Alternative Ways to See Broadway Shows

I am trying to come up with a full list of alternative ways people can get a taste of theatre without having to schlep into NYC.


Between PBS's Great Performances, Regal Cinemas Fathom Events, HBO's special presentations, Broadway Direct and now Netflix theatre is becoming more accessible to the masses. Am I missing any other alternatives ways to see previous shows from the comfort of your own home, computer screen, or movie theater?

Also I am trying to come up with a bunch of examples of shows that have gone "digital" like 700 Sundays, Wishful Drinking, Newsies, Falsettos, Rent Live, Present Laughter, She Loves Me, Holiday in....what other titles can you think of and where did you see them?

Thanks for your help!

Updated On: 9/30/17 at 05:35 PM

BroadwayHD is one I've used quite a few times. It is the only platform I know of (so far) that has hosted the live streams (Holiday Inn, She Loves Me, etc.) and also has a collection of other filmed shows as well. While it's getting much more extensive, most of the titles are still BBC Shakespeare and the like. Though they're not newer shows, I've seen the concert version of Sweeney Todd and both filmed versions of Company through there.

In the vein of Netflix, Amazon Instant video has a fairly sizable selection of musicals, at least a few of which were filmed on Broadway.

Thanks for the input, Hogan. I'm sure OP didn't know that.



National Theater Live!

HogansHero said: "sarcasm detected but it's a serious matter, and I know there are a great many people who think it is the same, and ultimately that inures to the detriment of the art form. And folks who wander onto this board need to appreciate that they are not experience theatre when they watch a play through a camera lens."

Yes, theatre is an inherently ephemeral art form, and yes, you cannot experience the full weight of a production through a screen. The magic of theatre is its constant dialogue between actors and audience, and the regeneration within each performance. Film cannot capture the totality of a theatrical experience; I agree with you on that. However: the art of Broadway is not going to die at the hands of filmed shows, no one thinks that watching a film and being in a theatre are the same thing, and, quite honestly, your comments reek of superiority and privilege. For many people, filmed productions are the closest they will ever get to seeing a show on Broadway. Filmed productions exist to a) preserve the work and/or b) grant a wider audience access to a work that, due to its inherent nature, is largely inaccessible. I can assure you, people who watch filmed shows would most certainly prefer seeing the show in person.



Thank you to everyone who gave genuine suggestions in this thread; I hope that some of the many people to whom Broadway is not an option "wander onto this board," see your lists, and have the chance to watch some amazing shows.

The increased longevity of CHICAGO, MAMMA MIA, LES MIS etc after filming is evidence enough that filmed versions no longer harm live productions' financial viability. We live in a re-watching age where the binary "either/ or" for screen or stage no longer exists.

Though audiences won't experience the magic of live theatre, they can still find value in a screening of a stage production. To claim otherwise is dogma.

I'm sure we can imagine many situations or conditions which might prevent people from actually attending a theatre in person. A recording at least allows access to the artform. For example, I was too young to see the San Francisco production of 'The Taming of the Shrew' starring Fredi Olster and Marc Singer, but I am grateful beyond expression that the stage show was recorded: it had a massive influence on my career.

elephantseye said: "However: the art of Broadway is not going to die at the hands of filmed shows, no one thinks that watching a film and being in a theatre are the same thing, and, quite honestly, your comments reek of superiority and privilege. For many people, filmed productions are the closest they will ever get to seeing a show on Broadway. Filmed productions exist to a) preserve the work and/or b) grant a wider audience access to a work that, due to its inherent nature, is largely inaccessible. I can assure you, people who watch filmed shows would most certainly prefer seeing the show in person."

I appreciate your comments. A few corrections/reactions:

1. I never suggested Broadway was going to die. What I said was that the pervasive filming is detrimental because it gives folks an out to seeing a live show. It seems obvious that there are people who see a show vicariously (and perhaps not even like it) and don't go to the trouble of seeing it live when the opportunity presents itself.

2. Studies show that there ARE people (and not in insignificant quantity) who think seeing something via BroadwayHD, Fathom, NY Live etc., is "just as good."

3. No privilege or superiority at all. What I am advocating is going to the theatre, not going to Broadway. And I definitely think mass-disseminated replicas of Broadway shows do more harm to local theatres than to Broadway.

4. I don't have a problem with preservation, but that's not the dynamic in play with these distributors.

5. Your assumption about what people prefer is contrary to the data. Most Americans prefer to be couch potatoes. The movie theatre business is in the toilet for a reason. But even accepting your assumption, what I am advocating is that we (as an art form) do whatever we can to promote live theatre, and that includes doing what we can to bolster the preference for live theatre as "must see" -an expression that TV cannot possibly mean seriously.

6. To the other point, of course there is "value" in having access to shows via all these means. If there were not, there would not be the rush of entrepreneurial interest. But for those of us more concerned with the art form than our shareholders (or ourselves), I stand by the notion that there is a very serious concern.

MVintheheartland said: "Geez, yet another post by HH that doesn't contribute much to the conversation."

Your opinion, to which you are of course entitled, but which in this case says more about you than the post. Feel free to ignore me if you can't keep up.