BWW Exclusive: Audra McDonald & Brian Stokes Mitchell Perform 'Wheels of a Dream' from 'Ragtime' for UNITED IN SONG: CELEBRATING THE RESILIENCE OF AMERICA

In this exclusive clip from the upcoming PBS special "United in Song: Celebrating the Resilience of America," Tony winners Audra McDonald and Brian Stokes Mitchell perform "Wheels of a Dream" from "Ragtime."

Watch the captivating performance below!

McDonald and Stokes Mitchell originated the roles of Sarah and Colehouse Walker, Jr. in the 1998 Broadway production of "Ragtime." McDonald holds the record for more Tony Best Performance wins than any other actor in history, and is the only person to win all four acting categories; Stokes Mitchell won his Tony for "Kiss Me Kate."

Based on the classic American novel by E.L. Doctorow, Ragtime has a book by Terrence McNally (Master Class, Love! Valour! Compassion!) and a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (Once On This Island, Anastasia, Seussical).

UNITED IN SONG: CELEBRATING THE RESILIENCE OF AMERICA premieres Thursday, December 31, 2020 from 8:00-9:30 p.m. ET and again from 9:30-11:00 p.m. ET (check local listings) on PBS, PBS.org and the PBS Video App.

The star-studded performance - filmed at George Washington's Mount Vernon and The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts - encourages our nation to come together and celebrate our irrepressible strength as we welcome the New Year. Despite the enormity of COVID-19 and the significant presence of social injustice, this special evening of wide-ranging music joins us in the ever-present pursuit of uniting as one America.

Filmed at George Washington's Mount Vernon in front of a small, socially-distanced live audience and under strict COVID-19 mitigation procedures, UNITED IN SONG: CELEBRATING THE RESILIENCE OF AMERICA features performances by: Grammy-nominated mezzo-soprano Jamie Barton; multi-Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell; world-renowned soprano Renée Fleming; celebrated mezzo-soprano Denyce Graves; multi Grammy- and Tony Award-nominated artist Josh Groban; rising opera star Soloman Howard; recording artist and Broadway star Morgan James; 26-time Grammy and Latin Grammy Award winner Juanes; Grammy Award-winning and world-renowned artist Patti LaBelle; internationally celebrated cellist Yo-Yo Ma; six-time Tony Award winner Audra McDonald; two-time Tony Award winner Brian Stokes Mitchell; celebrated actor, playwright and professor Anna Deavere Smith; world-renowned pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet; alongside The American Pops Orchestra, conducted by Maestro Luke Frazier. Performances by the National Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Maestra JoAnn Falletta, were filmed in the Concert Hall of the Kennedy Center and are also part of this special broadcast.