Great Performances (1971)
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.
-
Episode 1 - The Magic of Grace Bumbry
Release Date: 2025-10-03Discover Grace Bumbry’s inspiring rise to global opera fame. Spotlighting her historic performances, the film explores the racial barriers she overcame to triumph in her 1966 performance as "Carmen."
-
Episode 2 - Great Performances at the Met: Il Barbiere di Siviglia
Release Date: 2025-10-19Rossini’s effervescent comedy retakes the stage in Bartlett Sher’s madcap production. Aigul Akhmetshina headlines a winning ensemble as the feisty heroine, Rosina, alongside Jack Swanson, in his Met debut, as her secret beloved, Count Almaviva. Andrey Zhilikhovsky stars as Figaro, the infamous barber of Seville, with Peter Kálmán as Dr. Bartolo and Alexander Vinogradov as Don Basilio.
-
Episode 3 - Tiler Peck: Suspending Time
Release Date: 2025-11-07Follow acclaimed ballerina Tiler Peck as she overcomes injury to reclaim her place on stage and debut her own choreography with New York City Ballet, revealing the resilience and artistry behind a modern-day prima ballerina.
-
Episode 4 - Twelfth Night
Release Date: 2025-11-14The Shakespearean comedy of mistaken identity tells the romantic misadventures of twins Sebastian and Viola after they survive a shipwreck, including revenge plots and tricks of love. Recorded this summer at the newly renovated Delacorte Theater in Central Park, the production is directed by Tony Award nominee Saheem Ali.
-
Episode 5 - Nutcracker from English National Ballet
Release Date: 2025-12-16Experience the holiday classic in a new light, featuring over 100 dancers and musicians performing at the London Coliseum.
-
Episode 6 - From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2026
Release Date: 2026-01-01The famed Vienna Philharmonic rings in the New Year with its annual concert from Vienna's Musikverein conducted for the first time by Yannick Nézet-Séguin with performances by the Vienna State Ballet and location segments hosted by Hugh Bonneville.
-
Episode 7 - Movies for Grownups® Awards 2026 with AARP The Magazine
Release Date: 2026-02-22Iconic and beloved screen and stage performer Alan Cumming returns as host for this awards show in which Adam Sandler receives the Career Achievement Award.