In case you somehow missed it, one of the most vaunted musicals in history, Hamilton was released on Disney+ on July 3rd. While Hamilton is not the first Broadway musical to be streamed online, its prominence and undeniable success may finally be shifting some very deep seated views that filmed live theatre can’t adequately capture the live experience, and that filmed live theatre should exist at all. In an unprecedented move, it was announced earlier in the month the yet-to-officially-open Broadway musical Diana, would be filmed (without an audience) and broadcast on Netflix.
Many people know by now that Disney acquired the distribution rights for the filmed live production of Hamilton for approximately $75million (the final figure was adjusted due to the pandemic and the decision to release it online rather in cinemas). Much like Hamilton and Burr, you gotta be in the room where it happens to get the figures on how much Hamilton is bringing Disney financially, but it seems to bode well. As reported in Variety, early data suggests the musical had a significantly larger audience than any other single program across Netflix, Prime Video, Hulu, Apple TV+, and Disney+ in July. Much like Hamilton and Burr, you gotta be in the room where it happens to get the actual figures on how much Hamilton is bringing Disney financially. At the end of June, just prior to the release of Hamilton, Disney+ reported it had 54.5 million subscribers (for comparison, Netflix currently has about 190 million subscribers worldwide). According to Variety, in comparison to the four weeks prior, the weekend of Hamilton’s digital release saw a 74% increase in Disney+ app downloads within the United States, and 46% worldwide. At the beginning the August, Disney+ reported it had 60.5 million subscribers. These numbers do not include subscribers who purchased subscriptions through packages or where Disney+ is included in existing apps. Going forward, there are still many questions for producers for consider: when to release filmed live productions, who gets access (due to copyright or union agreements, films may not be able to be released worldwide), if viewers should pay to access streams and for how much, how to fairly compensate cast/crew/creatives, and what platforms to use. With all that in mind, here’s a look at existing models for distributing filmed live musicals online: Free Online video platforms like YouTube and Vimeo have made it easier than ever to just upload existing footage. During the pandemic big names like Andrew Lloyd Webber and the National Theatre have released content for free online. Companies such as Southwark Playhouse, Chichester Festival Theatre, Wise Children, and Wales Millennium Centre, and independent artists like Dave Malloy and Angela Sclafani, have also made filmed live musicals freely available. The quality of free recordings varies greatly. From productions staged in black box theatres filmed with a camera on a tripod located behind the audience like Beardo, to slick captures like the arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar. Sometimes recordings were made for archival purposes, like Only the Brave and Wasted. Archival recordings vary in quality, but thanks to digital cameras, recent captures make for decent viewing. The length of time free streams are available can vary. Some are placed online indefinitely, such as The Room and Passion Project. Others, like titles from the National Theatre at Home, The Shows Must Go On, or Wise Children, have a limited window ranging from 48 hours to several weeks. Unless the producers/creatives uploading material for free are covering the cost of paying artists for use of their work on screen, cast, crew, and creatives are less likely receive any income from free streams. The exception to this is new platform SceneSaver, which encourages viewers to donate the cost of an average ticket, and shares 95% of donations directly with artists (for more info, take a listen to episode 2 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast for an interview with SceneSaver founder Caroline Friedman). Especially during the pandemic, viewers are often encouraged to make a donation to the theatre company, or to a selected charity or organization. Paid There are several kinds of paid options: one-off payments, subscriptions, and passes. One-off payment Viewers make a one-time payment or purchase a “ticket” to gain access to the stream. The stream is often played at a scheduled time, and then is available on demand for a limited time. These films usually have a set period of availability, and are sometimes are also limited to a specific number of streams. Occasionally, as in the case of 21 Chump Street: The Musical, the payment provides indefinite access. Companies using this model include Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe, Broadway on Demand, and Streaming Musicals. Like free streams, the quality of content can vary. Particularly during the pandemic, when companies and artists are desperate for cashflow, archival footage not intended for mass consumption has been distributed. The pricing for one-off payments ranges, though is usually between $10 - $30 USD. Although it is not common, instead of a set price, viewers are sometimes given the option to make a donation, or pay-as-you-like. Subscriptions Following the Netflix model, subscriptions provide access to a catalog of shows. In the subscription model, like Netflix, titles are usually available for longer periods of time, and can appear and disappear. Most subscriptions run for a year, though some also provide month-to-month payments at a slightly higher rate. BroadwayHD, Stage, PBS, and Disney+ all currently use the subscription model. Passes Passes work in a similar way to a subscription, but often for a limited time. Prima, a theater in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, have created passes as varying price points for viewers to gain access to online content. As have SheNYC Arts, a female led organization running online festivals based in New York, Los Angeles, and Atlanta over the summer. Combinations Some companies use a combination of models. Broadway on Demand offers some content for free, some content for a one-off fee, and also plans to offer a subscription in the future. Streaming Musicals hosts free premiere nights, and titles are available to rent or buy through one-off payments. Digital Theatre offers an all-access yearly subscription, or the option to rent individual titles. While BroadwayHD offers monthly and yearly subscription models, throughout the pandemic they have been hosting free watch parties in partnership with Playbill, Roundabout, and the Rodgers and Hammerstein Organization. As live theatre online becomes more and more mainstream, and as we learn more about the number of views and profits from ticket sales, it will be interesting to see which models are adopted.
0 Comments
In episode 3 of the podcast, Luisa chats with the founder and artistic director of Prima, Mitch Nugent. Based in Lancaster, PA, Prima is a non-profit organization focused on invigorating lives through fresh theatrical experiences.
An experienced actor, director, and producer, Mitch has led Prima from its start in 2010 as a nomadic organization, to its own home in 2018. On the west side of Lancaster City, Prima’s new venue offers an exciting location for boutique musicals, concerts and special events. We chat about how Prima has responded to the COVID-19 crisis, what it takes to put theatre online, developing drive-in theatre, and how bootlegs are akin to medical marijuana! Subscribe to the Filmed Live Musicals podcast on your favorite app, or take a listen below. With the pandemic came a plethora of filmed live theatre content being released online. Many in the industry were genuinely surprised that audiences wanted to watch theatre on screen, and even pay for it! As discussed with Caroline Friedman - CEO of the new theatre streaming service Scenesaver - in this month’s podcast, we have been recording live theatre since the invention of the moving picture.
Despite the fact that the first live broadcast of a musical took place in 1939, and even with the release of Hamilton last month, the theatre industry as a whole is still not savvy to the history, magic, and importance of filmed live theatre. In a recent interview for The TheaterMakers Studio, CEO and Editor-in-Chief of BroadwayWorld, claimed that “very little” has happened in the world of filmed live theatre despite decades of discussions. The nearly 200 musicals in the Filmed Live Musicals database heartily disagree! And that doesn’t even include the hundreds, possibly thousands, of operas, plays, ballets, and classical concerts that have been captured and enjoyed by literally millions of people around the world! After the release of Hamilton, Jon Kamen, CEO of RadicalMedia, reportedly claimed that with the filming of RENT: Live on Broadway in 2008, RadicalMedia had "developed the nomenclature and a whole style of filming it in a very cinematic fashion.” Again, the producers of Pacific Overtures (filmed live in 1976), Into the Woods (filmed in 1991), and the cinematographers for the Met Live in HD, founded in 2006, all might have something to say about that. We still have to answer questions of when to release films, and how to fairly pay the cast, crew, and creatives, but these should not be obstacles to documenting theatre. Filming live theatre provides access to theatre for people who may not be able to see a production due to geography, cost, or disability. It is an incredible educational tool, not just for students, but for historians, industry folks, and the wider public. Digital technology has made captures easier, more dynamic, and more watchable than ever. All of this is why I started Filmed Live Musicals. As a place to catalog the musicals that have been legally captured for the screen and publicly distributed, to provide a space for people to find that content, and to show the historic value of filmed live musicals. Ultimately, it is a way to capture ephemeral moments in time so that we may enjoy them, learn from them, and remember the musicals, even when the bodies inside the now-disintegrated costumes have turned to dust.
On episode 2 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, Luisa chats with Caroline Friedman, founder of new theatre streaming of Scenesaver.
Scenesaver is the only website making performances from off Broadway, off- West End, small theatres, and emerging artists accessible to everyone online. It's free to register and watch with 150 shows of all genres from around the world available now. New work is being added all the time. Available on all podcast apps now! Filmed Live Musicals now has a podcast! We will talk about the world of filmed live musicals, interview creatives, actors, producers and industry folks, look at the research being carried out on filmed theatre, dive into some history, and, of course, talk about the musicals themselves! In our first episode, host Luisa Lyons and guest host Al Monaco take a look at firsts in filmed live musicals. In episode two, out on August 3, Luisa chats with the founder of Scenesaver, Caroline Friedman. Scenesaver is a new platform making performances from the world's off-Broadway, off West End, small theatres, and emerging artists available to everyone online. It's free to register and watch with over 150 shows of all genres from around the world available now! Subscribe on your preferred podcast app and join us for the Filmed Live Musicals podcast! The impact of COVID-19 has been horrendous. Half a million lives lost around the world, entire industries shut down, and many businesses having to close their doors for good. The theatre industry has, of course, also been hit hard. With a loss of revenue from ticket sales, and the uncertainty of when theatres will be able to safely re-open, many artists and theatre companies are facing bleak futures. If there is an “upside” of the pandemic, it’s that there has never been a better time for filmed live theatre content. When theatres were ordered to shutdown, companies and artists around the world flocked to put content online (you can find a detailed list here). Some companies have even reported that revenue from online streaming has allowed them to at least cover the cost of streamed productions. The popularity of online theatre content, coupled with the digital release of one the most vaunted musicals of all time, Hamilton, means that many in the industry have been awakened to the exciting possibility of filmed live theatre. Since the Broadway shutdown began on March 12, hundreds of theatrical productions have been made available online. I know of at least 60 musicals that meet criteria for the database — a stage musical legally filmed in front of a live audience and publicly distributed — and over half of those have already been added to the database. Many productions are released for a limited time, have a limited number of available streams available, or are not well-advertised, and I’m sure there are even more! It’s an exciting, and sometimes overwhelming time for someone trying to keep track of the content! The wealth of content has meant a rise in streaming services created just for theatre content. Here's a quick look at services providing filmed live musical theatre content. BroadwayHD A leader in filmed live theatre content, BroadwayHD has one of the most extensive musical theatre catalogues available. Current titles include 42nd Street, An American in Paris, Billy Elliot The Musical, Falsettos, Kinky Boots, Miss Saigon, Sunday in the Park with George, The Wind in the Willows and more. During the shutdown, BroadwayHD have been partnering with other organizations such as Playbill, Lincoln Center, and the Rodgers & Hammerstein Organization to release select titles for free for one-off watch parties. Broadway On Demand Despite the title, Broadway on Demand has very little Broadway content. A new initiative I’m excited about though is the Global Spotlight Series showcasing musicals from around the world. The first offering is a South Korean production of Xcalibur, a re-telling of the King Arthur legend by Frank Wildhorn starring K-Pop star DK, Kim Jun Su and Kai. Digital Theatre A pioneer in the industry, the British company Digital Theatre have been streaming live theatre content since 2009. The company also provides a wealth of content for educational institutions. Current musical offerings include Funny Girl starring Sheridan Smith, new British musical Pieces of String, and the Regent’s Park Open Air Theatre production of Into the Woods. Other theatre content includes productions from the RSC, Stage Russia, and content from the West End and across the United Kingdom. Scenesaver The brainchild of British producer (and Royal Central School of Speech and Drama alum), the new service aims to make content from off-WestEnd and fringe theatres more accessible. All content is available for free, and 100% of any donations are passed onto the artists. The Shows Must Go On Andrew Lloyd Webber’s initiative to provide content during the shutdown. New content is released for free each week, and each title is usually available for around 48 hours. Previous musicals include the arena production of Jesus Christ Superstar, The Phantom of the Opera Live from Royal Albert Hall, and the Australian production of Love Never Dies. Streaming Musicals Created by the writer of Daddy Long Legs, this new site is dedicated to musical theatre content. Musicals are available to rent per-show, and profits are shared with the artists. Currently only has a one filmed live musical, an adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and several “Soundstage Musicals,” an attempt at a new form that is a hybrid between a film and a stage music New Musicals It isn’t only existing works that are getting air time. New musicals are being workshopped and showcased through the pandemic. The brain-child of director Adam Lenson (who directed Wasted, the new British musical about the Brontë’s), SIGNAL Online is “A global, multi-location, live-stream of songs from new musicals.” Concerts are presented every Tuesday at 2pm GMT, and although they are available to watch for free, donations are strongly encouraged. For almost 15 years, New York Theatre Barn has been providing a space for new works and emerging artists. Since the beginning of the shutdown, their New Works Series has been streaming online. New content every Wednesday at 7pm ET on YouTube. What will you be watching? Do you know of other theatre-specific streaming services? Drop me an email or follow Filmed Live Musicals on Twitter! Filmed Live Musicals is a labor of love that takes many hours of research and hundreds of dollars to run.
Thank you to patrons Mercedes Esteban-Lyons, Jesse Rabinowitz & Brenda Goodman, David & Katherine Rabinowitz, and Bec Twist, for financially supporting the site. Become a patron and support original research into filmed live musicals. Tiers start at $1/month. $5+ patrons receive early access to content with a monthly newsletter, and $10+ patrons will also receive early access to the new Filmed Live Musicals podcast. Pride Month may be over, but that's no reason to stop celebrating, and definitely not a reason to stop advocating for LGBTQI rights and representation. While there is an ever-growing list of mainstream musicals where gay and lesbian characters are treated as more than the punchline, very few of these musicals have been filmed live and publicly released. Oh, how I wish Head Over Heels (which in 2018 featured the first openly transgender woman, Peppermint, originating a role on Broadway) and The Prom (telling the story of a group of Broadway actors who help a lesbian student bring her girlfriend to prom) had been filmed live during their Broadway runs. #MORELesbiansOnBroadway! In alphabetical order, here’s a look at some filmed live musicals with LGBTQ themes and central characters who identify as LGBTQ. Everybody’s Talking About Jamie Everybody’s Talking About Jamie tells the story of a gay teenager who lives in a Yorkshire council estate and dreams of becoming a drag queen. Composed by first-time theatre writers Dan Gillespie Sells (music) and Tom MacRae (book and lyrics), it was inspired by the 2011 BBC documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16. The musical opened on the West End in 2016. It was filmed live in 2018, and broadcast in cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, and in the North America. A movie adaptation was due for release this year, but has been postponed due to COVID. I really hope they release the filmed live version, because it is GLORIOUS. Falsettos Adapted from earlier William Finn works, Falsettos tells the story of a dysfunctional but loving Jewish New York family in the late 1970s. Marvin leaves his family, wife Trina and young son Jason, when he falls in love with another man, Whizzer. Trina ends up with the family psychiatrist Mendel, and the “family” is completed by lesbian neighbors Dr. Charlotte and Cordelia. When Whizzer is diagnosed with AIDS, the whole family comes together. The musical first opened on Broadway to rave reviews at the Golden Theater in 1992. Lincoln Center staged a highly praised revival in 2016, which was filmed live in 2017 for Live from Lincoln Center and later broadcast in cinemas across North America. The musical was also broadcast on PBS, and is now available to stream on BroadwayHD. Fun Home Composed by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, and based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic novel of the same name, Fun Home is an intimate musical in which grown-up Alison looks back on her life in relation to her closeted father’s suicide shortly after she came out as a lesbian. After an award-winning run at the Public Theater in 2013, the musical transferred to Broadway where it played a the Circle in the Square Theatre and became the first musical to win a Tony Award for Best Original Score by an all-female writing team. Victory Gardens Theater in Chicago staged a production well-received production in 2017 which was recorded for archival purposes. In response to the COVID-19 shutdown, Victory Gardens Theater streamed the archival recording for a limited time in May. Kinky Boots Inspired by a true story, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie, who reverses the sinking fortunes of his family’s shoe business after meeting Lola, a drag queen in need of a sexy but sturdy shoe. With a score by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein, the musical adaptation opened on Broadway in 2013 starring Billy Porter in the role of Lola. The West End production opened in 2015 and was later filmed live by BroadwayHD. It was aired in cinemas in 2019, and is now available to view on BroadwayHD. Pieces of String Pieces of String is an original musical set both in 1940 and the present day. When Jane returns to the family home after her father’s funeral to begin clearing out the house, she unfolds a devastating secret, the ramifications of which stretch across generations. Writer and composer Gus Gowland was inspired to create Pieces of String after seeing a BBC documentary that briefly mentioned gay relationships in the UK and USA during World War II, and modern day stories of gay men being unable to donate blood. Gowland sought to widen the scope for the way gay male characters are portrayed in musical theatre (a topic which he later explored in his PhD dissertation), and attempted to ensure women were also equally represented in the musical. Pieces of String premiered at the UK’s Mercury Theatre Colchester in 2019 where it was filmed live. The musical is currently available to rent on Digital Theatre. RENT A modern re-interpretation of Puccini’s La Boheme, RENT tells the story of a group of friends and artists living in the East Village in New York in the late 1980s. The musical features several gay characters, including Tom Collins, a college professor who is gay and HIV positive, Angel Dumott Schunard, a drumming drag queen who is also HIV positive, Maureen Johnson, a bisexual performance artist, and Joanne Jefferson a public interest lawyer and lesbian. Following a sold-out run at the New York Theatre Workshop, RENT transferred to Broadway in 1996 and went on to play 5123 performances before closing in September 2008. The final night of the original Broadway production was filmed live, and RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway is widely available on DVD, YouTube, Amazon, VUDU, and Google Play. Taboo Taboo the Musical is a love story set against the artistic backdrop of the New Romantic period in 1980s England, interweaving autobiographical elements from the lives of Australian-born performance artist Leigh Bowery, and unashamedly-out pop star Boy George. The musical opened on the West End in 2002, and despite lukewarm reviews, was a smash hit with audiences. The original London production was filmed in 2003 and is available on DVD (Region 2 only). Yank! YANK! tells the story of male soldiers falling in love, depicting the gay world that “thrived just beneath the surface of the US Army in the 1940s.” The musical was a hit of the NY Musical Theatre Festival in 2005, and had a successful off-Broadway run in 2010. Below 54th hosted a 10th anniversary concert earlier this year, and the video is currently available on YouTube. Extra content: These musicals are not specifically focused around LGBT storylines, but feature LGBT characters or themes. Bad Girls: The Musical Based on the award-winning British drama, the musical premiered in 2006 before transferring to the West End in 2007. It was filmed live during its West End run is now available to rent on Vimeo. Naked Boys Singing A revue-style musical, with, as the title suggests, a group of men singing in a state of undress. Although the musical was a long-running off-Broadway staple, the filmed live version was panned by critics. If watching a bunch of naked dudes singing about things that affect dudes is your thing, you can watch it on Amazon. The Rocky Horror Show The cult-phenomenon started life as a stage show in 1973 that was put together in just three weeks. To celebrate the 50th anniversary of the Royal Court Theatre in 2006, a special production of The Rocky Horror Tribute Show was staged featuring original cast members from stage and screen. The event was filmed live and is now widely available on DVD. A 40th anniversary gala production was staged at the Playhouse in London in 2015. and the event was livestreamed in cinemas across Europe and the UK. It was later briefly available in the USA on BBC America. The film has not yet been officially released. Victor/Victoria Starring Julie Andrews and based on the 1982 film of the same name, the musical tells the story of Victoria Grant, an out-of-work British soprano who unsuccessfully auditions for a jazz club in Paris. She befriends Toddy who convinces her to disguise herself as a man pretending to be a woman. Filmed live on Broadway for Japanese television in 1995 with the original cast, the musical is widely available on DVD and Blu-Ray. Bonus Audio Content Queer Music Heritage has an excellent list of musicals queer-centric musicals that received commercial cast recordings. Filmed Live Musicals is a labor of love that takes many hours of research and hundreds of dollars to run.
Thank you to patrons Mercedes Esteban-Lyons, Jesse Rabinowitz & Brenda Goodman, David & Katherine Rabinowitz, and Bec Twist, for financially supporting the site. Become a patron and support original research into filmed live musicals. Tiers start at $1/month. $5+ patrons receive early access to content with a monthly newsletter, and $10+ patrons will also receive early access to the new Filmed Live Musicals podcast. The title of this week's blog is a line from the 1979 filmed live musical When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate. The musical is one of less than a dozen filmed live musicals with Black people in the creative team, and also one of less than twenty musicals in the current database with a female director. Filmed Live Musicals is a space for documenting stage musicals that have been legally filmed and publicly distributed. Writing as a white cisgender female, I recognize my biases of being drawn to things that look like me, and that in the past I have skimmed over the fact that much of musical theatre is created by white people, and, usually white men. Due to the fact that I am only fluent in one language, English, the database does not currently have any musicals in languages other than English. Going forward, I am committed to making Filmed Live Musicals a space for addressing white male dominance in musical theatre by amplifying non-white voices, and amplifying musical theatre created by non-white artists and creatives. Over time, I will be updating the database to state when a musical is lacking gender and racial diversity in its creative team and/or cast, and providing a search function that will allow visitors to the site to find musicals by non-white, and female-identifying, writers and directors. I also plan to add a Search by Subject feature which will include Kid Friendly musicals. This work is a labor of love. It is detailed, on-going, and necessary. I am thankful to my Patreons for financially supporting the site. Recent studies show we still have a long way to go to shifting the dominance of white bodies, voices, and creatives, in American theatre.
In an earlier post, History Has Its Eyes, I spotlighted filmed live musicals with Black actors in lead roles. This month, I’m taking a look at filmed live musicals with at least two Black people on the production team. Black lives matter, and it matters who gets to create the theatre that we consume and the stories that we tell. Researching the racial make-up of creative teams is a tricky task as bios, articles, and websites often do not mention ethnicity. I have used self-identification, my own knowledge, and pictures. This method is not always reliable or accurate. For a start, it is possible for a person to pass as white, but still identify as Black. Another difficulty is that producers are sometimes listed as companies, rather than as individuals, so, although statistically small, it is possible that shows and people have been missed as a result. If I have misidentified, or left off, a person from this list, please let me know and I will rectify the error. Here is a chronological list of filmed live musicals with at least two Black people in the production team. When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate Producer: Urban Arts Corps Director: Vinnette Carroll Music: Cleavant Derricks and Clinton Derricks-Carroll Musical Director: Cleavant Derricks Based on poetry by: lindamichellebaron, Julian Bond, Linda Cousins, Countee Cullen, Walt Delegal, Paul Laurence Dunbar, Jacqueline Earley, Paula Giddings, Sam Greenlee, Langston Hughes, Saundra Sharp, and Quincy Troupe. Founded by Vinnette Carroll in 1967, the Urban Arts Corps had the goal of developing the careers of Black and Hispanic actors in New York City, and creating accessible art for Black, Puerto Rican, and under-served communities. Carroll was a multi-talented and highly influential actor, director, and writer who found success in both the UK and the United States. She was the first, and still remains the only, African American nominated for a Tony Award for Best Director. Staged at the Urban Arts Theater in 1979, When Hell Freezes Over I’ll Skate was a musical drama featuring the poetry of Black poets. The show was directed by Vinnette Carroll, and filmed live for Theater in America in 1979. The recording released on VHS in 1999, and DVD in 2003. Ain’t Misbehavin’ Music and Lyrics: Fats Waller Musical Director and Orchestrations: Luther Henderson Set in a Harlem nightclub, Ain’t Misbehavin’ is a musical revue featuring the music of stride pianist Fats Waller. The Broadway production opened at the Longacre Theatre in May 1978. It won the 1978 Tony Award for Best Musical, and went on to play 1604 performances before closing in 1982. NBC aired a filmed live recording of the musical in June 1982. It hasn’t officially been released, but a copy has been uploaded to YouTube. Sophisticated Ladies Based on a concept by: Donald McKayle Music: Duke Ellington Musical Director: Mercer Ellington Orchestrations: Al Cohn Dance arrangements and incidental music: Lloyd Mayers Vocal Arrangements: Malcolm Dodds and Lloyd Mayers Choreography: Donald McKayle Co-Choreography and Tap Choreography: Henry LeTang Sophisticated Ladies is a revue celebrating the music of Duke Ellington. The musical opened on Broadway in March, 1981, and in November 1982, it became the first Broadway musical to air on pay TV. Due to difficult contract negotiations, and fears the telecast would affect ticket sales, most of the Broadway cast did not appear in the taping. The telecast was released on DVD in 2005, and it is currently available on BroadwayHD. The Gospel at Colonus Producer: Yvonne Smith Make-Up Design: Toy Russell The Gospel at Colonus is a re-telling of Sophocles’ Oepidus at Colonus through a pentecostal sermn. It was filmed live during the American Music Theater Festival in 1985 and aired on PBS’ Great Performances. The cast included Morgan Freeman, Carl Lumbly, Robert Earl Jones, The Institutional Radio Choir, Clarence Fountain and the Five Blind Boys of Alabama. It was released on DVD in 2008. Passing Strange Producer: Spike Lee Book/Music/Lyrics/Orchestrations: Stew Loosely based on the life of rock musician Stew, Passing Strange is a rock musical about a young man who leaves his conservative Californian home to find “the real” in Europe. The musical opened on Broadway at the Belasco Theatre in February 2008. Spike Lee filmed the Broadway production shortly before it closed in July 2008. Passing Strange: The Movie was released in 2009 to much acclaim. The film was aired on PBS in 2010, and also released on DVD. Passing Strange: The Movie is available to view on DVD. FELA! Producer: Jay Z, Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith Book: Bill T. Jones Music & Lyrics: Fela Anikulapo-Kuti Director/Choreography: Bill T. Jones Hair, Wig, and Make-Up Design: Cookie Jordan FELA! is a biographical musical about the pioneering Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. The musical was directed by choreographer and director Bill T. Jones, and featured Sahr Ngaujah in the title role. When FELA! opened in London in 2010, it became the first National Theatre musical production to be concurrently running on Broadway. The London production was filmed live for the National Theatre’s NT Live program, and broadcast in cinemas around the world. It is disappointing that the National Theatre did not release FELA! as part of its National Theatre at Home programme. The musical is not currently available to view. Memphis Musical Director: Kenny Seymour Orchestrations: Daryl Waters Costume Design: Paul Tazewell Stage Manager: Alexis Shorter Conductor: Kenny Seymour Memphis is an original musical about the power of music to overcome racial divides in 1950s America. Despite lackluster reviews, the musical won 4 Tony Awards, including Best Musical and played on Broadway for three years. Memphis was the first Broadway musical to be released in cinemas whilst playing on Broadway. It was subsequently released on Netflix, DVD, and Blu-Ray, and aired on PBS’ Great Performances. Memphis is now available to stream on BroadwayHD and YouTube. Rockin’ Down Fairytale Lane Producer: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Book: Nate Jacobs & Joey James Music & Lyrics: Nate Jacobs Concept & Director: Nate Jacobs Musical Director: James “Jay” Dodge II Choreography: Donald Frison Scenic Design: Annette Breazeale Costume Design: Angela Franklin-Mayo Lighting Design: Michael Pasquini Stage Manager: Juanita Munford Videography/Editor: Bill Wagy Think Into the Woods meets The Wiz. Written by Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe’s artistic director Nate Jacobs. The 2018 production was performed at the Donnelly Theatre in Florida and was streamed throughout most of June on the WBTT website. Your Arms Too Short to Box With God Producer: Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe Book: Vinnette Carroll Music & Lyrics: Alex Bradford and Micki Grant Director: Harry Bryce Musical Director: Jay Dodge II Choreography: Donald Frison Scenic Design: Michael Newton-Brown Costume Design: Adrienne Pitts Lighting Design: Nick Jones Stage Manager: Juanita Munford Based on the Book of Matthew, Your Arms Too Short to Box With God is gospel-infused re-telling of Jesus’ final days. Written by the aforementioned Vinnette Carroll with Alex Bradford and Micki Grant providing music and lyrics, the musical originally opened on Broadway in 1976. The Westcoast Black Theatre Troupe staged a production in March 2020 as part of their 20th anniversary season celebrating Black women. The musical was filmed live and released as a result of the COVID-19 shutdown. Due to licensing and Equity agreements, the musical was only available until April 19th, 2020. Filmed Live Musicals is a labor of love that takes many hours of research and hundreds of dollars to run.
Thank you to Star patrons Mercedes Esteban-Lyons, Jesse Rabinowitz & Brenda Goodman, and David & Katherine Rabinowitz, and Bec Twist, for financially supporting the site. Become a patron and support original research into filmed live musicals. Tiers start at $1/month. $5+ patrons receive early access to content with a monthly newsletter, and $10+ patrons will also receive early access to the new Filmed Live Musicals podcast. "And when our children tell our story..."
Today is Memorial Day, a day where we remember and honor the people who died while serving in the United States Armed Forces. I don’t personally have loved ones who served for the United States, but my grandparents were liberated from Japanese occupation in the Philippines by American troops. I think it is poignant that seventy years later, a Filipino actor, Lea Salonga, would depict a Japanese-American civilian interned on American soil in the Broadway musical Allegiance. Loosely based on actor George Takei’s experiences, Allegiance depicts the terrible treatment of Japanese-American citizens in the US, and the Japanese-American soldiers who fought for the US, during World War II. The musical opened on Broadway in 2015, and was later screened in cinemas around the US. It is now available on (a rather expensive) DVD, and from May 29 will stream for a limited time on Broadway on Demand. Similarly set during the Second World War, Bandstand tells the story of Donny Novitsk, a musician who has returned from the war traumatized, but with the desire to re-build his life following the death of his best friend. Opening on Broadway in 2017, the musical was the first theatrical production to be certified by Got Your 6, a veteran’s advocacy organization whose work includes promoting the authentic portrayal of the military in entertainment. Bandstand was filmed live during its run and broadcast in cinemas across North America. To commemorate Memorial Day, the musical is available to stream for a small fee ($6.99 US) on Broadway on Demand from May 25th at 7.30pm, until June 2. Also set on American soil, though two centuries earlier, the worldwide mega-hit and possibly the most-anticipated filmed live musical ever to be released, Hamilton, tells the story of Founding Father Alexander Hamilton, and covers battles in the Revolutionary War. Hamilton, filmed live on Broadway in 2016, will be released on Disney+ on July 3. Returning to World War II, and moving to the southern hemisphere, Rodgers and Hammerstein’s 1949 musical South Pacific, was the first Broadway musical to explore stories of race and war. White characters Nellie Forbush, a nurse from Little Rock, Arkansas, and Lt Cable from Princeton, New Jersey, learn to overcome racial prejudice when they fall in love whilst stationed in Polynesia. The 2005 Carnegie Hall benefit production starring Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, and Alec Baldwin is available on DVD. The 2008 Lincoln Center revival directed by Bartlett Sher, and starring Kelli O’Hara and Paulo Szot, was broadcast on American television on Live from Lincoln Center. It is not currently officially available to view. Staying in the Asia-Pacific region, but moving to a later conflict, Miss Saigon tells of the ill-fated love between a young Vietnamese woman, Kim, and an American G.I., Chris. An adaptation of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon first opened in London in 1989 (starring the aforementioned Lea Salonga), and ran for ten years, becoming a worldwide sensation. To celebrate the musical’s 25th anniversary, producer Cameron Mackintosh revived Miss Saigon in the West End in 2014. The production was filmed and broadcast in cinemas, and is now available on Amazon (UK) and BroadwayHD. Again returning to World War II, but this time in Europe, An American in Paris tells the story of a young American soldier who falls in love in Paris at the end of the war. Based on a film, which was based on George Gershwin’s “tone poem,” the stage production premiered in Paris at the Théâtre du Châtelet in 2014, before transferring to Broadway in 2015 and the West End in 2017. The London production was filmed live and broadcast in cinemas around the world, and is now available on BroadwayHD. The lesser-known musical YANK! also tells the story of soldiers falling in love, depicting the gay world that “thrived just beneath the surface of the US Army in the 1940s.” The musical was a hit of the NY Musical Theatre Festival in 2005, and had a successful off-Broadway run in 2010. Below 54th hosted a 10th anniversary concert earlier this year, and the video is currently available on YouTube. Apart from war, one of the recurring themes across all of these musicals is love. We honor and remember with love, and that is the story that will continue to be told. Can’t wait for Hamilton on July 3? Catch Lin-Manuel’s one-act musical 21 Chump Street. Want a moving musical to commemorate Memorial Day? Try out the Millennium Wales Centre production of Only the Brave. Need something to occupy the kids? Try Chichester Theatre Festival’s production of The Midnight Gang. If you’re feeling literary, you can catch Wasted, a rock musical about the Brontë family, or Emma Rice’s joyous Wise Children. Science more your thing? You can watch Tangram Theatre’s The Element in the Room about Marie Curie. Or perhaps you'd like to celebrate some historic women? Take a look at the new song cycle Passion Project. Here is a list of over 30 musicals you can currently watch online (legally!) for free! There truly is a musical for everyone! Musicals are sorted below by Broadway & West End Composers, off-Broadway & off-West End Beyond London & New York, Musicals in Development/Concert Readings, & Family Friendly. If you’re able, please consider making a donation to the theatre or company making their content available. As reported by producer Sonia Freedman this week, up to 70% of theatres in the UK risk permanent closure by the end of the year, and things are also looking grim in the US. Broadway and West End Composers
Off-Broadway and Off-West-End
Beyond London and New York
Musicals in Development/Concert Readings
Family Friendly
StarKid Musicals
Still want MORE musicals? Use the Filmed Live Musicals database to search for musicals to watch online! Filmed Live Musicals is a labor of love
that takes many hours of research & hundreds of dollars to run. Become a patron and support original research into filmed live musicals. From June 2020, Patrons will receive a monthly newsletter with bonus content not available on the site, and Star Patrons also receive a filmed live musical review. |
Archives
June 2024
Categories
All
|