Theatre You Can Experience From The Comfort of Your TV!
Beat the Heat!
By: Kaitlin Milligan Aug. 03, 2019
This has been one of the hottest summers on record, but don't let the rising temperatures get you down! BroadwayWorld is here to remind you of some amazing musicals and plays that you can watch from the comfort of your couch (with the AC blasting)! From Netflix to BroadwayHD to On Demand, there's an option for everyone!
Netflix
Willkommen! After binge watching Fosse/Verdon, don't forget to watch the musical that started it all - Cabaret! In Berlin in 1931, American cabaret singer Sally Bowles (Liza Minnelli) meets British academic Brian Roberts (Michael York), who is finishing his university studies. Despite Brian's confusion over his sexuality, the pair become lovers, but the arrival of the wealthy and decadent playboy Maximilian von Heune (Helmut Griem) complicates matters for them both. This love triangle plays out against the rise of the Nazi party and the collapse of the Weimar Republic.
Nothing elevates your mood quite like the upbeat songs and positive message of Hairspray! In 1960s Baltimore, dance-loving teen Tracy Turnblad (Nikki Blonsky) auditions for a spot on "The Corny Collins Show" and wins. She becomes an overnight celebrity, a trendsetter in dance, fun and fashion. Perhaps her new status as a teen sensation is enough to topple Corny's reigning dance queen and bring racial integration to the show.
This 2014 film adapted from the Tony winning musical takes place in the 1960s, four scrappy young men from New Jersey -- Frankie Valli (John Lloyd Young), Bob Gaudio (Erich Bergen), Nick Massi (Michael Lomenda) and Tommy DeVito (Vincent Piazza) -- have the magic sound that propels them from singing under streetlights to singing in spotlights. With songs like "Sherry," "Big Girls Don't Cry" and "Walk Like a Man," the quartet finds itself at the top of the charts. However, personal and professional problems threaten to tear the group apart.
Pretend your spending your summer in the Greek Isles by watch this film adaptation of the hit Broadway musical! In the movie, Donna (Meryl Streep), an independent hotelier in the Greek islands, is preparing for her daughter's wedding with the help of two old friends. Meanwhile Sophie, the spirited bride, has a plan. She secretly invites three men from her mother's past in hope of meeting her real father and having him escort her down the aisle on her big day.
Phantom is still a hit on Broadway and around the country, but if you're looking to enjoy it from the comfort of your own home, you can always watch the 2004 film starring Gerard Butler and Emmy Rossum. From his hideout beneath a 19th century Paris opera house, the brooding Phantom (Gerard Butler) schemes to get closer to vocalist Christine Daae (Emmy Rossum). The Phantom, wearing a mask to hide a congenital disfigurement, strong-arms management into giving the budding starlet key roles, but Christine instead falls for arts benefactor Raoul (Patrick Wilson). Terrified at the notion of her absence, the Phantom enacts a plan to keep Christine by his side, while Raoul tries to foil the scheme.
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Brian D'Arcy James has been lighting up both stage and screen recently, and with the announcement that he will be in the upcoming film adaptation of West Side Story, fans should watch one of the musicals that started it all for James! Shrek The Musical is a musical with music by Jeanine Tesori and book and lyrics by David Lindsay-Abaire. It is based on the 2001 DreamWorks Animation film Shrek and William Steig's 1990 book Shrek!. And don't forget about Sutton Foster, who stars as Fiona!
Amazon Prime
The revival of Carousel just graced Broadway, but if you missed it, you can watch the 2013 concert, instead! Rodgers and Hammerstein composed some of the most glorious music ever written for the stage in Carousel. This is a dazzling adaptation featuring all-star performances from Kelli O'Hara, Nathan Gunn, and others!
Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway
Hamilton tickets are still the hottest in town, and if you haven't been lucky enough to snag a ticket, you can always watch the documentary the chronicles the story of the hit musical that changed Broadway forever and brought the genius of Lin Manuel Miranda to the attention of legions of fans across the world. Featuring interviews with Miranda, as well as the cast and crew of Hamilton.
You may not have gotten to see the Roundabout revival, but you can still watch the 1958 film version of Kiss Me, Kate from your couch! Starring Alfred Drake, Patricia Morison, Julie Wilson, the film is about an ex-husband and wife team star in a musical version of 'The Taming of the Shrew'; off-stage, the production is troublesome with ex-lovers' quarrels and a gangster looking for some money owed to them.
One of the most-anticipated musical films in the making is Steven Spielberg's West Side Story. If you can't wait until 2020 to see it or you're unable to head to New York City to see the upcoming revival on Broadway, look no further than the 1961 film starring Natalie Wood, Richard Beymer, Russ Tamblyn, and Rita Moreno. Winner of ten Academy Awards including Best Picture, this electrifying musical sets the ageless tragedy of "Romeo and Juliet" in the slums of 1950s New York.
BroadwayHD
A captivating filmed edition of the critically-acclaimed recent West End production of 42nd Street, BroadwayHD filmed the show specifically for the streaming service with the late, great theater producing and directing visionary Mark Bramble collaborating closely with Ross MacGibbon, who directed the filmed version. Bramble co-wrote the book for the original 1981 Broadway production that has been widely credited with helping revitalize the Great White Way in the early 80s. The BroadwayHD production of 42nd Street, which he helped edit for screen, marks one of Bramble's last theater projects before passing away earlier this year.
The CATS film trailer dropped last week, and everyone is talking about the musical film. If you haven't seen the musical or you just want to relive the story, there is no better option than the 1998 production starring Elaine Page. One of the longest-running hits in the history of Broadway and the West End, Andrew Lloyd Webber's Cats has been specially restaged for this video presentation, which captures all the music and movement of the original stage production with an uncommon intimacy and depth.
Hedwig and the Angry Inch is the perfect musical to watch when you're itching for a rocking good time with a great message! This musical hails from Tony Award winner John Cameron Mitchell. The vibrant rock odyssey film was nominated for a Golden Globe, and audiences will be inspired by Hedwig's search for stardom and love in this cult favorite, adapted from the immensely popular award-winning Broadway and off-Broadway hit.
Kinky Boots finished its Broadway run earlier this year, but don't fret, you can still watch the Tony-winning musical! Filmed at the Adelphi Theatre on London's West End, Kinky Boots is from pop icon Cyndi Lauper and legendary playwright Harvey Fierstein, directed and choreographed by Tony Award-winner Jerry Mitchell and based on the film written by Geoff Deane and Tom Firth. This captivating filmed edition of the Tony, Grammy, and Olivier Award-winning hit musical tells the story of two people with nothing in common-or so they think. Charlie (played by Olivier Award nominee Killian Donnelly) is a factory owner struggling to save his family business, and Lola (played by Matt Henry, who won an Oliver Award for the role) is a fabulous entertainer with a wildly exciting idea. With a little compassion and a lot of understanding, this unexpected pair learn to embrace their differences and create a line of sturdy stilettos unlike any the world has ever seen! But in the end, their most sensation achievement is their friendship.
Can't see Eva Nobelezada in Hadestown? Watch the the spectacular, sell-out 25th Anniversary Gala Performance of this acclaimed new production of the global stage sensation that was described as "the most thrilling, soaring and emotionally stirring musical with magnificent performances" by the Daily Telegraph and "the greatest musical of all time" by the Daily Mail. The epic love story tells the tragic tale of young bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with American GI Chris - but their lives are torn apart by the fall of Saigon.
Oklahoma!Oklahoma! is the quintessential American musical and the Tony winning revival is one of the most talked about shows of the year. If you can't make it to the Circle and the Square, BroadwayHD has you covered with the 1999 production starring Hugh Jackman! In a production by National Theatre, London, Oklahoma! is invigorated with historical context and deeper meaning to provide a full musical experience for people who have been raised humming its tunes all the way to theatrical newcomers. Directed by Trevor Nunn, choreographed by Susan Stroman, and starring Hugh Jackman, this revival catches the spirit of the original in a unique and compelling way.
Kelly O'Hara just finished her Broadway run of Kiss Me, Kate, but you can still watch her in the multiple Tony award-winning Lincoln Center Theater production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's THE KING AND I, that was filmed on stage at the iconic London Palladium. This production was directed by Tony Award winner Bartlett Sher, first opened on Broadway in 2015 for a critically acclaimed 16 month run at The Lincoln Center Theater, this was followed by an unprecedented record-breaking sold out USA tour. The show then transferred to the London Palladiumr, with the three original Broadway lead actors reprising their starring roles - Tony Award-winner (Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role in a Musical for The King and I) Kelli O'Hara, Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe and Tony Award-winner (Best Performance by an Actress in a Featured Role in a Musical for The King and I) Ruthie Ann Miles. Set in 1860s Bangkok, the musical tells the story of the unconventional and tempestuous relationship that develops between the King of Siam and Anna, a British schoolteacher whom the modernist King, in an imperialistic world, brings to Siam to teach his many wives and children.
This list just scratches the surface of what is offered through streaming sites, and don't forget good 'ol DVDs! Stay cool and happy watching!
Videos