On Sunday, June 5th, the day of the Tonys, A&E's Breakfast with the Arts will air rare footage of a John Raitt performance, as well as turning the spotlight on some of this year's current and past nominees. The program will air from 8 AM to 10 AM EST.
As part of a memorial tribute to some of the Broadway greats who have passed away this year, the show will feature Raitt's performance of "Meditation" from Shenandoah, which was filmed 25 years ago when Raitt toured as Charlie Anderson in the Geld-Udell Civil War-set musical. Raitt originated the roles of Billy Bigelow and Sid Sorokin in Carousel and The Pajama Game, respectively. He also played many of the other great roles in the musical theatre canon such as Curly in Oklahoma!, and was the father of singer Bonnie Raitt.In addition, Edward Albee, John Lithgow, Elizabeth Ashley, Sutton Foster and Marc Kudisch will be profiled on the show. Albee, the author of Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf, A Delicate Balance, The Goat and other plays, will receive a Tony Award for Lifetime Achievement in the Theatre. Ashley is in rehearsals to star in the Hartford Stage Company's production of Tennesse Williams' Cat on a Hot Tin Roof; the two-time Tony nominee will discuss her friendship with the legendary playwright as well as her career. Lithgow, Foster and Kudisch are respectively nominated this year for Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Little Women and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang; Foster and Kudisch had previously starred together in the original cast of Thoroughly Modern Millie (for which Foster won a Best Actress Tony).
A round table of theatre critics and columnists--Michael Riedel (NY Post), Peter Filichia (Newark Star-Ledger) and Melissa Bernardo (Entertainment Weekly)--will also analyze the Tony nominations, make their predictions and discuss the theatre season on Broadway and around the country.Now reaching more than 88 million homes, A&E Network brings viewers the Art of EntertainmentTM through a unique combination of three genres – The Art of Biography, The Art of Documentary, and The Art of Drama. A brand synonymous with excellence in television, A&E Network offers a diverse mix of programming ranging from critically acclaimed original series and movies, to innovative documentaries, to the Emmy Award-winning Biography(r) series, to dramatic specials, feature film presentations, and contemporary performances. In 2004, A&E Network holds the distinct record for the most Primetime Emmy nominations (24) for a basic cable network.
For more information on A&E and Breakfast with the Arts, visit www.aetv.com
