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Ep 74: Castle Gillian

12/1/2023

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Host Luisa Lyons chats with Kevin Purcell, the multi-award winning Australian conductor,  musical director, composer, and arranger whose work spans across the worlds opera, classical, and musical theatre.

Go behind the scenes of Kevin’s latest work, Castle Gillian: An Irish Tale, a full-length virtual reality musical. Discover how the musical came to be, how it was made, and the exciting new model behind its release. Castle Gillian was an official selection of the Festival of International Virtual and Augmented Reality Stories; and was recently screened at the Cannes World Film Festival where it was nominated for Best Soundtrack, and won Best 360º Film, and Best Musical Film.

Kevin also shares the inspiring story of his grandma - Dame Mary Dale, how being an opera conductor led him to musical theatre, the differences between working in the classical world and musical theatre, and working on the capture of Cats!

Kevin Purcell is one of Australia’s most distinguished and awarded orchestral and opera conductors. Currently, Kevin serves as musical director for the Australian Discovery Orchestra – one of the world’s most innovative orchestral ensembles – whilst maintaining an active freelance career in the USA. He originally studied conducting at the Moscow Conservatory with Gennady Rozhdestvensky (1992), with subsequent graduate conducting studies at the Janácek Academy of Music (JAMU) with Otakar Trhlík, culminating with a Masters degree in orchestral conducting at Bard College (NY) under the late Harold Farberman.  Additionally, Kevin studied Opera conducting with British conductor and Glyndebourne music director, Myer Fredman and Carlo Montanaro.

Kevin has previously been the musical director of the original production of CATS at the New London Theatre and for the South Korean Premiere production. More recently Kevin has conducted WICKED at London’s Apollo Victoria theatre and was the originating musical director for the first national UK/Eire tour. As a composer of musicals, Kevin has worked with his long-time collaborator, book writer and lyricist Victor Kazan on Rebecca, The Stranger from Seville and Castle Gillian.

He is a member of The Recording Academy and the Dramatists Guild. Kevin is managed by Francine Fletcher at Fletcher Associates (UK) and William Reinert Associates, Inc. (USA).

Show Links
  • Castle Gillian: https://castlegillian.com/
  • Kazan & Purcell: https://www.kazanandpurcell.com/
​The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is also available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and on YouTube. Listen elsewhere? Find the show on your favorite podcast app here.

Like what you hear? Rate and review us on Apple or Spotify! 

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Want to support the preservation of the history of filmed stage musicals and the curation of one easy place to find them all? Become a patron or make a tax-deductible donation! 

Filmed Live Musicals is created by Luisa Lyons, an Australian actor, writer, and musician. Luisa holds a Masters in Music Theatre from London's Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and now lives, works, and plays in New York. Learn more at www.luisalyons.com and follow on Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook.
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Weekly News Round-Up (Sept 14)

9/14/2023

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This Week on the Calendar
  • New musicals including Hex filmed live at the National Theatre, The Last Medicine Show filmed live at Ars Nova, Crispr The Musical in concert at Caveat, and Mannequin presented as part of the Philadelphia Fringe Festival
  • A slew of original works available on Scenesaver including musicals from the inclusive theatre company Chickenshed, and new musicals from the Edinburgh Fringe
  • 54 Below sings the music Bandstand
  • Lots of cabaret featuring a diverse array of artists

Find out where to stream these musicals and more on the Filmed Live Musicals calendar. 
Find Out What's Streaming
​Sugar, Butter, Release Date Pie: Waitress Opening Up in Cinemas
Sara Bareilles’ musical based on the 2007 Adrienne Shelley film was filmed live on Broadway in 2021 starring Bareilles, Charity Angél Dawson, Caitlin Houlahan, Drew Gehling, Dakin Matthews, Eric Anderson, and Christopher Fitzgerald. After premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival in June 2023, the film will be released in cinemas across the United States by Fathom Events on December 7, 2023.

​HEX Released on National Theatre at Home
Based on Sleeping Beauty, the new musical by Tanya Ronder, Jim Fortune, and Rufus Norris was filmed live at the National Theatre during its run in late 2022/early 2023. Available on demand via the National Theatre’s At Home.

RuneSical to be Released Online
A choose-your-own adventure musical comedy, RuneSical was created by British company GiggleMug. The musical was filmed live at The Town & Gown Theatre in Cambridge. It will be available for free on YouTube from September 29, 2023.

There can be miracles! The Prince of Egypt to be Released in Cinemas and Streamed Online
A musical adaptation of the DreamWorks animation which tells the story of Moses learning his true identity and following his destiny to be the leader of his people.   Filmed live in the West End in 2019, The Prince of Egypt will be released in cinemas worldwide by Trafalgar Releasing on October 19, and online in the United States via BroadwayHD on November 15, 2023.
Want to be in the know about upcoming filmed live musical releases?
​Sign up for the FREE Filmed Live Musicals newsletter to have
​upcoming streams delivered straight to your inbox! 
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Weekly News Round-Up (9/1/23)

9/1/2023

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On the calendar
This week in the *new look* streaming calendar:
  • New Musicals: Eye of a Needle, The Joe Hill Revival, Dusk: A Bite-Size Love Story, Dorian: A Rock Musical
  • ​Improv Musical: Your Love, Our Musical 
  • Cabaret: Brenda Braxton: Stars Tonight! 
  • Go Behind the Scenes: Inside Signature with Mark Evans 
streaming calendar
​The Eras Tour
Taylor Swift has announced that a film of her recent record-breaking Eras Tour, filmed live at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles in August, will be released in North American cinemas on October 13. Deadline reported that sales exceeded well over $10 million on the first day of the presale. If only theatre had a way to emulate the model of filming a live event with limited seats and making it available to millions of fans around the world…

The Prince of Egypt: Live from the West End
Disney’s stage adaptation of the 1998 animation was filmed live in the West End at the Dominion Theatre in 2021. According to Filmed on Stage the musical will be released in cinemas in the UK and Ireland in October, 2023.

Marvin Hamlisch: What He Did for Love
A 2013 documentary all about composer Marvin Hamlisch is now available to stream for free on All Arts. A composer, conductor, musical genius like no other, Marvin Hamlisch is the artist responsible for some of the most iconic music of our time. Hits like the Broadway sensation A Chorus Line and Oscar winning scores for The Way We Were and The Sting cemented his place in music history. At the extraordinary age of 31 he became one of two PEGOT winners ever, having won a total of 4 Grammys, 3 Oscars, an Emmy, Tony and a Pulitzer prize. Featuring interviews with close friends including: Barbra Streisand, Woody Allen, Carly Simon, Steven Soderbergh, Quincy Jones and many more. Directed by Dori Berinstein. Available on All Arts.

Michael Jackson ONE: MJ Blue Sapphire Celebration of the King of Pop’s Birthday
A special panel and performance featuring the cast of ONE by Cirque du Soleil, a state-of-the-art visual and audio experience dedicated to the creative legacy of one of the most successful recording artists of all time, Michael Jackson. Features an interview with MJ: The Musical star and Tony Award winner Myles Frost. Filmed live at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. Available on demand for free via YouTube.

Support a new musical: Grace and the Ghost
Written by up and coming composers Anna DeNoia and Joshua Villa, Grace and the Ghost tells the story of a reclusive young musician who spends her days alone in her room, singing songs for the friend she’s imagined in the shadow on her wall. When a city-wide blackout leaves her without light, however, she discovers her “imaginary friend” has been listening. In the darkness, Shadow is able to move around uninhibited, physicalized by Grace’s touch. The two discover how they are connected, explore the consequences of making physical contact, and wrestle with who should hold ownership over the body that exists between them— a depressed, living person who wishes they could disappear, or a spirit who wishes for a second chance. Learn more at Indiegogo.
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Scarce heard amid the guns

11/11/2022

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As elemental as song and dance are to human nature, so to is the quest for power, control of resources, and control over one another. Today marks 104 years since the armistice between the Allied Forces and Germany after four bloody years of war was declared. Now known as Remembrance Day, or Veterans Day in the US, it is a day to reflect upon the sacrifice of war, and honor the men and women who have served their countries through the military.

Sadly, war continues to be an ever-present reality for many people in the world. I had the honor of interviewing Alex Borovenskiy, the founder and executive director of the Ukrainian ProEnglish Theatre and Drama School in Kyiv. Literally amidst falling bombs, power cuts, and continued Russian aggression, Alex and his colleagues are creating new work that speaks to the times and broadcasting it to the world beyond the Ukraine’s borders. The 2022 PRO.ACT Festival, with the theme “Unbreakable,” is available to stream for free on Scenesaver. The episode will be available next week.

Other podcast episodes looking at musicals about war include Allegiance with composer and producer Jay Kuo going behind the scenes of the musical about the incarceration of Japanese-American citizens on American soil during WWII, Pieces of String with composer Gus Gowland talking about his musical inspired by the untold stories of gay men in the military, and Pacific Overtures with theatre historian Margaret Hall delving into the history of Sondheim’s musical about the forcible opening of Japan to the West.

Below is a list of stage musicals you can watch from home which tell the stories of war across history, and from across the world.

Allegiance
Allegiance is loosely based on the events of actor George Takei’s life. During World War II, Takei and his family, along with 120,000 Japanese-American citizens were incarcerated in camps within the United States. Filmed live on Broadway in 2016, and released in cinemas in December of that year. It briefly held the record as Fathom Events’ highest grossing Broadway film. Click here for streaming options.

An American in Paris
Using the music of George and Ira Gerswhin, this romanticized musical tells the story of an American GI who falls in love with a Parisian woman in the days following the end of WWII. Adapted from the MGM movie of the same name, the stage production was filmed live in the West End in 2017. Click here for streaming options.

Bandstand
Filmed live on Broadway in 2017, this swing musical tells the story of a musician who returns from fighting in Europe during WWII, traumatized but with the desire to re-build his life following the death of his best friend. Although the musical was the first theatrical production to be certified by Get Your 6 for its authentic portrayal of the military, Bandstand was criticized for its lack of characters or actors of color. Released in cinemas in 2018, the musical was briefly available to stream on Playbill and Broadway on Demand earlier this year. Click here for streaming options.

From Here to Eternity
British musical From Here to Eternity is based on James Jones’ novel of the same name. With music by Stuart Brayson, lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, and a book by Bill Oakes, the musical depicts the affairs of US soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. It was filmed live during its West End run in 2014. Click here for streaming options.

Hamilton
A much lauded hip hop musical following the trials and tribulations of American founding father Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton depicts battles from the Revolutionary War, along with the battles of the cabinet. Click here for streaming options.

Imagine This
A fictionalized re-telling of true events, Imagine This is set in the Warsaw Jewish ghetto during the Holocaust. With departure to a camp imminent, a local theatre troupe are encouraged by their director to stage a musical about Masada (where a group of 960 Jewish refugees in the year 70 attempted to evade Roman soldiers before committing mass suicide). The musical had a short-lived run on the West End in 2008 where it was filmed live. Now available on DVD. Click here for purchasing options.

Les Miserables
Based on Victor Hugo’s historical novel of the same name, Les Miserables is not set during the French Revolution, during the uprisings that took place a few decades later. Although the stories and characters in Les Mis are fiction, they are drawn from Hugo’s close observations of Paris life. The musical has to date been filmed live three times, the 10th anniversary concert, 25th anniversary concert, and, most recently, last year’s West End staged concert. Click on each title for streaming options.

Love at Times
A two-act play with music and movement filmed at the ProEnglish Theatre in Kyiv during the Russian invasion in 2022. Part 1 “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” sees two gay soldiers from the Territorial Defense of Kyiv discussing their romantic relationship. In part 2, “Katie and Frank,” the title couple argues over the old adage “you never listen to me.” Available for free with registration on Scenesaver. The ProEnglish Theatre’s one-woman play The Book of Sirens, a contemporary adaptation of The Book Thief set in Kyiv, is also worth a watch.

Miss Saigon
A modernized re-telling of Puccini’s Madame Butterfly, Miss Saigon is set against the backdrop of the Vietnam War during the Fall of Saigon. The musical tells the ill-fated love story of Kim, a young woman in Saigon, and an American G.I., Chris. The 25th anniversary gala production was filmed live in the West End in 2016. Click here for streaming options.

Only the Brave
Based on true stories, this British musical follows Captain John Howard and Lieutenant Denholm Brotheridge, and their wives Joy and Maggie, as the soldiers prepare for the D-Day landings. The 2016 production at the Wales Millennium Centre featured a real-life vet playing the role of John Howard Senior. Only the Brave was filmed live for archival purposes in 2016. Click here for streaming options.

Pacific Overtures
Self-described by composer Stephen Sondheim as “the most bizarre and unusual musical ever to be seen in a commercial setting,” Pacific Overtures is a concept musical set around Commodore Perry’s first visit to Japan in 1853. It was filmed live during its original Broadway run for distribution on Japanese television. Click here for streaming options.

Pieces of String
Set in 1940 and the present day, British musical Pieces of String was inspired by a BBC documentary that briefly mentioned gay relationships in the armed forces during World War II, and modern day stories of gay men being unable to donate blood. Composer Gus 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. The musical was filmed live during its run at Mercury Theatre Colchester in 2018. Click here for streaming options.

South Pacific 
Based on the short story collection Tales of the South Pacific, the now classic Rodgers and Hammerstein musical was ground breaking musical for its exploration of racism, war, and interracial relationships. There are currently two filmed live productions of South Pacific in the database - the 2010 Lincoln Center revival and the 2005 Carnegie Hall concert starring Reba McIntyre and Brian Stokes Mitchell. The latter is available on DVD. Click here for purchasing options.

A Tale of Two Cities
Set against the backdrop of the French Revolution, A Tale of Two Cities is based on Charles Dickens’ novel of the same name. The musical had a brief run on Broadway in 2008, and has received concert stagings in London, Paris, and Brighton. The concert performances were compiled into a special which was broadcast on PBS and is now available on DVD (this is an affiliate link and as an associate I may earn income from qualifying purchases).

Tyneham: No Small Sacrifice
This British musical tells the story of the residents of Tyneham, who were told to leave their homes in 1942 as the bequest of the British military. Although the residents were promised their homes would be returned, Tyneham remains military property to this day. Performed by amateur theatre company Generations Apart in 2013, the musical is currently available to view on YouTube.

V for Victory
This still-in-development British musical explores the lives of a group of friends in the resistance against the German occupation of Jersey during World War II. A concert version was performed at the Stockwell Playhouse in 2018 and was filmed live. Click here for streaming options.

Waiting for the Ship to Sail
Produced by Chickenshed in the UK, this timely musical is an artistic response to the urgent and pressing questions of global migration, and investigates the concepts of national and personal identity. It is currently available on YouTube.

Yank!
The off-Broadway musical YANK! tells the story of soldiers falling in love, and depicts the gay scene 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 54 hosted a 10th anniversary concert in early 2020, and the video is currently available on YouTube.

How will you be honoring those whose lives have been lost in war, and those who have devoted their lives to service today?

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New Database Entries

9/21/2022

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​There are two new entries to take a look at in the database - Better Late (1946) and Of a Lifetime (2021). The titles were filmed 75 years apart and represent very different possibilities of bringing live musicals to the screen. And just for fun, despite being filmed in the UK and US respectively, both musicals have Aussie connections much like yours truly who is Australian born!  

Better Late was a musical revue starring Beatrice Lillie, and it was the first musical to be broadcast live by the BBC from the West End following WWII. The cast also included Aussie actor Murray Matheson who became a dear friend of Lillie's. A fun connection for me, when I was accepted to study at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama I was awarded the Beatrice Lillie Scholarship! I wonder what Ms. Lillie and Mr. Murray would think of this Aussie, who trained in London and now lives in the US, would think of their revue being studied in this way over three-quarters of century later?!  

Of a Lifetime is a new electro-rock sci-fi musical by Aussie writer and composer James C.K. Jefferies. The musical was filmed during its off-Broadway run in 2021, and the film was an official selection of the 2022 International New York Film Festival where it received a Merit Award. It's available to stream online.

Visit the database to learn more! 
Take Me to the Database
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Where to Watch: Sondheim

2/28/2022

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In the month of March, Filmed Live Musicals is celebrating Stephen Sondheim! On the podcast, we have a three-part series with musical theatre historian Margaret Hall. Part 1 (Feb 28) is an overview of filmed live Sondheim musicals, part 2 (March 14) will be a deep dive into Pacific Overtures, and part 3 is a deep dive into the 2011 New York Philharmonic production of Company, the musical that inspired this very website! 

To accompany this week's episode on filmed live Sondheim musicals, here’s a list of where you can watch those musicals! 

This post contains affiliate links, and I may earn income from qualifying purchases made through these links.

Candide
  • 1986 New York City Opera: not officially available
  • 1988 Scottish Opera: not officially available
  • 1989 Barbican Theatre (conducted by Bernstein): DVD
  • 2004 Lincoln Center concert: DVD

Company
  • 1996 Donmar Warehouse production: was released on DVD, but now appears to be out of print.
  • 2007 Broadway revival: DVD and Blu-Ray
  • 2011 New York Philharmonic concert: DVD

Follies
  • 1985 concert version documentary: DVD
  • 2013 Opera de Toulon production: DVD (Region 2 only)
  • 2017 National Theatre production: Not available beyond its initial cinema release, though Symphony Space in NYC is holding encore cinema screenings March 30 - 31, 2022. 

Gypsy
  • 2015 West End revival: Apple TV, Amazon, DVD

Into the Woods
  • Original Broadway production: Amazon, Blu-Ray, DVD
  • 2010 Regent's Park Open Air Theatre production: Digital Theatre, Apple TV

Merrily We Roll Along
  • 2013 Menier Chocolate Factory production: Digital Theatre (UK only)

Pacific Overtures
  • Original Broadway production: YouTube

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  • Original Broadway production filmed live on tour in Los Angeles in 1982: Apple TV, Amazon, DVD, BroadwayHD
  • Concert version with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra (2001): DVD and Blu-Ray
  • Concert version with the New York Philharmonic (2014): Not officially available

Passion
  • Original Broadway production filmed for American Playhouse: DVD
  • Lincoln Center concert version: not officially available

Putting it Together
  • Original Broadway production: Apple TV, DVD, BroadwayHD

Sunday in the Park with George
  • Original Broadway production: Apple TV, DVD,
  • Theatre du Chatelet (2013): not officially available

In 2015 Image Entertainment released the Stephen Sondheim Collection, a 6-disc DVD collection of Sondheim’s work including Into the Woods (1990), Company (2011), Sunday in the Park with George (1986), Follies in Concert (1985), Sweeney Todd (2001), and Sondheim: The Birthday (2010), though it appears to currently be out of print.

You can learn more about all of the above musicals in the Filmed Live Musicals database. There are more to be added, including the 1994 National Theatre and 1995 Barcelona productions of Sweeney Todd. Know of other filmed live Sondheim recordings? Send us an email! Remember, to be included in the database, a musical must have been legally filmed in front of a live audience, and made available to the general public. 

Happy watching! 
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Ep 31: Bottle Cap Theatre

11/1/2021

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Host Luisa Lyons chats with Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams, founders of new musical theatre company Bottle Cap Theatre, and creators of recently streamed musicals The Limit, about mathematician Sophie Germain, and RIDE, about Annie Londonderry, the first woman to ride around the world on a bicycle.

Topics include how song cycles and the Edinburgh Fringe inspired Freya and Jack to start writing musical theatre, deadlines and creativity, the development of The Limit, and RIDE, how the pair feel about filming their work, and more!

Freya Catrin Smith and Jack Williams are award-winning composers and lyricists, and founders of Bottle Cap Theatre. Their work focuses on telling female led stories and includes musicals RIDE (The Garrick, 2021) and THE LIMIT (VAULT Festival 2019). They are the joint winners of Aria Entertainment and ALP's Chamber Musical commission (2021).

Their work has been performed at venues including: The Garrick, The Other Palace, The Roundhouse and The Leicester Square Theatre, and has been developed with drama schools including the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama and ArtsEd.

In 2021 Freya received a Michael Grandage Futures Bursary and took up a writing residency at Norwich Theatre Royal.

Learn more at www.bottlecaptheatre.com, follow on Twitter, and at Freya Catrin Smith, and Jack Williams.

Available wherever you listen to podcasts or on Buzzsprout. 
Enjoyed this podcast? Leave a review and help spread the word!
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Ep 14: Eliza Jackson

1/26/2021

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This week on the podcast host Luisa Lyons chats with Eliza Jackson, an Australian producer based in the UK whom The Stage recently listed as one of the Top 100 Theatre Makers of 2020. 
Topics including making the switch from acting to producing, the joys and challenges of producing virtual theatre content during the pandemic, paying artists during lockdown, the future of streaming, what it means to make theatre during this time, and Lambert Jackson Productions streams of The Last Five Years, Songs for A New World, [title of show], and the upcoming I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. 

Australian born Eliza Jackson trained in Musical Theatre at the prestigious NIDA (National Institute of Dramatic Art) in Sydney. She moved to London in 2012 and since then, has worked in the theatre industry both on and off stage. 

In 2018, Lambert Jackson Productions was born and their first project was to take Eliza’s one-woman show to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show, The Voice Behind the Stars received 5-star reviews across the board and was then toured around Australia with much success. On her return, she took on the role of Creative Director of Lambert Jackson full time.

I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change will stream at select times between January 28-30, 2021. More info and tickets available from the London Coliseum. 

Available wherever you listen to podcasts! 

If you like what you hear, subscribe and leave a review! 

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The Story of Tonight

5/25/2020

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Sara Krulwich, New York Times
"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.
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30 Free Musicals

5/23/2020

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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
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21 Chump Street
Lin-Manuel Miranda’s 14 minute one-act musical based on This American Life episode “What I Did for Love” about a high school student who falls in love with an undercover police officer, and is arrested for selling drugs. Features Lindsay Mendez and Anthony Ramos. You can also purchase the full 2 hour concert, performed at Brooklyn Academy of Music, for $5 from This American Life.
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Ghost Quartet at the McKittrick Hotel 
The original production of Dave Malloy’s song cycle about love, death, and whiskey. A camera breaks and four friends drink in four interwoven narratives spanning seven centuries. Currently freely available on YouTube.
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From Here to Eternity 
With music by Stuart Brayson, lyrics by Sir Tim Rice, and a book by Bill Oakes, the musical depicts the affairs of US soldiers stationed in Hawaii in the lead-up to the attack on Pearl Harbor. Available to stream for free during Memorial Day weekend on BroadwayHD.
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The World Goes ‘Round 
Blunt Theatre’s production the Kander and Ebb revue. Available on Vimeo.
Off-Broadway and Off-West-End
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The Dolly Mixtures 
The incredible true story based on 8 South Shields womn who set up a variety act, The Dolly Mixtures when one of their husbands' Ken Graham, was diagnosed with cancer in 1972. For 15 years they performed in working men's clubs through-out the North East to raise laughs and money for Cancer Research. They raised £100,000 for Cancer Research in the male dominated clubs in the 70's and 80's. Available on YouTube. 
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Eugenius! 
Nerdy Eugene is picked on at school, but he soon needs to find his own inner superhero when his comic “Tough Man” gets optioned by a Hollywood producer. Available on YouTube
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Molly Wobbly
The women of Little Happening are desperate - all three are trapped in loveless marriages and stuck with failing businesses.  There is only one person who can help them - a woman they’ve never met.  Her name is Molly Wobbly. Available via Paul Boyd Music. 
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Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus
A modern retelling of Orpheus and the underworld, looking at mental illness and addiction in society through the rock music business. The storyline with echoes with the tragically short lives of some of music’s brightest stars, including Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendrix, Janis Joplin, Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse. Available on YouTube. ​
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Sistas The Musical
The story of African-American women told through Top-40 music, from Bessie Smith to Beyonce. Available on TubiTv. ​
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The State of Things 
A new British musical about a high school band, fighting to save their music course from being cut. Set against the backdrop of Austerity Britain, join this unlikely bunch of misfits as they stick two fingers up at the state of things! Available on YouTube
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Timpson the Musical
With a nod to Romeo and Juliet, Timpson: The Musical is a fictional origin story of how the British retailer came to provide both cobbling and key cutting services. Available on YouTube.
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V for Victory
A British musical exploring the lives of a group of friends in the resistance against the German occupation of Jersey during World War II. Available on YouTube.
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Waiting for the Ship to Sail 
London-based theatre Chickenshed presents an artistic response to the urgent and pressing questions of global migration, and investigates the concepts of national and personal identity. Available on YouTube.
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Wasted 
A “rocumentary,” or documentary rock musical about the Brontë family. Available at Southwark Playhouse.
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Wise Children (UK only, until June 11) 
A big, bawdy tangle of theatrical joy and heartbreak, Wise Children is a celebration of show business, family, forgiveness and hope. Expect show girls and Shakespeare, sex and scandal, music, mischief and mistaken identity. Emma Wise’s inaugural production with her new production, also called Wise Children. Only available in the UK until June 11. Available on BBC iPlayer.
 Beyond London and New York
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Friends: The One Where They Sing! (The UnAuthorized Musical Parody)
The title says it all. Available on YouTube
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Mushy: Lyrically Speaking 
Mushy, a young man with a debilitating stammer, finds himself at the centre of a television documentary. In a moment of inspiration from his teacher, Mr. Burton, he starts to find a rhythm in his voice through music. Social media erupts hailing it a miracle cure and both teacher and pupil become overnight celebrities. Available on Vimeo.
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Only the Brave
Wales Millennium Centre’s moving musical based on a true story. Only the Brave follows Captain John Howard and Lieutenant Denholm Brotheridge, and their wives Joy and Maggie, as the soldiers prepare for the D-Day landings. Available on Vimeo. ​
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Three in the Bed
A new Australian musical comedic farce about the blunders of relationships and sexuality for twenty-somethings, written by songwriter & actor Jonathon Holmes. Jessica has always had a crush on Tim, who turns up to her party suddenly single. Unfortunately, Tim meets Zoe. But Zoe thinks she has a way to make all parties happy… what could possibly go wrong? Available on YouTube. ​
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Tyneham: No Small Sacrifice
In 1942, more than 200 residents of Tyneham had to leave their homes when the area was needed as part of a tank firing range. The villagers were promised their homes would be returned, but this promise was never fulfilled. Tyneham remains military property to this very day. Available on YouTube
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Albert Einstein: Relativitively Speaking
It’s 1933 and Einstein is giving his inaugural lecture on Special and General Relativity at Princeton University. But it's tough when your two wives and mother keep coming in, your equations are being used to make atomic bombs and there’s the small (rather large) matter of the Universe to explain. Available on SceneSaver.
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The Element in the Room 
Marie Curie's story is a tale of of glowing powders with extraordinary powers, lives saved and destroyed, and unparalleled achievements in the face of unbelievable odds. Available on SceneSaver
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The Origin of Species 
Charles Darwin is hard at work on his new book about barnacles. To boost sales, his publisher has invited you young and not so young naturalists to watch him at work. Easily distracted, Charles begins sharing his family history, songs he has written and some of his new discoveries about barnacles. However today is about to prove to be no ordinary day. Available on SceneSaver.
Musicals in Development/Concert Readings
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Golden Bricks and Ruby Shoes 
Inspired by a news article about the FBI assisting in the recovery a pair of stolen ruby slippers, Golden Bricks and Ruby Shoes is an in-development song cycle about the famed Wizard of Oz pumps, and the people who were obsessed with them. Available on YouTube.
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Passion Project in Concert
A song cycle about twelve unsung women from history who sing to their great loves: the object of their careers. An aviator sings to her airplane, an acrobat to her tightrope, an astronomer to her comet. Available on Facebook. ​
 Family Friendly
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The Hunting of the Snark 
Inspired by the genius of Lewis Carroll and his much beloved classic poem, a sparkling new musical extravaganza for the whole family. Available for a limited time on YouTube. ​
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The Midnight Gang 
Based on David Walliams book of the same name. Twelve-year-old Tom lands in the children’s ward of the spooky Lord Funt Hospital and meets a gang of fellow kids whose missions of wish fulfillment begin at midnight. Available until May 29 via Chichester Festival Theatre. ​
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Beauty and the Beast
Not the Disney musical, but a new version by Chichester Festival Theatre. Available until June 19. Available at Chichester Festival Theatre. 
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Stellaluna The Musical
Stellaluna the bat, Verdi the snake, and Pinduli the hyena all seek refreshment at a watering hole one hot day, only to find themselves the subjects of a bullying lion's ridicule. But by sharing stories about building self-confidence, these three misfit animals find wisdom, peace, and friendship. Available at Broadway On Demand. ​
StarKid Musicals
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A Very Potter Musical 
StarKid’s first production and a viral sensation that launched Darren Criss’s career. The sequels, A Very Potter Sequel and A Very Potter Senior Musical are also freely available online. Available on YouTube.
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Ani: A Parody Musical
A musical parody of Star Wars. Available on YouTube. ​
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Holy Musical, B@tman
It’s Batman, singing and dancing. Available on YouTube. ​
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Me and My Dick
Adults only. A coming of age story about Joey Richter whose best friend is...his dick. Available on YouTube. ​
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Starship 
Bug wants to be a Starship Ranger, but there's one thing they are he's not... human. Available on YouTube. ​
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The Trail to Oregon
Produced in Chicago in 2014. Claims to be the most historically accurate musical portraying the Oregon Trail. Available on YouTube.
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Twisted
Hop on your flying carpet, because this musical parody retells the classic tale of Aladdin... from the villain's point of view! Available on YouTube.
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