THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL's Vanessa Williams to Host WABC-TV's BROADWAY BACKSTAGE: SPRING PREVIEW, 5/18

This weekend, WABC-7 airs a half-hour special covering highlights of the spring season on Broadway, including ANNIE, THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, I'LL EAT YOU LAST, JERSEY BOYS, LUCKY GUY, MATILDA THE MUSICAL, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL, PIPPIN, and more. "Broadway Backstage: Spring Preview" airs on Saturday, May 18 from 7:00-7:30PM.

Hosts Michelle Charlesworth and Vanessa Williams, currently starring in THE TRIP TO BOUNTIFUL, present an exciting look behind the scenes at this spring's biggest stars, blockbuster musicals, riveting revivals and brand new dramas on Broadway.

ANNIE

Emmy Award-winning actress Jane Lynch, who stars in the hit FOX television show "Glee," makes her Broadway debut Wednesday, May 15 as tyrannical orphanage matron Miss Hannigan in the new production of ANNIE, nominated for a Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical. The show's timeless score includes "Maybe," "It's the Hard Knock Life," "You're Never Fully Dressed Without a Smile," "Easy Street," "I Don't Need Anything But You" and the eternal anthem of optimism, "Tomorrow." ANNIE features a book by Thomas Meehan, music by Charles Strouse and lyrics by Martin Charnin, with all three authors receiving 1977 Tony Awards for their work. ANNIE is playing on Broadway at the Palace Theatre.

For more information, visit www.anniethemusical.com. Follow ANNIE on Twitter and on Facebook.

THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES

WABC goes behind the scenes with Tony Award nominee Judith Light, star of THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES, a world premiere play by Tony Award winnerRichard Greenberg, directed by Manhattan Theatre Club's award-winning Artistic Director Lynne Meadow. THE ASSEMLED PARTIES welcomes us to the world of the Bascovs, an Upper West Side Jewish family in 1980. Twenty years later, as 2001 approaches, the Bascovs' seemingly picture-perfect life may be about to crumble. A stunning new play infused with humor, THE ASSEMBLED PARTIES is an incisive portrait of a family grasping for stability at the dawn of a new millennium. The show opened on April 17, 2013 at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre and is nominated for three Tony Awards.

For more information on MTC, visit www.ManhattanTheatreClub.com. Follow MTC on Twitter: @MTC_NYC and on Facebook.

I'LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS

Bette Midler's return to Broadway in John Logan's new play I'LL EAT YOU LAST: A CHAT WITH SUE MENGERS, directed by Joe Mantello, opened April 24, 2013 at the Booth Theatre. Appearing on Broadway for the first time in almost 40 years, Tony and Grammy Award-winning superstar Bette Midlerplays the legendary Hollywood agent Sue Mengers (1932-2011) in the new, one-character play.

For more information, visit www.IllEatYouLast.com. Follow I'LL EAT YOU LAST on Twitter: @IllEatYouLast or on Facebook.

JERSEY BOYS

JERSEY BOYS star John Lloyd Young talks about his love of Juice Generation. JERSEY BOYS is the Tony, Grammy and Olivier Award-winning hit musical written by Marshall Brickman & Rick Elice, with music by Bob Gaudio, lyrics by Bob Crewe, and directed by two-time Tony Award winner Des McAnuff, and choreographed by Sergio Trujillo, and is now playing on Broadway at the August Wilson Theatre (245 West 52nd Street, btwn. Broadway and 8th Ave.) in New York City.

For more information, visit www.JerseyBoysInfo.com. Follow JERSEY BOYS on Twitter: @JerseyBoysInfo or on Facebook.

LUCKY GUY

Nora Ephron began her professional career as a reporter at The New York Post in 1962 and LUCKY Guy Marks a return to her journalistic roots. Her new work, nominated for six Tony Awards including Best Play, is about the scandal- and graffiti-ridden New York of the 1980s, as told through the story of the charismatic and controversial tabloid columnist Mike McAlary (Tom Hanks). WABC chats with Tony nominee Courtney B. Vance, currently onstage at the Broadhurst Theatre as McAlary's longtime editor, Hap Hairston. LUCKY GUY opened on April 1, 2013.

For more information, visit www.LuckyGuyPlay.com. Follow LUCKY GUY on Twitter and on Facebook.

MATILDA THE MUSICAL

Directed by Matthew Warchus with a book by playwright Dennis Kelly and music and lyrics by Australian comedian, musician and composer Tim Minchin, MATILDA THE MUSICAL opened to rapturous reviews last month and has received 12 Tony Award nominations, including one for Best Musical. Based on the beloved novel by best-selling author Roald Dahl, MATILDA THE MUSICAL is the story of an extraordinary girl who dreams of a better life. Armed with a vivid imagination and a sharp mind, Matilda dares to take a stand and change her destiny.

For more information, visit www.matildathemusical.com. Follow MATILDA THE MUSICAL on Twitter and on Facebook.

MOTOWN THE MUSICAL

WABC speaks with legendary Motown founder Berry Gordy; Brandon Victor Dixon, playing Mr. Gordy onstage; and Raymond Luke, Jr., the young man who's making a name for himself in the role of Young Michael Jackson. Directed by Charles Randolph-Wright and featuring music and lyrics from the legendary Motown catalogue, MOTOWN THE MUSICAL opened at Broadway's Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on April 14, 2013 and is nominated for four Tony Awards. Featuring all the classics you love, this exhilarating show tells the story behind the hits as Diana Ross, Smokey Robinson, Berry Gordy and the whole Motown family fight against the odds to create the soundtrack of change in America.

For more information, visit www.motownthemusical.com. Follow MOTOWN THE MUSICAL on Twitter: @MotownMusical and on Facebook.

PIPPIN

WABC speaks with Andrea Martin, Patina Miller, and Matthew James Thomas from the cast of Roger O. Hirson and Stephen Schwartz's beloved coming-of-age musical comedy PIPPIN. Take a peek inside rehearsals where the circus meets Bob Fosse in this extraordinary musical revivial. Royal heir Pippin is spurred on by a mysterious group of performers to embark on a death-defying journey to find his "corner of the sky." PIPPIN is noted for many Broadway standards including "Corner of the Sky," "Magic To Do," "Glory," "No Time at All," "Morning Glow," and "Love Song."

For more information, visit www.PippinTheMusical.com. Follow PIPPIN on Twitter: @PippinMusical or on Facebook.

WABC-7's Broadway Backstage: Spring Preview continues to focus the spotlight on the remarkable, one of a kind, institution that is Broadway. If you can't make it to every show or just want to be in the know, this is the one to see for a complete rundown of all that the Great White Way is offering this season. The program can also be seen following the broadcast at www.7online.com/broadway.