.

King Lear

Episode 6

Episode 7

Episode 8

Episode 9

Episode 10

The Seagull

Episode 4

Episode 5

The Most Happy Fella

Great Performances' 10th Anniversary Celebration

Ellington: The Music Lives On

Alice in Wonderland

A multi-award winning biography covering the life and career of actor/director Laurence Olivier.

Laurence Olivier: A Life

Taking My Turn

The Best of Broadway

Orpheus

Ulysses

The Coronation of Poppea

Doctor Fischer of Geneva

Three by Three

Lena Horne: The Lady and Her Music

In 1890s London, two friends use the same pseudonym ("Ernest") for their on-the-sly activities. Hilarity ensues.

The Importance of Being Ernest

Early Days

The legendary gospel musical that transforms Sophocles’ timeless tale of the last days of Oedipus into a parable for our times. With its epic poetry and magnificent score, The Gospel at Colonus reminds us that out of the deepest sorrow, the highest and most uplifting hope can emerge.

The Gospel at Colonus (Episode 4)

The Cotton Club Remenbered

Broadway Sings: The Music of Jule Styne

The Music Makers: An ASCAP Celebration of American Music at Wolf Trap

Episode 11

Richard Burton: In from the Cold

San Francisco Opera: Mefistofele by Arrigo Boito

The best in the performing arts from across America and around the world including a diverse programming portfolio of classical music, opera, popular song, musical theater, dance, drama, and performance documentaries.