17 Broadway plays and musicals that you can look at the stage from home

This article was updated on March 29, 2021.

Although it was a rare delicacy earlier when a Broadway show was filmed directly on stage, it became more and more common today -big news for Broadway fans!

Live musicals are becoming more and more filmed for PBS or Streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime video, BroadwayHD and more. Productions of Off-Broadway’s Puffs to Broadway’s Improper to the West End’s An American in ParisNew recordings of stage productions are available regularly.

Let’s look at some of the best filmed Broadway shows to know and where to find it.

Hamilton
The Live Capture of the Pulizter and Tony Award-winning musical was filmed on the stage of the Richard Rodgers Theater, and was planned for an Octopber 2021 Theater exemption to Covid-19, which led to the film on Disney+ July 3. Renée Elise Goldsberry, and most of the original cast – delivered to the expectations of fans and another wave of Hamilton frenzy.

Available on Disney+

Rent
Jonathan Larson’s Rent Update the story of Puccinis La Bohemein the East Village of New York. As most theater lovers know, it made a splash on Broadway, and the level of dedication that his biggest fans carried has never really been seen. It was the first big Broadway show offering Rush tickets, and fans would camp overnight to get cheap front empire. The production won four Tony Awards of 1996, including the best musical, along with the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It enjoyed a 12 -year -old run and more than 5,000 performances.

Although it was adapted in a film in 2005 with a large part of the original Broadway role distribution, the final performance of the Broadway production was also captured and displayed in film theaters, which was later released on DVD and Blu-ray. At the time of filming, the cast was not unusually known, but when I look back, it is an all-Star cast, including performances by Renée Elise Goldsberry, Adam Kantor, Will Chase, Michael Mcelroy, Rodney Hicks, Tracie Thoms, Eden Espinoza and Telly Lyg.

Available on Amazon Prime, Google Play, Vuduand Youtube, iTunes, as well as on DVD/Blu-ray of Amazon.

Cats
Once Broadway’s longest running musical, everyone has an opinion on this Andrew Lloyd Webber Show, but which cannot be denied Cats is like almost no other musical to ever play the main stem. Based on a book of poetry by TS Eliot, Cats Go over … Well, cats! The production contains an iconic costume and set design by John Napier, legendary make -up design by Candace Carell, fantastic choreography by Gillian Lynne, and of course the national anthem ‘memory’, one of the more successful songs coming from a musical over the past 40 years.

Cats was not filmed on Broadway, but the original production was captured on a stage in London in 1998, with the original West End star Elaine Paige no less.

Available to stream up Broadwayhd, Amazon Prime, iTunes, and Google Play and on DVD of Amazon.

Company
Stephen Sondheim and George Furth’s Company broke all the rules when it was opened on Broadway in 1970. Instead of presenting a linear plot, Company Examined the concept of marriage through a series of scenes between Bobby, a 35-year-old Bachelor and a variety of his married friends. The show gave us songs like ‘The Ladies Who Lunch’, ‘Sorry Grateful’, ‘You could rifor a person crazy’ and ‘Being Alive’ and in a new era of during musical theater on Broadway.

The original production was never filmed for home release – although there is a Fascinating documentary (Original cast album: Company) It contains the recording session of the original cast—But a 2006 Broadway revival directed by John Doyle and starring Raúl Esparza was filmed for broadcast on PBS. There is also a New York Philharmonic Concert setup available with a cast of the All-Star, including Neil Patrick Harris, Patti Lupone, Stephen Colbert, Jon Cryer and more. And of course IFCs Documentary now! famous is the documentary of the cast in Original cast album: co-on with John Mulaney as a Sondheim substitute.

The 2006 Broadway Revival production is available on DVD.
The 2011 concert production is available on DVD.
Original cast album: co-on is available on Amazon Prime, Netflix and IFC.com.

Falsettos
William Finn and James Lapine’s musical 1992 Falsettos is actually a combination of two earlier musicals, March of the falsettos and Falsettoland. Together, they tell the story of Marvin, a gay man trying to navigate his relationships with his former wife, their child and his boyfriend, all against the background of the 1980s New York when all of it was completely uncharted area.

Lincoln Center Theater’s 2016 Broadway Revival contains a cast consisting of Broadway favorite, 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 of Lincoln Center—But it finally found its way to movie theaters, and is now available to flock online.

Available to stream up Amazon Prime and Broadwayhd.

Sunday in the park with George
Although it was revived in 2017 to praise Jake Gyllenhaal and Annaleigh Ashford in 2017, the original production of Sunday in the park with George Stay a special favorite among theater fans. Tony Straiges’ Tony-winning scenic design stands up more than 30 years later for how brilliantly it realizes that the impressionist painter Georges Seurat’s iconic painting A Sunday afternoon on the island of La Grande Jatteand it doesn’t hurt that the original cast Bernadette Peters and Mandy Patinkin include.

Available to stream up Amazon Prime and Broadwayhd and for rent or purchase toiTunes.
Available on DVD from Amazon.

Nicholas Nickleby
The Life and Adventures of Nicholas Nickleby Charles Dickens’ novel – about a young man who has to support his mother and sister after the death of his father – to the stage, and it was not an experience for the faint of heart; The full game consisted of separate full -length parts made together more than eight hours of theater. The show started in London, with a cast that includes Roger Rees in the title role. Nicholas Nickleby later transferred to Broadway with the cast of London, and won Tony Awards for the best play and the leading actor in a play for Roger Rees.

The filmed version of Nicholas Nickleby Actually, shortly before the transfer of the Broadway transfer of the work, but only received its first television broadcast in 1983. Given the tremendous length of the play, home view is perhaps the best way to look at; You can take a break whenever you want.

Available for streaming on Broadwayhd and DVD.

Billy Elliot the musical
Elton John and Lee Hall’s Billy Elliot the musical Tell the story of a little boy in a small British city who prefers ballet over box, to the dismay of its conservative working -class community. When it was opened to the West End of London in 2005, it became an immediate hit and won four Olivier awards. The Broadway transfer of production was equally successful and won ten Tony Awards, including a joint victory for history for all three young actors who shared the title role.

Although the Broadway production closed in 2012, the London production advanced in 2016 and filmed directly on stage in 2014. The direct recording does not have the original cast, but that includes Broadway and West End star Ruthie Henshall as Mrs. Wilkinson, the ballet teacher.

Available on Amazon Prime, iTunes, Google Play, Vuduand DVD.

Elaine Stritch by Liberty
Elaine Stritch was almost as well known for her performances on stage as for her persona on stage – and her storytelling. In Elaine Stritch by Libertyher solo show in 2002 who played in the public theater outside Broadway before moving to Broadway, Stritch takes you through her entire life, from childhood to childhood Sailing away after Companyand further. And she does it with nothing but a white blouse and a black semi-bruish socks.

Elaine Stritch by Liberty was not filmed on Broadway, but when Stritch took the show to the West End in London, cameras captured a perfor for release on DVD. If you love anecdotes from the stage, tunes and dry minds, you don’t want to miss this one.

Available to stream up Amazon Prime Video.

In the forest
Before that, it was a hit film with Meryl Streep and James Corden, In the forest was one of Sondheim’s most successful Broadway performances. It is still one of the most made works at schools and regional theaters across the country. This merger of fairy tales that dare to go beyond ‘Happily Ever After’ is one of Sondheim’s most accessible works, and was definitely the Sondheim entertainment point for more than a few theater fans, largely due to the video of the original Broadway production with the original Broadway role distribution, including Bernadette Peters and Joanna Gleas. Tony-wincing execution.

Available to stream up Youtube, Google Play, Vudu, Amazon Prime, iTunes, Broadwayhd and DVD to Amazon.

Kiss me, kate
With a classic Cole Porter score that includes tunes like ‘another on ain’, another show, ” in love ‘,’ too darn hot ‘,’ always fat to you on my fashion ‘, and’ brush your Shakespeare, ‘ Kiss me, kate became an almost immediate classic when it debuted in Broadway in 1948. The 1999 Broadway Production won the Tony Award for Best Revival, directed by Michael Blakemore, Choreographed by Kathleen Marshall and Rob Ashford, and played with Brian Stokes Mitchell and Marin Mazzie. The 2019 revival with Will Chase and Kelli O’hara.

The 1999 revival production was filmed after it was transferred to London’s West End in 2003. None of the Broadway leads were still with the production when it was filmed, but the wonderful news is that they were replaced with Brent Barrett and Rachel York, both Broadway stars on their own.

The 2003 production is available to stream Amazon Prime, Broadwayhd and Google Playand on DVD of Amazon.

You can also stream a TV adjustment out of 1958 with the original lead roles Patricia Morison and Alfred Drake on Amazon Prime.

Peter pan
The classic story of JM Barrie of the Flying Boy who never grew up has been one of the most adapted stories there since it was promoted in 1904. Although there were several musical adjustments of the story, it is the 1954 musical with a score of Moose Charlap, Jule Styns, Betty Comden, Adolph Green and Carolyn Leigh who are the best of the theater fans.

This version of the story was filmed four separate times. The first three contain The Musical’s original stage star, Mary Martin, in the title role, a performance for which she won a Tony award. Although not filmed on a stage, all three loyal relaxation of the original Broadway production is in a television studio. The first filming, which was broadcast live on TV within 1955, contains the full original cast.

A revival of the show with Cathy Rigby, the most productive stage Peter Pan of the past thirty years, was filmed directly on stage in 2000 and was released on DVD.

The 2000 revival is available to stream Broadwayhd and Amazon Prime.
The black and white broadcasts of 1955 and 1956 are available on Blu-ray of Amazon.
The black and white broadcast of 1956 is available on DVD of Amazon.

Current laughter
Kevin Kine earns its third Tony Award Garry Essendine plays in a revival of Noël Coward Current laughterwhich follows a few days in the life of a very successful and selfish actor. An all-star role distribution has appeared with Kline in this most recent production, which includes Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen and Cobie Smulders. This 2017 production was filmed on stage before the curtain fell for the last time.

Available to stream up PBS -Passport and BroadwayHD.