- Published on
June is bustin’ out all over, and it’s the month where we commemorate the Stonewall Uprising, where in 1969 Marsha P. Johnson, a Black, trans, bisexual woman, and Sylvia Rivera, a trans woman, led a protest for people in the LGBT community to be able to live freely without fear of prosecution.
Musicals have a poor history of including LGBTQi characters, and when they do, often it is to make those characters the punchline because of their sexuality. While representation of gay men has increased, there are infuriatingly few musicals featuring lesbians, and even less featuring people who are bisexual, trans, or intersex. Oh, how I wish Head Over Heels and The Prom had been filmed live during their Broadway runs. #MORELesbiansOnBroadway!
Here’s a quick look at some filmed live musicals with LGBTQi themes and central characters (this post includes affiliate links).
The Color Purple
Based on Alice Walker’s novel, with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, and book by Marsha Norman, the plot follows the eventful life of Celie, a Black lesbian in the American South in the first half of the 20th century.
Curve Theatre in Leicester, England, streamed a digital concert version of their 2019 production to audiences in the UK earlier this year. The 2019 production was subject to controversy when Curve fired the lead actor initially cast to play the role of Celie after it was revealed the actor had posted homophobic statements on social media. She attempted to sue Curve theatre, and was ultimately ordered to pay the theatre’s extensive legal costs.
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, the musical was inspired by the BBC documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16.
The musical was filmed live during its West End run, and broadcast in cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, and in the North America, in 2018.
While the movie adaptation will be available worldwide on Amazon on September 17, 2021, the filmed live capture has yet to be made available beyond the initial cinema release.
Falsettos
Adapted from earlier William Finn works, Falsettos follows the life of a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his wife, lover, about-to-be-Bar-Mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door.
The Lincoln Center revival in 2017 was filmed live and later broadcast in cinemas across North America. The musical was also broadcast on PBS, and is available to stream on Amazon and BroadwayHD.
From Here to Eternity
Stuart Brayson, Tim Rice, and Bill Oakes’ musical based on the novel of the same name. Unlike the heavily censored novel, the musical surprised audiences with its frank and realistic depictions of homosexuality in the US Army during World War II.
The final performances of West End production were filmed live at the Shaftesbury Theatre in March 2014, and the capture was released in cinemas shortly after.
From Here to Eternity is available to stream on Amazon and BroadwayHD.
Fun Home
Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic novel of the same name, and composed by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home is an intimate musical in which we are introduced to Alison at three different ages as she remembers her life in relation to her closeted father’s suicide shortly after she came out as a lesbian.
The 2017 Victory Garden Theater production was recorded for archival purposes, and in response to the COVID-19 shutdown was made available online for a limited time in May. It is not currently available to view.
La Juala de Las Locas
A Spanish language production of the classic musical comedy La Cage Aux Folles. With a score by Jerry Herman, lyrics by Jean Poiret, and book by Harvey Fierstein, the musical tells the story of a gay couple, Georges and Albin, and the humorous events that transpire when they meet their son’s conservative soon-to-be in-laws.
The Spanish language production has been running for over 5 years, and was filmed at the Hidalgo Teatro in Mexico City in late 2020. It was streamed several times via Ticketmaster Mexico. It is currently not available to view.
Kinky Boots
Based on the 2005 film of the same name, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie, a factory owner struggling to save his family shoe business, and Lola, a Black gay drag queen. With a little compassion, and a lot of understanding, the unexpected pair learn to embrace their differences and create a line of sturdy stilettos unlike any the world has ever seen.
With a book by Harvey Fierstein, and music and lyrics by Cindy Lauper, the multi-award winning musical was filmed live during its West End run at the Adelphi Theatre and released in cinemas in June 2019.
Kinky Boots is available to stream on Amazon, BroadwayHD and PBS’ Great Performances.
Naked Boys Singing!
A cheeky revue style musical with men singing in a state of undress about various issues, including gay life, coming out, and relationships.
The musical opened off-Broadway in 1999, and played 3069 performances before closing in 2012.
Naked Boys Singing! was filmed live in Los Angeles at the Hayworth Theatre in 2007, and is now available on DVD.
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.
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 artists living in the East Village in New York in the late 1980s. The Pulitzer Prize winning 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.
There are currently three filmed live productions of RENT - the original Broadway production, Fox’s RENT Live (even if we only got to see the dress rehearsal), and, most recently, Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre 2020 production.
RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway is available on DVD, and available to stream on Amazon, Google Play, VUDU, and YouTube.
Fox’s RENT Live is available on Amazon.
The Rocky Horror Show
Richard O’Brien's musical ode to science fiction and B horror movies that became a cult classic film featuring a sweet transvestite.
The musical has been filmed twice on stage — during the Royal Court’s 50th anniversary in 2006 and the musical’s 40th anniversary in 2015.
The 40th anniversary concert is not officially available, and The Royal Court production, The Rocky Horror Tribute Show, is available on DVD.
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 Leigh Bowery, and Boy George, both legendary queer icons and trendsetters.
The original London production was filmed in 2003 at the Leicester Square Theatre and is available on DVD.
Victor/Victoria
A stage musical based on the film of the same name, starring Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, and Michael Nouri. Set in a gay nightclub in Paris, the musical follows the trials and tribulations of a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman.
The Broadway production was filmed for distribution on Japanese television in 1995 and is now available on DVD.
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 early in 2020 and the video is currently available on YouTube.
More resources
Queer Music Heritage has an extensive list of queer-centric musicals that have received commercial cast recordings.
Musicals have a poor history of including LGBTQi characters, and when they do, often it is to make those characters the punchline because of their sexuality. While representation of gay men has increased, there are infuriatingly few musicals featuring lesbians, and even less featuring people who are bisexual, trans, or intersex. Oh, how I wish Head Over Heels and The Prom had been filmed live during their Broadway runs. #MORELesbiansOnBroadway!
Here’s a quick look at some filmed live musicals with LGBTQi themes and central characters (this post includes affiliate links).
The Color Purple
Based on Alice Walker’s novel, with music and lyrics by Brenda Russell, Allee Willis, and Stephen Bray, and book by Marsha Norman, the plot follows the eventful life of Celie, a Black lesbian in the American South in the first half of the 20th century.
Curve Theatre in Leicester, England, streamed a digital concert version of their 2019 production to audiences in the UK earlier this year. The 2019 production was subject to controversy when Curve fired the lead actor initially cast to play the role of Celie after it was revealed the actor had posted homophobic statements on social media. She attempted to sue Curve theatre, and was ultimately ordered to pay the theatre’s extensive legal costs.
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, the musical was inspired by the BBC documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16.
The musical was filmed live during its West End run, and broadcast in cinemas throughout the UK and Ireland, and in the North America, in 2018.
While the movie adaptation will be available worldwide on Amazon on September 17, 2021, the filmed live capture has yet to be made available beyond the initial cinema release.
Falsettos
Adapted from earlier William Finn works, Falsettos follows the life of a charming, intelligent, neurotic gay man named Marvin, his wife, lover, about-to-be-Bar-Mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door.
The Lincoln Center revival in 2017 was filmed live and later broadcast in cinemas across North America. The musical was also broadcast on PBS, and is available to stream on Amazon and BroadwayHD.
From Here to Eternity
Stuart Brayson, Tim Rice, and Bill Oakes’ musical based on the novel of the same name. Unlike the heavily censored novel, the musical surprised audiences with its frank and realistic depictions of homosexuality in the US Army during World War II.
The final performances of West End production were filmed live at the Shaftesbury Theatre in March 2014, and the capture was released in cinemas shortly after.
From Here to Eternity is available to stream on Amazon and BroadwayHD.
Fun Home
Based on Alison Bechdel’s best-selling graphic novel of the same name, and composed by Jeanine Tesori and Lisa Kron, Fun Home is an intimate musical in which we are introduced to Alison at three different ages as she remembers her life in relation to her closeted father’s suicide shortly after she came out as a lesbian.
The 2017 Victory Garden Theater production was recorded for archival purposes, and in response to the COVID-19 shutdown was made available online for a limited time in May. It is not currently available to view.
La Juala de Las Locas
A Spanish language production of the classic musical comedy La Cage Aux Folles. With a score by Jerry Herman, lyrics by Jean Poiret, and book by Harvey Fierstein, the musical tells the story of a gay couple, Georges and Albin, and the humorous events that transpire when they meet their son’s conservative soon-to-be in-laws.
The Spanish language production has been running for over 5 years, and was filmed at the Hidalgo Teatro in Mexico City in late 2020. It was streamed several times via Ticketmaster Mexico. It is currently not available to view.
Kinky Boots
Based on the 2005 film of the same name, Kinky Boots tells the story of Charlie, a factory owner struggling to save his family shoe business, and Lola, a Black gay drag queen. With a little compassion, and a lot of understanding, the unexpected pair learn to embrace their differences and create a line of sturdy stilettos unlike any the world has ever seen.
With a book by Harvey Fierstein, and music and lyrics by Cindy Lauper, the multi-award winning musical was filmed live during its West End run at the Adelphi Theatre and released in cinemas in June 2019.
Kinky Boots is available to stream on Amazon, BroadwayHD and PBS’ Great Performances.
Naked Boys Singing!
A cheeky revue style musical with men singing in a state of undress about various issues, including gay life, coming out, and relationships.
The musical opened off-Broadway in 1999, and played 3069 performances before closing in 2012.
Naked Boys Singing! was filmed live in Los Angeles at the Hayworth Theatre in 2007, and is now available on DVD.
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.
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 artists living in the East Village in New York in the late 1980s. The Pulitzer Prize winning 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.
There are currently three filmed live productions of RENT - the original Broadway production, Fox’s RENT Live (even if we only got to see the dress rehearsal), and, most recently, Manchester’s Hope Mill Theatre 2020 production.
RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway is available on DVD, and available to stream on Amazon, Google Play, VUDU, and YouTube.
Fox’s RENT Live is available on Amazon.
The Rocky Horror Show
Richard O’Brien's musical ode to science fiction and B horror movies that became a cult classic film featuring a sweet transvestite.
The musical has been filmed twice on stage — during the Royal Court’s 50th anniversary in 2006 and the musical’s 40th anniversary in 2015.
The 40th anniversary concert is not officially available, and The Royal Court production, The Rocky Horror Tribute Show, is available on DVD.
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 Leigh Bowery, and Boy George, both legendary queer icons and trendsetters.
The original London production was filmed in 2003 at the Leicester Square Theatre and is available on DVD.
Victor/Victoria
A stage musical based on the film of the same name, starring Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, and Michael Nouri. Set in a gay nightclub in Paris, the musical follows the trials and tribulations of a woman pretending to be a man pretending to be a woman.
The Broadway production was filmed for distribution on Japanese television in 1995 and is now available on DVD.
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 early in 2020 and the video is currently available on YouTube.
More resources
Queer Music Heritage has an extensive list of queer-centric musicals that have received commercial cast recordings.
- Published on
On episode 22 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with Susan Jamson, Press and PR Manager for the north London based inclusive theatre company Chickenshed.
Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that first began in 1974. Primarily based at their purpose-built venue in North London, they create theatre for all ages and run successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes throughout the year. As a result of lockdown, Chickenshed have made many of their past shows available for free online.
In this moving chat, Susan shares some of the stories from her 30 years with Chickenshed, her experience of raising a child with down syndrome, how finding an inclusive theatre company changed her family's life, the origins of Chickenshed and how the company has grown over the years, how they adapted to lockdown, and the importance of filming theatre.
Learn more about Chickenshed at www.chickenshed.org.uk and visit their YouTube channel to see some of their incredible work!
Chickenshed is an inclusive theatre company that first began in 1974. Primarily based at their purpose-built venue in North London, they create theatre for all ages and run successful outreach projects, education courses and membership programmes throughout the year. As a result of lockdown, Chickenshed have made many of their past shows available for free online.
In this moving chat, Susan shares some of the stories from her 30 years with Chickenshed, her experience of raising a child with down syndrome, how finding an inclusive theatre company changed her family's life, the origins of Chickenshed and how the company has grown over the years, how they adapted to lockdown, and the importance of filming theatre.
Learn more about Chickenshed at www.chickenshed.org.uk and visit their YouTube channel to see some of their incredible work!
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Google, Overcast, Stitcher, Spotify, and more!
If you like what you hear, please make sure to subscribe and leave a review!
If you like what you hear, please make sure to subscribe and leave a review!
- Published on
This week on the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with actor/dancer/singer James T. Lane.
Topics include the influence of Robert Guilluame and the importance of being able to see people that look like you on stage, Forbidden Broadway and movie musicals as a gateway to musical theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line, coining the phrase “sad understand”, working at the Jen Waldman Studio, words of wisdom from Baayork Lee, why writers and artists should share their work widely, and the development and staging of James’ new play Triple Threat: A Play That Moves and Sings.
James T. Lane is an actor singer dancer based in New York City. A true triple threat, he brings joy, electricity, nuance, humor, and heart to roles on Broadway, across the United States, and throughout the world. James's powerful love for his craft and for his fellow human beings shines through in all that he does. Learn more at www.jamestlane.com and follow James on Instagram and Twitter.
Topics include the influence of Robert Guilluame and the importance of being able to see people that look like you on stage, Forbidden Broadway and movie musicals as a gateway to musical theatre, Jesus Christ Superstar, A Chorus Line, coining the phrase “sad understand”, working at the Jen Waldman Studio, words of wisdom from Baayork Lee, why writers and artists should share their work widely, and the development and staging of James’ new play Triple Threat: A Play That Moves and Sings.
James T. Lane is an actor singer dancer based in New York City. A true triple threat, he brings joy, electricity, nuance, humor, and heart to roles on Broadway, across the United States, and throughout the world. James's powerful love for his craft and for his fellow human beings shines through in all that he does. Learn more at www.jamestlane.com and follow James on Instagram and Twitter.
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Google, Overcast, Stitcher, Spotify, and more!
If you like what you hear, please make sure to subscribe and leave a review!
If you like what you hear, please make sure to subscribe and leave a review!
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In episode 20 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with Broadway on Demand CEO and President Sean Cercone.
Topics include theatre on public TV being a gateway to live theatre, how being a good son-in-law led to the creation of Broadway on Demand, how streaming can help authors and help shows build their brand, sport as a model for live-streaming, the importance of a theatre archive, and much more!
Sean Cercone is the CEO and President of Broadway Licensing and its family of companies, which includes Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Stageworks Productions, and Broadway on Demand. Together, these companies represent the world’s first 360º theatrical development, producing, publishing, and digital and traditional distribution outfit.
Between Broadway Licensing (musicals), Dramatists Play Service (non-musical plays), and Playscripts (educational productions), Cercone oversees the licensing of nearly 24,000 productions each year, working with more than 2,800 authors and managing over 6,725 titles. Stageworks Productions is dedicated to the development, production, and distribution of innovative live theatrical properties, focusing on cultivating stories that speak to the universal truths of humanity.
Broadway On Demand, launched in 2020, is the industry’s premiere entertainment streaming platform offering exclusive livestream theatrical events, a wide-ranging library of video on demand content, interactive engagements, and educational programming. In addition, Cercone created a unique licensing interface, ShowShareTM, which provides student, amateur, and professional productions the opportunity to stream their productions for global audiences. ShowShareTM proved instrumental in ensuring thousands of shows could go on even when the pandemic forced the cancellation of live performances around the world. Broadway On Demand has been honored with the 2021 Corporate Award by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT).
https://www.broadwayondemand.com/
https://broadwaylicensing.com/
https://www.dramatists.com/
https://www.playscripts.com/
https://stageworksproduction.com/
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Google, Overcast, Stitcher, Spotify, and more!
If you like what you hear, please make sure to subscribe and leave a review!
Topics include theatre on public TV being a gateway to live theatre, how being a good son-in-law led to the creation of Broadway on Demand, how streaming can help authors and help shows build their brand, sport as a model for live-streaming, the importance of a theatre archive, and much more!
Sean Cercone is the CEO and President of Broadway Licensing and its family of companies, which includes Dramatists Play Service, Playscripts, Stageworks Productions, and Broadway on Demand. Together, these companies represent the world’s first 360º theatrical development, producing, publishing, and digital and traditional distribution outfit.
Between Broadway Licensing (musicals), Dramatists Play Service (non-musical plays), and Playscripts (educational productions), Cercone oversees the licensing of nearly 24,000 productions each year, working with more than 2,800 authors and managing over 6,725 titles. Stageworks Productions is dedicated to the development, production, and distribution of innovative live theatrical properties, focusing on cultivating stories that speak to the universal truths of humanity.
Broadway On Demand, launched in 2020, is the industry’s premiere entertainment streaming platform offering exclusive livestream theatrical events, a wide-ranging library of video on demand content, interactive engagements, and educational programming. In addition, Cercone created a unique licensing interface, ShowShareTM, which provides student, amateur, and professional productions the opportunity to stream their productions for global audiences. ShowShareTM proved instrumental in ensuring thousands of shows could go on even when the pandemic forced the cancellation of live performances around the world. Broadway On Demand has been honored with the 2021 Corporate Award by the American Association of Community Theatre (AACT).
https://www.broadwayondemand.com/
https://broadwaylicensing.com/
https://www.dramatists.com/
https://www.playscripts.com/
https://stageworksproduction.com/
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Amazon, Google, Overcast, Stitcher, Spotify, and more!
If you like what you hear, please make sure to subscribe and leave a review!
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This week, host Luisa Lyons chats with actor Jalynn Steele about the upcoming livestream of Titanique the Maiden Voyage Concert. Titanique is a new parody musical that reveals what really happened to Jack and Rose on that fateful night, as told by Céline Dion!
In this laugh-filled chat, we talk about the joy of performing, going to State for theatre, what Jalynn learnt during the pandemic, performing with COVID restrictions, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, and the importance of diverse representation on Broadway.
Jalynn Steele is an energetic light placed here on earth to shine joy to everyone. Through the years she has graced many stages across the world and is extremely excited to join the awesome cast of Titanique! Credits include; Broadway: The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, Off Broadway: Sistas: The Musical, National/International Tour: Fosse, Regional Theatre: Mamma Mia, Beehive, and Little Shop of Horrors. Other credits include; Sesame Street, After Midnight, Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor, The Wiz, Songs for a New World, and recently, many virtual performances. Her life’s creed, “Live, laugh & love!” Follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Titanique the Maiden Voyage Concert will be livestreamed at 7.30pm EDT on May 2. Tickets are available from Stellar.
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! If you like what you hear, please leave a review and help get the word out!
In this laugh-filled chat, we talk about the joy of performing, going to State for theatre, what Jalynn learnt during the pandemic, performing with COVID restrictions, The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical, and the importance of diverse representation on Broadway.
Jalynn Steele is an energetic light placed here on earth to shine joy to everyone. Through the years she has graced many stages across the world and is extremely excited to join the awesome cast of Titanique! Credits include; Broadway: The Lightning Thief: A Percy Jackson Musical, Off Broadway: Sistas: The Musical, National/International Tour: Fosse, Regional Theatre: Mamma Mia, Beehive, and Little Shop of Horrors. Other credits include; Sesame Street, After Midnight, Rock of Ages, Burn the Floor, The Wiz, Songs for a New World, and recently, many virtual performances. Her life’s creed, “Live, laugh & love!” Follow on Facebook and Instagram.
Titanique the Maiden Voyage Concert will be livestreamed at 7.30pm EDT on May 2. Tickets are available from Stellar.
The Filmed Live Musicals podcast is available wherever you listen to podcasts including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, Stitcher, and more! If you like what you hear, please leave a review and help get the word out!
- Published on
This week host Luisa Lyons chats with Filipino-American artist Lourds Lane - book writer, composer, lyricist, arranger, and violin-playing co-star of the new rock musical SuperYou. The musical was scheduled to open off-Broadway in May 2020, but was postponed due to the pandemic. Instead, a concert version was performed on the back of pick-up trucks at a drive-in in upstate New York. The concert was filmed and is available to stream on Broadway on Demand!
We talk about how music inspires, how writing music for a touring rock band helped Lourds write a musical, the Medusa Festival, the intensely personal inspiration behind SuperYou, why the team defied industry malaise at the start of the pandemic and staged the drive-in concert, how the concert was filmed, and putting your work online.
Learn more about Lourds Lane at www.lourdslane.com and SuperYou at www.superyoumusical.com.
SuperYou is available to stream on demand until April 15, 2021 at Broadway on Demand.
We talk about how music inspires, how writing music for a touring rock band helped Lourds write a musical, the Medusa Festival, the intensely personal inspiration behind SuperYou, why the team defied industry malaise at the start of the pandemic and staged the drive-in concert, how the concert was filmed, and putting your work online.
Learn more about Lourds Lane at www.lourdslane.com and SuperYou at www.superyoumusical.com.
SuperYou is available to stream on demand until April 15, 2021 at Broadway on Demand.
You can listen to the Filmed Live Musicals podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, including Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify, and more! Subscribe for new content every two weeks!
Thank you to the Filmed Live Musicals patrons Josh Brandon, Mercedes Esteban, Rachel Esteban, James Lane, David Negrin, Jesse Rabinowitz and Brenda Goodman, Al Monaco, David and Katherine Rabinowitz, and Bec Twist for your support.
Filmed Live Musicals is the most comprehensive online searchable database for musicals that have been filmed live on stage. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also support the site at Patreon. Patrons get early access to content, no matter how much you pledge.
Filmed Live Musicals is the most comprehensive online searchable database for musicals that have been filmed live on stage. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also support the site at Patreon. Patrons get early access to content, no matter how much you pledge.
- Published on
On episode 17 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with the Creative Director of HMDT Music, Tertia Sefton-Green.
We chat about HMDT Music's extraordinary children's theatre education program pre-pandemic, the fortuitous decision to downscale in 2019, and the new female-led musical Jina and the STEM Sisters. The musical is available to stream on demand worldwide until April 11. Book your tickets here!
HMDT Music, twice winner of the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Education and of the 2020 Excellence in Musical Theatre Award, is a leader in commissioning inspiring musical works embedding the arts across all areas of learning for young people. Key successes include: Trench Brothers commemorating ethnic minority soldiers in WW1; Shadowball ground-breaking baseball and jazz opera; Hear Our Voice international tour of a new work compiled from children’s Holocaust writings. HMDT runs an extensive Saturday Music Programme and arts-rehabilitation projects for young offenders. Their Creative Director Tertia Sefton-Green has created, commissioned, managed all their large-scale projects in addition to fundraising and writing some of the libretti. She also conducts their I Can Sing! music theatre programme. Learn more at www.hmdt.org.uk.
We chat about HMDT Music's extraordinary children's theatre education program pre-pandemic, the fortuitous decision to downscale in 2019, and the new female-led musical Jina and the STEM Sisters. The musical is available to stream on demand worldwide until April 11. Book your tickets here!
HMDT Music, twice winner of the prestigious Royal Philharmonic Society Award for Education and of the 2020 Excellence in Musical Theatre Award, is a leader in commissioning inspiring musical works embedding the arts across all areas of learning for young people. Key successes include: Trench Brothers commemorating ethnic minority soldiers in WW1; Shadowball ground-breaking baseball and jazz opera; Hear Our Voice international tour of a new work compiled from children’s Holocaust writings. HMDT runs an extensive Saturday Music Programme and arts-rehabilitation projects for young offenders. Their Creative Director Tertia Sefton-Green has created, commissioned, managed all their large-scale projects in addition to fundraising and writing some of the libretti. She also conducts their I Can Sing! music theatre programme. Learn more at www.hmdt.org.uk.
Thank you to the Filmed Live Musicals patrons Josh Brandon, Mercedes Esteban, Rachel Esteban, James Lane, David Negrin, Jesse Rabinowitz and Brenda Goodman, Al Monaco, David and Katherine Rabinowitz, and Bec Twist for your support.
Filmed Live Musicals is the most comprehensive online searchable database for musicals that have been filmed live on stage. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also support the site at Patreon. Patrons get early access to content, no matter how much you pledge.
Filmed Live Musicals is the most comprehensive online searchable database for musicals that have been filmed live on stage. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also support the site at Patreon. Patrons get early access to content, no matter how much you pledge.
- Published on
Despite the fact that we’ve been filming theatre since the invention of cameras, and that the first live theatre broadcasts took place in 1939, many still don’t know that filming stage shows and releasing them for public consumption is a thing. And when folks are aware of filmed live theatre, there are usually two reactions. Either they are either afraid of it because they think it will cannibalize ticket sales, or they dismiss it entirely as “not theatre”.
To the first point, as I’ve written previously, there is little evidence to suggest that filmed live theatre cannibalizes ticket sales — mainly because most captures are released in the final days of a show’s run, or after it has closed. For musicals that were released during a run, such as Legally Blonde, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, or Daddy Long Legs, ticket sales stayed stable, or were boosted, by the filmed live release.
Despite research that shows that audiences find watching theatre on screen a viable alternative, I don’t entirely disagree with the folks who ascertain filmed live theatre is not theatre. It falls somewhere in between the live theatre experience and a movie.
Terms that were used a lot pre-pandemic included filmed live theatre, live cinema, transmission, HD transmission, cine-cast, pro-shot, and live capture.
Some recent big Broadway name examples, Hamilton, Come From Away, and Diana (it’s fun to note that both Diana and Come From Away are directed by Christopher Ashley, who also directed Memphis, which was filmed live on Broadway with an audience in 2011) show that there is no consensus on what to call filmed live theatre. The filmed live version of Hamilton is billed on Disney Plus as “the Original Broadway Production,” and is referred to in press as the filmed version, filmed presentation, filmed performance, filmed version, Hamilton movie, recorded performance, live capture or live-capture, and streaming version. When tweeting the announcement of the filmed live release of Hamilton, the musical’s composer Lin-Manuel Miranda called it “Our Hamilton film”, and used the hashtag, #Hamilfilm.
In August 2020, Diana the Musical, a new Broadway musical which was still in previews at the time of the shutdown, revealed that the show would be filmed live without an audience and released on Netflix. Press around the announcement described it as a taping, filmed version, specially filmed version, recorded without an audience, and recording.
It was announced in February that Come From Away, the Broadway musical that tells the real-life story of the Canadian town of Gander which hosted 7000 stranded passengers after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, will be filmed in May. A variety of terms were used to describe the soon-to-be-released product: filmed live or live filming, filmed live version, live stage recording, filmed stage production, pro-shot, capture, and live taping. To add to the confusion, one reporter stated that it was unclear if this filmed live version would be different from the film adaptation that had been previously announced.
When we delve deeper into the filmed live theatre world, there are differences that are important to define so audiences and industry folks alike know what they’re dealing with. Some productions are filmed and broadcast live, such as most content from Live from Lincoln Center, BroadwayHD captures of She Loves Me and Daddy Long Legs, or the National Theatre’s Follies. These productions are often made available after the live broadcast, and billed as “live”. Other productions are filmed live with an audience, and edited with close-ups and on-stage angles that are filmed separately from the actual performance, such as Love Never Dies, Newsies, and Hamilton. Then there is another category of shows that are filmed to look like their stage show versions, but are filmed without an audience, such as the National Theatre’s 1998 production of Oklahoma! or the 1999 made-for-VHS Cats.
While the pandemic has resulted in a slew of filmed live musicals being made available online, often live recordings made for archival purposes, it has also opened up new categories, and ways of filming that are not always made clear to audiences what they’re watching. There’s filmed live in a theatre without an audience present, such as Fiver, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, or The Last Five Years all filmed at Southwark Playhouse, filmed live remotely on Zoom such as Curveball Creative’s Who’s Your Baghdaddy, or filmed separately and edited together like Irish Rep’s clever Meet Me In St Louis. Finally, there’s a new self-titled theatre/film hybrid of stage shows filmed in theatres and presented as films, such as Curve Theatre’s Sunset Boulevard.
So what should we call filmed live theatre? It’s one of my favorite questions to ask guests on the Filmed Live Musicals podcast. Take a listen to Episode 15 The Grinning Man with composers Marc Teitler and Tim Philips, to find out what I think is one of the best answers so far!
To the first point, as I’ve written previously, there is little evidence to suggest that filmed live theatre cannibalizes ticket sales — mainly because most captures are released in the final days of a show’s run, or after it has closed. For musicals that were released during a run, such as Legally Blonde, Phantom of the Opera, Les Miserables, or Daddy Long Legs, ticket sales stayed stable, or were boosted, by the filmed live release.
Despite research that shows that audiences find watching theatre on screen a viable alternative, I don’t entirely disagree with the folks who ascertain filmed live theatre is not theatre. It falls somewhere in between the live theatre experience and a movie.
Terms that were used a lot pre-pandemic included filmed live theatre, live cinema, transmission, HD transmission, cine-cast, pro-shot, and live capture.
Some recent big Broadway name examples, Hamilton, Come From Away, and Diana (it’s fun to note that both Diana and Come From Away are directed by Christopher Ashley, who also directed Memphis, which was filmed live on Broadway with an audience in 2011) show that there is no consensus on what to call filmed live theatre. The filmed live version of Hamilton is billed on Disney Plus as “the Original Broadway Production,” and is referred to in press as the filmed version, filmed presentation, filmed performance, filmed version, Hamilton movie, recorded performance, live capture or live-capture, and streaming version. When tweeting the announcement of the filmed live release of Hamilton, the musical’s composer Lin-Manuel Miranda called it “Our Hamilton film”, and used the hashtag, #Hamilfilm.
In August 2020, Diana the Musical, a new Broadway musical which was still in previews at the time of the shutdown, revealed that the show would be filmed live without an audience and released on Netflix. Press around the announcement described it as a taping, filmed version, specially filmed version, recorded without an audience, and recording.
It was announced in February that Come From Away, the Broadway musical that tells the real-life story of the Canadian town of Gander which hosted 7000 stranded passengers after the terrorist attacks of 9/11, will be filmed in May. A variety of terms were used to describe the soon-to-be-released product: filmed live or live filming, filmed live version, live stage recording, filmed stage production, pro-shot, capture, and live taping. To add to the confusion, one reporter stated that it was unclear if this filmed live version would be different from the film adaptation that had been previously announced.
When we delve deeper into the filmed live theatre world, there are differences that are important to define so audiences and industry folks alike know what they’re dealing with. Some productions are filmed and broadcast live, such as most content from Live from Lincoln Center, BroadwayHD captures of She Loves Me and Daddy Long Legs, or the National Theatre’s Follies. These productions are often made available after the live broadcast, and billed as “live”. Other productions are filmed live with an audience, and edited with close-ups and on-stage angles that are filmed separately from the actual performance, such as Love Never Dies, Newsies, and Hamilton. Then there is another category of shows that are filmed to look like their stage show versions, but are filmed without an audience, such as the National Theatre’s 1998 production of Oklahoma! or the 1999 made-for-VHS Cats.
While the pandemic has resulted in a slew of filmed live musicals being made available online, often live recordings made for archival purposes, it has also opened up new categories, and ways of filming that are not always made clear to audiences what they’re watching. There’s filmed live in a theatre without an audience present, such as Fiver, Sorcerer’s Apprentice, or The Last Five Years all filmed at Southwark Playhouse, filmed live remotely on Zoom such as Curveball Creative’s Who’s Your Baghdaddy, or filmed separately and edited together like Irish Rep’s clever Meet Me In St Louis. Finally, there’s a new self-titled theatre/film hybrid of stage shows filmed in theatres and presented as films, such as Curve Theatre’s Sunset Boulevard.
So what should we call filmed live theatre? It’s one of my favorite questions to ask guests on the Filmed Live Musicals podcast. Take a listen to Episode 15 The Grinning Man with composers Marc Teitler and Tim Philips, to find out what I think is one of the best answers so far!
- Published on
This week on the Filmed Live Musicals podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with New York-based Australian director Benita de Wit.
We chat about creating pertinent work with college students during a pandemic, the LIU Post Sondheim cabaret One More Thing Not to Think About, what makes a good theatre capture, what makes theatre “live” and human, why a student production of Kiss Me, Kate stuck in Benita’s memory, the upcoming stream Alter/Ego and how Bowie is relevant to Gen Z, and what it means to theatricalize pop music.
Benita de Wit is a New York-based Australian director of theatre and performance. They are the Associate Director for the international tour of “Bat Out of Hell” and have an MFA in Directing from Columbia University. Recent credits include “One More Thing Not To Think About” (Post Theatre Company), “The Laramie Project” (Pace University), “Slaughterhouse” by Anchuli Felicia King (Belvoir, 25A), “The Silence” (MIT, Associate Director), "The Moors" (Off Broadway, Assistant Director), "The Rape of The Sabine Women by Grace B Matthias". Benita is an Adjunct Professor at Pace University and an Associate Member of SDC. Learn more at www.benitadewit.com.
Show Links
One More Thing Not to Think About
https://vimeo.com/jstudiosny/review/486420579/14dffcb021
Password: N3wSw!*LIU2020
The Laramie Project
https://performingarts.pace.edu/current-season
Alter/Ego
https://www.facebook.com/liuposttheatrecompany/
We chat about creating pertinent work with college students during a pandemic, the LIU Post Sondheim cabaret One More Thing Not to Think About, what makes a good theatre capture, what makes theatre “live” and human, why a student production of Kiss Me, Kate stuck in Benita’s memory, the upcoming stream Alter/Ego and how Bowie is relevant to Gen Z, and what it means to theatricalize pop music.
Benita de Wit is a New York-based Australian director of theatre and performance. They are the Associate Director for the international tour of “Bat Out of Hell” and have an MFA in Directing from Columbia University. Recent credits include “One More Thing Not To Think About” (Post Theatre Company), “The Laramie Project” (Pace University), “Slaughterhouse” by Anchuli Felicia King (Belvoir, 25A), “The Silence” (MIT, Associate Director), "The Moors" (Off Broadway, Assistant Director), "The Rape of The Sabine Women by Grace B Matthias". Benita is an Adjunct Professor at Pace University and an Associate Member of SDC. Learn more at www.benitadewit.com.
Show Links
One More Thing Not to Think About
https://vimeo.com/jstudiosny/review/486420579/14dffcb021
Password: N3wSw!*LIU2020
The Laramie Project
https://performingarts.pace.edu/current-season
Alter/Ego
https://www.facebook.com/liuposttheatrecompany/
Filmed Live Musicals is the most comprehensive online searchable database for musicals that have been filmed live on stage. Visit www.filmedlivemusicals.com to learn more. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter. You can also support the site at Patreon. Patrons get early access to content, no matter how much you pledge.
- Published on
This week on the podcast, host Luisa Lyons chats with Marc Teitler and Tim Phillips, the composers of the smash-hit British musical The Grinning Man.
Filmed live at the Bristol Old Vic in 2016, The Grinning Man is a dark and visceral musical based on Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughed. Topics include the development of the musical, Marc and Tim's initial resistance to releasing the archival footage, how the musical came to be filmed with motion capture, and more!
The Grinning Man is currently available to stream on demand from the Bristol Old Vic. More tickets and info here.
Follow Marc Teitler on Twitter, and Tim Phillips on Twitter.
Available wherever you listen to podcasts! If you like what you hear, make sure to like and subscribe, and leave us a review! UPDATE: The podcast may take a couple of days to appear in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Overcast due to an attack on Buzzsprout's servers.
Want to find out what musicals are streaming this weekend? Sign up to the free Filmed Live Musicals newsletter and receive weekly updates on upcoming streams!
Want more content?! Become a Patron! You can join for as little as $3 a month, and no matter how much you pledge, you'll receive early access to the podcast and content on the site!
Filmed live at the Bristol Old Vic in 2016, The Grinning Man is a dark and visceral musical based on Victor Hugo's The Man Who Laughed. Topics include the development of the musical, Marc and Tim's initial resistance to releasing the archival footage, how the musical came to be filmed with motion capture, and more!
The Grinning Man is currently available to stream on demand from the Bristol Old Vic. More tickets and info here.
Follow Marc Teitler on Twitter, and Tim Phillips on Twitter.
Available wherever you listen to podcasts! If you like what you hear, make sure to like and subscribe, and leave us a review! UPDATE: The podcast may take a couple of days to appear in Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and Overcast due to an attack on Buzzsprout's servers.
Want to find out what musicals are streaming this weekend? Sign up to the free Filmed Live Musicals newsletter and receive weekly updates on upcoming streams!
Want more content?! Become a Patron! You can join for as little as $3 a month, and no matter how much you pledge, you'll receive early access to the podcast and content on the site!
Thank you to patrons Rachel Esteban, Mercedes Esteban-Lyons, James Lane, Al Monaco, David Negrin, Jesse Rabinowitz & Brenda Goodman, David & Katherine Rabinowitz, and Bec Twist, for financially supporting Filmed Live Musicals.