For six months, Broadway’s marquee lights have dimmed due to the pandemic that took the world by storm. In light of a recent announcement, Broadway will remain closed for an additional seven months. With theaters closed, avid musical theater lovers begin to look for ways to experience “live-theater” from the comforts of their home.
In a recent announcement made by the Broadway League – an organization made up of theater owners and operators, producers, presenters, and general managers in North America – Broadway performances will be suspended through May 30, 2021. With theater doors shut, people have nowhere to go to experience the thrill of a live performance. Despite the pandemic’s hit on the theater community, this doesn’t stop theaters from giving audiences a magical experience. As theater performances continue to be postponed, here are five places where you can watch theater performances virtually.
1. The Show Must Go On
On March 17, 2020, the YouTube channel The Show Must Go On was created to bring musical theater lovers beloved show tunes and musical performances. The best part – it’s free! Here, you can view the videos for 48 hours from when it was posted, unless you are in the U.K. wherein it is only available for 24 hours. However, if you are interested in watching the show over and over again, there are links in the description where you can purchase or even rent the show’s performance.
Some shows that have been presented on this channel include, Phantom of the Opera’s 25th anniversary at the Royal Albert Hall, Love Never Dies, Cats, Hairspray Live!, and NBC’s The Sound of Music Live!.
If you are interested in supporting the theater community during this time, feel free to click the links of multiple organizations that you can support in the YouTube descriptions.
2. PBS Great Performances
PBS Great Performances is a television series that showcases different types of performances in the arts, from musical theater to philharmonic concerts. What’s great is that you can also watch this for free! You don’t need to create an account to watch the performances unless you want to have more access to more shows. Shows that have been included in their episodes include Holiday Inn, Macbeth, An American in Paris, One Lunch Two Governors, The Vienna Philharmonic Concert, and Schubert Generation.
To catch the shows of PBS Great Performances, make sure to check out the premiere schedule on their website. (Note: options are limited for those not in the U.S.).
3. Amazon Prime
As a college student, Amazon Prime is a way for us to stream movies while on a budget. Yet did you know that you can watch Broadway musicals on it too? For Amazon Prime members, shows like Carousel, Kiss Me Kate, and Fiddler On the Roof are right at our fingertips and for free!
But don’t worry if you are an Amazon Prime member, you can still watch the performances by purchasing it online.
4. MCC Theater
MCC Theater is an off-broadway theater company based in New York City that aims to foster a memorable experience by creating, provoking, and engaging artists and audience members in the theater. If this name sounds familiar to you, it’s because they are known for hosting the annual MisCast Gala.
Due to the pandemic, they had to cancel the remaining productions for this year’s season. Luckily, MCC Theater has continued to upload performances on their YouTube channel. Here you will see clips of performances, rather than a full production. Broadway stars that have performed in MCC Theater’s MisCast include but are not limited to: Lea Salonga, Philippa Soo, Jessie Mueller, Eva Noblezada, Aaron Tveit, and Lin- Manuel Miranda.
If you want to do more than watch, MCC Theater also has fundraisers where you can donate money to support the theater community. This can be seen on the right-hand side of videos that are tagged “fundraisers” on the channel.
5. Broadway HD
Broadway HD is a streaming platform where you can watch various theater performances from Ballets to Broadway classics. Broadway shows that you can watch on-demand include: An American in Paris, Fame, Funny Girl, Pippin, Oklahoma, Memphis, Jekyll and Hyde, and Falsettos.
Unfortunately, to be able to access the live performance anytime and anywhere, you must have a subscription. Nevertheless, if you want to try this on-demand platform, you can start a seven-day free trial where you can access the shows.