Judy and I have kept a full schedule the last few weeks completing chores around the house and now we are ready to put our feet up and catch up on a few shows. Well, after I finish shoveling the snow Park City received last night from our walkway of course. Salt Lake City, Utah (KUTV) shares that HBO is providing people who are stuck inside their homes during the coronavirus pandemic a little entertainment. The network is offering 500 hours of its programming free of charge, according to Variety. Every episode of nine HBO series, including “The Sopranos,” “Veep,” “Succession,” “Six Feet Under,” “The Wire,” “Ballers,” “Barry,” “Silicon Valley” and “True Blood," will be available.
Amazon Prime Video is streaming kids’ movies and TV for free, no Prime membership required. Amazon is making a selection of family-friendly and programming for kids available for free streaming on Prime Video as a result of the COVID-19 health crisis. The content is available to all Amazon customers, and includes a mix of Amazon Original kid and family shows as well as select third-party family movies and TV series licensed from studio partners. The majority of the content, at present, is aimed at the preschool crowd up to younger school-agers.
Last week, Sling TV launched free streaming that included news and entertainment, as well as kids’ TV. Hulu added free live TV news to its on-demand service on Friday. NBCU recently said it was bringing “The Hunt,” “The Invisible Man” and “Emma,” to home viewers. Disney, meanwhile, is making its own movies available early as well, including through its streaming service, Disney+, where both “Frozen II” and “Onward” are arriving ahead of schedule. Amazon says the new free programs will be available on the Prime Video app, which is a free download on compatible smart TVs, mobile devices, Fire TV, Fire TV stick, Fire tablets, Apple TV, game consoles, Chromecast or via Prime Video on the web.
Playbill shares 15 Broadway Plays and Musicals You Can Watch On Stage From Home By Logan Culwell-Block - From Newsies to Sweeney Todd, more and more, live musicals are being filmed for PBS or streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, BroadwayHD and more. Productions of Off-Broadway’s Puffs to Broadway’s Indecent to the West End’s An American in Paris, new captures of stage productions regularly become available.
Rent - Jonathan Larson’s Rent updates the story of Puccini’s La Boheme, setting it in New York City's East Village. Though it was adapted into a motion picture in 2005 featuring much of the original Broadway cast, the final performance of the Broadway production was captured and shown in movie theatres as well, later released on DVD and Blu-ray. Available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vudu, and YouTube, iTunes, Google Play as well as on DVD/Blu-ray from Amazon.
Cats - Once Broadway’s longest-running musical, everybody has an opinion on this Andrew Lloyd Webber show, but what can’t be denied is that Cats is like almost no other musical to ever play the Main Stem. Cats wasn’t filmed on Broadway, but the original production was captured on a stage in London in 1998, with original West End star Elaine Paige no less. Available to stream on BroadwayHD, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play and on DVD from Amazon.
Company Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company broke all the rules when it opened on Broadway in 1970. Instead of offering a linear plot, Company explored the concept of marriage through a series of scenes between Bobby, a 35-year-old bachelor, and a variety of his married friends. The original production was never filmed for home release—though there is a fascinating documentary (Original Cast Album: Company) that captures the original cast album’s recording session—but a 2006 Broadway revival directed by John Doyle and starring Raúl Esparza was filmed for broadcast on PBS. There’s also a New York Philharmonic concert staging available that features an all-star cast, including Neil Patrick Harris, Patti LuPone, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer, and more. The 2006 Broadway revival production is available on DVD. The 2011 concert production is available on DVD. Original Cast Album: Co-op is available on Amazon Prime, Netflix and IFC.com.
Falsettos - William Finn and James Lapine’s 1992 musical Falsettos is actually a combination of two earlier one-act musicals, March of the Falsettos and Falsettoland. Lincoln Center Theater’s 2016 Broadway revival featured a cast made up of Broadway favorites, including Christian Borle, Andrew Rannells, Brandon Uranowitz, Stephanie J. Block, Tracie Thoms, and Betsy Wolfe. It was also filmed for television broadcast—part of Live From Lincoln Center—but it ultimately found its way to movie theatres, and is now available for streaming online. Available to stream on BroadwayHD.
Sunday in the Park with George - Though revived in 2017 to acclaim in a production starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford, the original production of Sunday in the Park with George remains a particular favorite among theatre fans. Available to stream on Hoopla and for rent or purchase on iTunes. Available on DVD from Amazon.
Nicholas Nickleby- The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby brought Charles Dickens’ novel—about a young man who has to support his mother and sister following the death of his father—to the stage, and it wasn’t an experience for the faint of heart. Nicholas Nickleby did later transfer to Broadway with the London cast, winning 1982 Tony Awards for Best Play and Leading Actor in a Play for Roger Rees. The filmed version of Nicholas Nickleby actually happened shortly before the work’s Broadway transfer, but didn’t receive its inaugural television broadcast until 1983. Given the play’s immense length, home viewing might be the best way to watch; you can take an intermission whenever you like. Available for streaming on BroadwayHD and DVD.
Billy Elliot The Musical - Elton John and Lee Hall’s Billy Elliot The Musical tells the story of a little boy in a small British town who prefers ballet to boxing, much to the dismay of his conservative working-class community. When it opened on London’s West End in 2005, it became an immediate hit winning four Olivier Awards. The production’s Broadway transfer was equally successful, winning 10 Tony Awards, including a history-making joint win for all three young actors who shared the title role. Available on YouTube, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, Vudu, and DVD.
Elaine Stritch At Liberty - Elaine Stritch was nearly as famous for her onstage performances as she was for her offstage persona—and her storytelling. Elaine Stritch At Liberty wasn’t filmed on Broadway, but when Stritch took the show to London’s West End, cameras captured a performance for release on DVD. Available to stream on BroadwayHD.
Into the Woods - Before it was a hit movie starring Meryl Streep and James Corden, Into the Woods was one of Sondheim’s most successful Broadway shows. It’s still one of the most-produced works at schools and regional theatres across the country. This mash-up of fairytales that dares to go beyond “happily ever after” is one of Sondheim’s most accessible works, and has certainly been the Sondheim entry point for more than a few theatre fans, largely due to the video of the original Broadway production with the original Broadway cast, including Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleason in her Tony-winning performance. Available to stream on YouTube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime, iTunes and DVD on Amazon.
Kiss Me, Kate - With a classic Cole Porter score that includes such tunes as “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “So in Love,” “Too Darn Hot,” “Always True to You in My Fashion,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” Kiss Me, Kate became an almost-instant classic when it debuted on Broadway in 1948. The 1999 Broadway production won the Tony Award for Best Revival. The 2003 production is available to stream on BroadwayHD, Google Play and on DVD from Amazon. You can also stream the original 1953 movie musical directed by George Sidney, starring Kathryn Grayson, Howard Keel, Ann Miller (and a young Bob Fosse) on Amazon Prime.
Peter Pan - J.M. Barrie’s classic story of the flying boy who never grows up has been one of the most frequently adapted stories out there since it premiered in 1904. Though there have been several musical adaptations of the story, it is the 1954 musical with a score by Moose Charlap, Jule Styne, Betty Comden, Adolph Green, and Carolyn Leigh that tends to be the best known amongst theatre fans. The 2000 revival is available to stream on BroadwayHD and Amazon Prime. The 1955 and 1956 black and white broadcasts are available on Blu-ray from Amazon or streaming on Amazon Prime. The 1956 black and white broadcast is available on DVD from Amazon. The 1960 color broadcast is available on DVD from Amazon.
Present Laughter - Kevin Kline earned his third Tony Award playing Garry Essendine in a revival of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter, which follows a few days in the life of a highly successful and egotistical actor. Appearing alongside Kline in this most recent production were an all-star cast that included Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen, and Cobie Smulders. This 2017 production was filmed on stage before the curtain fell for the final time. Available to stream on PBS Passport and BroadwayHD.
Sweeney Todd, The Demon Barber of Fleet Street - Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s Sweeney Todd is regarded by many as a masterpiece, and with good reason; the original Broadway production won eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, Best Book of a Musical, and Best Score. The original Broadway production, directed by Harold Prince, was filmed during its national tour. Though the complete original cast was not captured, the recording does feature Angela Lansbury (in her Tony-winning performance), Ken Jennings, and Edmund Lyndeck. Broadway replacement George Hearn stars in the title role. Available to stream on Amazon Prime, iTunes and on DVD from Amazon.
She Loves Me - the 1963 musical about two co-workers who hate each other while unknowingly being romantic pen pal partners. The score contains such favorites as “Tonight at Eight,” “Will He Like Me?,” “Dear Friend,” “Vanilla Ice Cream,” and “She Loves Me.” The 2016 Broadway revival from Roundabout Theatre Company boasted a cast that included film and TV star Zachary Levi, Laura Benanti, Jane Krakowski, and Gavin Creel. It was this production that made theatre history when it became the first Broadway show to be live-streamed, and only the second to be broadcast live (following Carol Channing in Show Girl in 1961, which was broadcast live on pay-per-view TV in Canada). Available to stream on Amazon Prime Video, PBS Passport, and BroadwayHD.
Newsies - Based on the 1992 film of the same name, Disney’s Newsies tells the story of the real-life New York City newsboys strike of 1899. With a score by Alan Menken and Jack Feldman, the movie had long been a cult favorite, so when Disney decided to bring it to the stage with an expanded score, excitement was high. Luckily, Newsies met the hype and became a big hit on Broadway.
Stay Well, Ramon & Judy
