Christopher Sarson

A stellar cast brings Puccini’s spellbinding opera to life, seizing every opportunity to thrill the audience. Luciano Pavarotti is Cavaradossi, the painter and political revolutionary in love with the beautiful and famous singer Tosca (the riveting Shirley Verrett). Rome’s diabolical chief of police, Baron Scarpia (Cornell MacNeil), wants Tosca for himself—but he underestimates the fury of a woman in love. With torture, murder, and a suicide in its final moments, Tosca packs more dramatic punches than most other operas—and this classic telecast captures them all. James Conlon conducts in a production by the incomparable Tito Gobbi, one of the great Scarpias of the 20th century.

Seen only once in 1981, this is a live national broadcast of the 10th anniversary production of MASS. Directed for the stage by Tom O’Horgan of “Hair” fame, the cameras were directed by Emile Ardolino. The work that opened the Kennedy Center is conducted by John Mauceri and produced for PBS by WQED, Pittsburgh.

On Christmas Eve, an old miser named Ebenezer Scrooge is visited by the spirit of his former partner, Jacob Marley. The deceased partner was in his lifetime as mean and miserly as Scrooge is now and he warns him to change his ways or face the consequences in the afterlife. Scrooge is visited by three spirits, representing his past, present and future, and, after seeing what they have to show him, must make a determination of how he will continue to live his life.

This John Dexter production, designed by Desmond Heeley, was a parting gift to the great American soprano Beverly Sills, who bid farewell to the Met as Norina, the smart young widow at the center of Donizetti’s comedy. The sensational Alfredo Kraus sings her beloved Ernesto. Håkan Hagegård, in his Met debut role and season, is Dr. Malatesta, the man who helps the young couple trick the crusty old bachelor of the title (Gabriel Bacquier at his comical best) into a fake marriage. This being a Donizetti comedy, it all turns out perfectly well at the end—and getting there is pure operatic fun.

Fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm come to vivid life in this innovative production. Taking classic narrative stories — such as "The Golden Goose," "The Clever Gretel," "The Goose Girl," and "The Bremen Town Musicians" — Paul Sills eliminated the customary use of elaborate sets and costumes and relied instead on the transforming talents of his gifted actors. Utilizing gestures, mime, music, and the actors' own imaginations, he has created a fresh and unique theater piece to present these timeless tales.

The First Churchills is a 1969 twelve-part BBC television serial starring John Neville as John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, and Susan Hampshire as his wife, Sarah Churchill, Duchess of Marlborough. Written and produced by Donald Wilson, and directed by David Giles, the series is notable as being the first programme shown on PBS's long-running Masterpiece series in the United States.

KidsWorld Sports is a 26 episode series for young teens. Each episode features 2 kids from across the globe, who strive for greatness in their chosen sport. The show profiles kids who have the potential to become tomorrow's sport heroes. The show was produced by Breakthrough Films and Television in Toronto Ontario Canada. The show was first produced with Discovery Kids UK and BBC Kids Canada, and has since aired throughout the world on various channels.

A group of older children do arts and crafts, cooking, science and technology, and games sent in by viewers.