Broadway to Main Street

To tee up the Great Performances l PBS documentary, "Broadway Musicals: A Jewish Legacy," we interview its producer/director Michael Kantor and play some great show tunes from Jewish creators, performed by Barbra Streisand, Joel Grey, Al Jolson, Sammy Davis, Jr. and more.

To celebrate the recent Great Performances l PBS

We're keying in to this monumental jazz piano talent as part of his centenary--astonishing takes on songs from Fiorello!, West Side Story, The New Moon, My Fair Lady and so much more.

BROADWAY BOUQUET April showers bring May flowers--a reprise of perennials from Hadestown, On a Clear Day, Gypsy, The Sound of Music and more.

This magical arranger turned his genius to the Broadway canon with timeless results. Listen to Sinatra, Jobim, Sammy Davis, Jr., DianA Krall, Streisand and more in thrilling versions of songs from Fiddler on the Roof, Kismet, Zorba, My Fair Lady and more.

This is our quest--to follow this star throughout his amazing career: Kismet, No Strings, The Little Prince, and of course Man of La Mancha (and many rarities).

Yes, it's come to that--an hour of great "rain" songs on stage, from Singin' in the Rain, Bloomer Girl, Grease, and of course 110 in the Shade.

Love makes the world go 'round in this beloved 1961 charmer. The original Broadway cast, West End cast, and some surprise guests all provide beautiful renditions of the Bob Merrill score.

The 1980 British song cycle, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Don Black, gets cycled through its many variants, performed by Marti Webb, Bernadette Peters, Denise van Outen and more.

Start spreading the news: to celebrate the birthday girl, we're playing an encore broadcast of a great creative partnership. Liza's classics and some rarities from The Act, Cabaret, Flora the Red Menace, and more.

Nobody Does It Better!--in advance of Sunday night's Oscars, we give you the great songs written by Broadway artists that were nominated but didn't get the statuette: runners-up by Marvin Hamlisch, Jerome Kern, Kander and Ebb, Lerner and Loewe, and many more.

Musical numbers aren't always violets and silverbells: here are moments from the musical stage where the truth is spoken to power. Songs from Les Misérables, Suffs, Kiss of the Spider Woman, The Cradle Will Rock (of course), and more.

America's great poet and essayist was also a songwriter. One perfect rose of a program with songs by and inspired by Mrs. Parker's career; performers include Doris Day, Christine Baranski, Anika Larsen, Ann Harada, Jackie Hoffman and Veanne Cox.

A look at the enduring legacy of the songs of Rodgers and Hart, interpreted through the decades by Frank Sinatra, Nina Simone, Tony Bennett, the Supremes, Lady Gaga and more. 

As a complement to the current film bio of Lorenz Hart, BLUE MOON, we present a two-part episode, focusing on the songs and events mentioned in the movie. The first has performances by Peggy Lee, Bobby Short, James Cagney, Lena Horne and more. 

Truer than the red, hot, and blue...for Valentine's Day, some of the greatest show tunes with "love" in them: sung by John Raitt, Audra McDonald, Jack Cassidy, Cynthia Erivo, and more.

Our crystal has a ball with this "Improbable Musical Comedy"--coming back to Encores! next week. Original cast (Bea Lillie, Tammy Grimes) and London recordings--plus Mel Tormé, Petula Clark, and the Master, Noël Coward, himself.

Nothing but class--an hour with one of the smoothest singers of the 1960s:  Matt Monro as he does Broadway tunes from My Fair Lady, Golden Boy, Cats, and many more.

Cole Porter and George S. Kaufman teamed up to bring Billy Wilder's "Ninotchka" to the musical stage in 1955; here's a cornucopia of songs, featuring Fred Astaire, Ella Fitzgerald, Don Ameche, Bobby Short, and more.

It's the beginning of our 15th year on the air, so let's share it with some of the performers who always make me happy: Idina Menzel, Barbara Harris, Eddie Cantor, Alfred Drake, Pearl Bailey, André De Shields and so many more.

Consider this a round of Bromo-Seltzers to bring you back to real life after a busy set of holidays; songs about drinks and their aftermath from Tammy Grimes, Jackie Gleason, Patti LuPone, and more.

We remember the vast possibilities of the giants of the musical stage who left us in 2025: Linda Lavin, Tom Lehrer, Cleo Laine, Charles Strouse and more.

What better way to celebrate 2025 than on the air with the Broadway performer who made it her favorite year: Jasmine Amy Rogers. She joins us for classic songs for the holidays by Nat "King"Cole, the Jackson 5, Eddie Cantor and of course some Boop!

We're sending songs in your general direction with two implacable knights of the musical Round Table--Eric Idle and John Du Prez--the songwriters of Spamalot in our studio; plus numerous other Python musical treats.

We take Sammy from his Broadway triumph in Golden Boy onward, through songs from Sweet Charity, Golden Rainbow, The Phantom of the Opera and more.

We celebrate Mr. Entertainment himself and the first half of his extraordinary career in advance of what would have been his 100th birthday. Songs from Mr. Wonderful, West Side Story, Porgy and Bess, and more.

Our celebrity centenary celebration for 2025 begins with a tribute to Dick Van Dyke, beloved star of stage (Bye Bye Birdie) and screen (Mary Poppins, etc.). Guests include Chita Rivera, Mary Tyler Moore, and of course Julie Andrews--plus some Dick Van Dyke show tune rarities! 

To celebrate our 600th episode, we're highlighting my favorite songs from my favorite shows--Broadway winners, every one, from On the Twentieth Century, Show Boat, My Fair Lady, Sweeney Todd, and more.

As a follow-up to our "Songs I Don't Like from Shows I Do" (and a precursor to our upcoming 600th episode), an encore presentation of tunes from Wonderful Town, Pippin, The Music Man and more--everybody's favorites but mine.

The close harmony sounds of music groups have embraced Broadway and been presented there, too: Jersey Boys, Motown the Musical, Beatlemania, plus the dulcet tones of the Pied Pipers, the Boswell Sisters, the Hi-Lo's and many more.

One of the 20th Century's greatest singers turns her glorious pipes to the Broadway canon: songs from West Side Story, Sweet Charity, Purlie, and of course, Promises, Promises.

Good eeeevening....! Our annual Halloween broadcast hosted by Count Larry Maslon, offers a slice of the homicidal maniacs who roam the Broadway musical like crazy: Sweeney Todd, the Phantom, Anthony Perkins and much more.

We're crossing off items on our Bucket List with fantastic performances on the musical stage by the late great dame, Patricia Routledge. Songs by Styne, Bernstein, Coward, Rodgers, Sir Arthur Sullivan and numerous West End rarities.

To tee up the release of Merrily's screen capture, we look forward to a broad overview of Sondheim's wonderful score. Renditions from Frank Sinatra, Julie Andrews, Lin-Manuel Miranda and various cast albums. 

Almost every great show has a clunker; here are the ones that just don't work--for me--from Sunday in the Park, Carousel, Cabaret, Phantom of the Opera and more.

The great Mel Tormé served up the Broadway show tune songbook like a master; we're joined by another master, Eric Comstock, to celebrate Tormé's 100th birthday; songs from Pal Joey, City of Angels, Carnival and so much more.

Broadway loves its entertainers center stage--real or imagined. Join us for a front-row seat for Bobby Darin, Fanny Brice, the Marx Brothers, Tina Turner, Conrad Birdie and many more.

We're joined by Ira's biographer, Michael Owen, for a 'swonderful overview of his fascinating career. Performances by Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Kelli O'Hara, Fred Astaire and many more.

Rosemary Clooney, that is. One of our greatest singers, with an entire program dedicated to her and songs from The Pajama Game, Merrily We Roll Along, Gypsy, Oh Captain!, and many more.

Memories, lighting the corners of our mind--our annual soundtrack episode, featuring the unforgettable lyrics by the Bergmans and movie themes sung by Barbra Streisand, Tony Bennett, Ray Charles, Sarah Vaughan and many others.

The singular sensation celebrates its 50th Anniversary and we *finally* get around to showcasing its amazing Hamlisch/Kleban score. The original cast plus Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Eydie Gormé, and more.

In her honor, we are celebrating the Broadway songbook of jazz singer extraordinaire, Cleo Laine. Songs by Cy Coleman, Jerome Kern, and plenty of Sondheim.

We're up, up, and away with this summer's box office superhero. We listen to the 1966 musical version of Superman plus songs and music from his movie and TV adventures.

We're joined by Steve Ross, the Crown Prince of Cafe Society, regaling us with laughter, tales, and songs--at the piano and with recordings of tunes from Little Me, Anyone Can Whistle, The Happy Time and more.

It's called "pastiche" that subtle art practiced by great songwriters paying tribute to the music of the past--as heard in Hairspray, Parade, Kiss Me Kate, Fiorello!, and more.

The perfect Fourth of July musical--more relevant than ever. So, sit down for an hour with this classic as we hear the Broadway cast and the rare film soundtrack, united for posterity.

This episode draws its inspiration from the great theatrical illustrator Al Hirschfeld.  We're joined by the chief archivist of his work, David Leopold, for a musical survey of his favorites: the Gershwins, Julie Andrews, Louis Armstrong and more.  Watch along at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psDdsefFUMA

' Feudin' and fussin' and fightin'--on-stage and off-stage: West Side Story, Hamilton, Camelot and two gals named Patti and Audra.

Broadway to Main Street is all ready for the big event-and you will be too! All the major nominees from 2025 are featured: Maybe Happy Ending, Death Becomes Her, Buena Vista Social Club--and more.

We look back at Broadway fifty years ago to see what was worthy of recognition then. A lot, as it turns out: The Wiz, Angela Lansbury in Gypsy, Shenandoah, Bernadette Peters and much much more.