Great Performances - Season 53

First aired: 10/3/2025 6 episodes

Episodes

1. The Magic of Grace Bumbry

Aired: 10/3/2025

Discover 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."

2. Great Performances at the Met: Il Barbiere di Siviglia

Aired: 10/19/2025

Rossini’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.

3. Tiler Peck: Suspending Time

Aired: 11/7/2025

Follow 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.

4. Twelfth Night

Aired: 11/14/2025

The 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.

5. Nutcracker from English National Ballet

Aired: 12/16/2025

Experience the holiday classic in a new light, featuring over 100 dancers and musicians performing at the London Coliseum.

6. Movies for Grownups® Awards 2026 with AARP The Magazine

Aired: 2/22/2026

Iconic and beloved screen and stage performer Alan Cumming returns as host for this awards show in which Adam Sandler receives the Career Achievement Award.