BWW Blog: Live or Virtual: The Ultimate Duel!

Heeeeeellllooooo ladies and gentleman! You could have been anywhere in the world but here you are, reading this amazing blog post on BroadwayWorld! The issue on the table: The differences between Live theatre and Virtual/Proshot theatre!

In case you didn't know, the proshot of Hamilton recently came out on Disney+. I am sure if you are anything like me, you cannot seem to get any of the songs out of your head either. This Hamilton state of mind sure is here to stay!

When Lin-Manuel Miranda announced that this version would be coming to Disney+ a year earlier than expected, I could not contain my excitement. Hamilton has been one of my favorite musicals for years. I have dreamed of being able to see the original cast, and what a gift it is that I now can for as many times as I want!! As I was watching the very first time, I felt myself well up with a number of emotions. Joy, admiration, love, and appreciation were some of the key things I felt throughout the entire thing. I was in utter shock at how incredible it was. Once I reached the end of the show, I started to feel another emotion peek through even stronger. That was sadness. I was surprised. I had been waiting for this day for weeks, looked forward to watching it that entire day, why shouldn't I be ecstatic? I started to cry. Granted, throughout the entire thing I had cried at many moments but this cry at the end was different. It felt deeper, and came from a new place then all of the previous things I had been feeling.

I had to take a moment to assess myself and why it had hit me so hard. Was it just the beauty that is Hamilton? Or was it something more?

While it was partly both, I discovered my tears had been for something bigger.

During this quarantine and time in the world it has been very challenging to stay motivated and positive. When it comes to theatre specifically, I try not to think about it as much anymore. And that hurts me more than anything. Theatre is my passion. I miss theatre. I miss live theatre. Not wanting to think about or even do any theatre right now is unheard of for me. I have consistently been doing theatre and performing for 13 years now. This hole inside of me grows every day with the unknown of when I might be able to perform again. It is saddening, but I am hopeful. We will do it again one day soon.

As amazing as Hamilton truly was, my tears fell for the live theatre and how much I crave it. My tears fell for the beauty that theatre creates. My tears fell for the art that comes out of life.

I am thankful for proshots like Hamilton and many others that have given the ability for theatre to be accessible to everyone. I truly hope that never changes. It is a gift we have been given with the incredible technology we have today.

Like with this proshot, many theatres in my area and across the Nation have been having zoom performances of shows or readings on zoom. It has been really cool to see the different ways artists are staying creative. Seeing others adapt to this new reality has been extremely fascinating.

But, I believe the power that lies within live theatre has an impact greater than any taped or virtual version could. I applaud the valiant efforts to keep art alive, however until we can all come back together and create and perform in person, something will always be missing. In the meantime, these professional versions of the theatre we love is something we can hold onto.

Theatre will be back and better than ever and I am willing to...Wait for It.

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