PBS Celebrates Broadway’s Best With a Star-Studded 2025 Lineup
PBS is once again spotlighting theater’s finest with its annual Broadway’s Best series, airing Fridays in May as part of Great Performances. The 2025 lineup brings four acclaimed stage productions to viewers nationwide, showcasing powerful stories, legendary music, and award-winning talent. The season kicked off last week with Next to Normal, the Tony and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical about a suburban mother grappling with bipolar disorder and a haunting family past. Starring Caissie Levy and filmed during its West End transfer from the Donmar Warehouse, this raw and intimate production offers a gripping portrayal of mental health and resilience. Tomorrow night, May 16, PBS presents Yellow Face, David Henry Hwang’s autobiographical comedy about a playwright who accidentally casts a white actor in an Asian role while protesting similar casting choices in the industry. Featuring Daniel Dae Kim and produced by Roundabout Theatre Company, the play cleverly explores identity, race, and the complexities of representation in theater. On May 23, tune in for Girl from the North Country, a soulful Depression-era musical set in a Minnesota guesthouse where strangers’ lives intertwine. Written and directed by Conor McPherson and featuring 20 reimagined Bob Dylan songs—including “Hurricane” and “Forever Young”—the show captures both the hardship and hope of the era with poetic storytelling and powerful music. The series concludes on May 30 with Kiss Me, Kate, Cole Porter’s beloved backstage musical comedy. In this stylish production from London’s Barbican Theatre, Tony Award winner Stephanie J. Block stars as Lilli Vanessi in a witty, romantic battle of exes putting on a musical version of The Taming of the Shrew. Packed with timeless tunes like “So in Love” and “Too Darn Hot,” the show is a vibrant finale to this year’s lineup. All episodes of Broadway’s Best air Fridays at 9 p.m. ET on PBS and are available to stream for free on the PBS website and the PBS App.