Theaters across the world are making the decision to move their productions from in person to online due to the closing of theaters caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Check out places where you can stream live productions from home.
Bloomington Playwrights Project
The Bloomington Playwrights Project is asking for small donations in exchange for the opportunity to stream 25 of its original productions dating back to 2010. Shows include “The Enlightenment of Percival Von Schmootz,” “Apropos of Nothing” and “The Jedi Handbook.”
More information can be found here.
Amazon Prime
Prime members can enjoy variety of performances, from classic stories to modern-day narratives.
“Carousel” (2013, Concert)
Recorded live from Lincoln Center, this show tells the story of a woman who falls in love with a carousel barker. After she becomes pregnant, he resorts to extreme circumstances to get extra money to provide for his family.
“Fiddler on the Roof” (1971, Film)
This film follows milkman Tevye and his wife, Golde, as they grapple with their daughters wanting to break with tradition in their marriages. This film contains classic Broadway songs such as “Tradition,” “If I Were a Rich Man” and “Matchmaker.”
“Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway” (2017, Film)
Featuring interviews with Lin-Manuel Miranda, director Thomas Kail and cast members including Leslie Odom Jr. and Renée Elise Goldsberry, this documentary details how “Hamilton” went from a concept album to an award-winning international musical sensation.
“Hello Again” (2018, Film)
“Hello Again” is a lesser known off-Broadway show of 10 interconnected stories about people engaged in a series of love affairs across 10 different eras in New York City. The music changes to fit the different time periods.
“King Lear” (2018, Film)
Anthony Hopkins stars as the title character in “King Lear,” a Shakespeare classic about a king who gives up his kingdom to his three daughters and the tragedy that ensues.
“Kiss Me, Kate” (1958, Film)
This musical is the story of ex-husband and wife Broadway veterans who agree to star in a musical version of Shakespeare’s “Taming of the Shrew."
BroadwayHD
BroadwayHD is a monthly streaming service that shows a selection of filmed Broadway and off-Broadway musicals, plays and concert events for $8.99 a month.
“An American in Paris” (2018, West End)
The musical follows Jerry Mulligan, an American soldier who moves to Paris to pursue his dreams of becoming a painter. After a chance encounter with Lise, a young dancer, Jerry finds himself caught up in a complicated love triangle.
“Kinky Boots” (2019, West End)
This musical follows struggling factory owner Charlie who teams up with drag queen Lola to save his business with an unconventional idea: manufacturing stiletto heels.
“Les Misérables 25th Anniversary” (2010, O2 Arena)
The show performed two sold-out concerts in London to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the musical based on the French Revolution era novel by Victor Hugo.
“The King and I” (2018, West End)
"The King and I" is the story of British school teacher Anna’s unconventional romance with the King of Siam. "The King and I" features songs such as “Getting to Know You” and “Shall We Dance.”
“Cats” (1998, West End)
Andrew Lloyd Webber’s “Cats” is a show featuring songs about, well, cats, based on poems by T.S. Eliot.
“Falsettos” (2017, Broadway)
Falsettos takes a look at a family revolving around the life of a gay man Marvin, his wife, his lover, his son, their psychiatrist and the lesbians next door, all through music.
“Phantom of the Opera” (2011, Royal Albert Hall)
Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera" features a Phantom living in a labyrinth beneath a Paris opera house. He becomes obsessed with one of the singers, but when she falls in love with another man, the Phantom goes to extreme measures to keep her by his side.
“Miss Saigon” (2016, West End)
The musical love story tells the tale of young bar girl Kim, orphaned by war, who falls in love with an American soldier, and how their lives change during the Vietnam War.
Netflix
The streaming giant is offering live recordings and film adaptations of Broadway shows. Check them out below.
“American Son” (2019, Film)
The Broadway play “American Son” comes to Netflix in a stage-to-screen adaptation of the original play about an estranged couple reuniting to search for their missing teenage son.
“Mike Birbiglia: The New One” (2019, Broadway)
Comedian Mike Birbiglia brings his limited Broadway engagement to Netflix. Birbiglia’s show recounts his emotional and physical journey to parenthood.
“Springsteen on Broadway” (2018, Broadway)
Rock legend Bruce Springsteen takes the stage in a one-man show, where he plays acoustic versions of some of his greatest hits and shares personal life stories.
“Oh, Hello on Broadway” (2017, Broadway)
Stand-up comedians John Mulaney and Nick Kroll star as two elderly men in “Oh, Hello on Broadway,” a recording of their limited-run Broadway engagement.
“Jersey Boys” (2014, Film)
Adapted from the Broadway musical and starring Broadway’s original Frankie Valli, this musical film takes a look at how four men from New Jersey came together to form “Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.”
“Shrek the Musical” (2013, Broadway)
On-screen ogre Shrek transitions to stage to find his true love and save his kingdom from the rule of the evil Lord Farquaad in this Broadway show.
“Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street” (2007, Film)
Adapted from the Tony Award-winning 1979 musical, this movie follows a Sweeney Tood, a barber who slits the throats of his customers and has his accomplice, Mrs. Lovett, bake them into pies.
