Celebrate Black History Month with Great Performances! Check back on this blog throughout the month of February to explore more exciting programs honoring Black History Month.
From Little Rock to Chicago, host Scott Yoo follows the trail of the great African American composer Florence Price.
Merry Wives
Experience Shakespeare’s comedic masterpiece from the Public Theater’s Shakespeare in the Park set in South Harlem telling the story of the trickster Falstaff and the wily wives who outwit him in a celebration of Black joy, laughter and vitality.
Black Lucy and the Bard
Explore Shakespeare’s love life through the perspective of the “Dark Lady” in this work from Nashville Ballet based on poetry by Caroline Randall Williams and featuring an original score by GRAMMY winner Rhiannon Giddens.
Intimate Apparel
Experience the story of seamstress Esther who begins writing to a mysterious suitor laboring on the Panama Canal. Featuring music by Ricky Ian Gordon, a libretto by Pulitzer Prize winner Lynn Nottage, this powerful opera is directed by Tony winner Bartlett Sher.
The Magic of Spirituals
Glimpse behind the curtain at opera legends Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman’s famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, featuring performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb and more.
Richard III
Experience The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park production of Shakespeare’s tragedy with one of his most indelible villains starring Danai Gurira in the title role. Recorded live in July 2022 from Central Park.
Purlie Victorious
The comedic play tells the story of a Black preacher’s scheme to reclaim his inheritance and win back his church from a plantation owner.
Hamlet
From The Public Theater’s Free Shakespeare in the Park at The Delacorte Theater in Central Park, experience this Shakespearean classic directed by Tony Award winner Kenny Leon featuring Tony Award nominee Ato Blankson-Wood (“Slave Play”) in the title role and Solea Pfeiffer as Ophelia (“Hadestown”).
Audra McDonald at the London Palladium
The winner of a record-breaking six Tony Awards as well as two Grammy awards and an Emmy, Audra McDonald performs a repertoire of classic Broadway songs, including “I Am What I Am,” “Summertime,” “Climb Ev’ry Mountain” and many more.
Taking Note – Clayton Stephenson
A Juilliard Pre-College student at age 10, pianist Clayton Stephenson only decided in the past few years to pursue piano professionally after studying economics at Harvard University. Playing Godowsky’s “Symphonic Metamorphosis on Themes from Johann Strauss’s Die Fledermaus,” Stephenson believes that the piano portrays many instruments.
Taking Note – Njioma Chinyere Grevious
With early inspiration from her mother’s love of music, Njioma Chinyere Grevious took up the violin after watching her sister learn to play. Gaining initial skills through lessons from Boston’s Project STEP, Grevious particularly values the training she received in high school from teacher James Buswell whose instruction included both musical insight and life lessons. Grevious performs a violin sonata by Ravel that also features the piano.