Musicals recorded live

[Theatrefanboy1]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 10:09pm

Im looking to add some DVDs or recordings to show a music class (grade k-5) authentic broadway or west end shows and was wondering if people had a list of recommendations. Im wanting to show good quality musicals that theyd enjoy and hopefully expose them to stories that are new to them. (So. Im looking to stay away from things like shrek the musical or high school musical. Or much of the Disney mainstream canon.). Thank you for your suggestions

[ggersten]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 10:44pm

K-5?  That's kind of tough.

There's no DVD of which I'm aware, but Matilda the Musical would be good. There are plenty of clips from TV and other promotional appearances, and maybe some other tapings that were not necessarily made properly.

I'd show "I'm The Greatest Star" or "Don't Rain on My Parade" from the film version of Funny Girl.

If they've watched Wall-E, then they might want to see the full Put On Your Sunday Clothes from the film version of Hello Dolly.

The Cats DVD could be well received.

Pirates of Penzance (The live version) - perhaps the Major General's Song. Although they might like the entrance with the pirate ship.

 

 

 

Updated On: 8/4/19 at 10:44 PM

[copskid949]

Posted: 8/4/19 at 10:47pm

I would say Cats and Cathy Rigby In Peter Pan are your safest bets. Anything else... Eh. Maybe Into the Woods, but that’s a very big maybe.

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 9:55pm

Cats and Into the Woods may work. Or the Hugh Jackman Oklahoma? Oklahoma was mostly filmed on a sound stage but they made it look like it was filmed at the National Theatre. Maybe Billy Elliot or Rent if the language isn't a problem.

Updated On: 8/5/19 at 09:55 PM

[jo]

Posted: 8/5/19 at 11:03pm

CATSNYrevival said: "Cats and Into the Woods may work.Or the Hugh Jackman Oklahoma? Oklahoma was mostly filmed on a sound stage but they made it look like it was filmed at the National Theatre. Maybe Billy Elliot or Rent if the language isn't a problem."

Trevor  Nunn made an excellent decision in filming it on a sound stage, as the video can be seen as clearly as a movie. This is important if you want to highlight the acting moments and maybe the segue from dialog to song and vice versa. The sound capture is also very good. 

 

[CATSNYrevival]

Posted: 8/6/19 at 12:16am

jo said: "CATSNYrevival said: "Cats and Into the Woods may work.Or the Hugh Jackman Oklahoma? Oklahoma was mostly filmed on a sound stage but they made it look like it was filmed at the National Theatre. Maybe Billy Elliot or Rent if the language isn't a problem."

Trevor Nunn made an excellent decision in filming it on a sound stage, as the video can be seen as clearly as a movie. This is important if you want to highlight the acting moments and maybe the segue from dialog to song and vice versa. The sound capture is also very good."

Oklahoma is pretty spectacular. It's a shame Nunn wasn't asked to direct the 1998 Cats film as well and capture it the same way both with a live audience and on a sound stage edited together. Cats suffers without the live audience as well as having been filmed on 16mm stock instead of 35 at least so it could have later been converted to actual HD for the blu ray release rather than the blurry upscale they did release.

 

[jo]

Posted: 8/6/19 at 1:46am

CATSNYrevival said: "jo said: "CATSNYrevival said: "Cats and Into the Woods may work.Or the Hugh Jackman Oklahoma? Oklahoma was mostly filmed on a sound stage but they made it look like it was filmed at the National Theatre. Maybe Billy Elliot or Rent if the language isn't a problem."

Trevor Nunn made an excellent decision in filming it on a sound stage, as the video can be seen as clearly as a movie. This is important if you want to highlight the acting moments and maybe the segue from dialog to song and vice versa. The sound capture is also very good."

Oklahoma is pretty spectacular. It's a shame Nunnwasn't asked to direct the 1998 Cats film as welland capture it the same way both with a live audience and on a sound stage edited together. Cats suffers without the live audience as well as having been filmed on 16mm stock instead of 35 at least so it could have later been converted to actual HD for the blu ray release rather than the blurry upscale they did release.

"

Re CATS - maybe there was a funding issue and it could not be filmed in the same way as Oklahoma!. From Maureen Lipman's book LIP READING, she shared that it took some time before Trevor Nunn could raise the funding for the filming of Oklahoma!. Also, at that time, the company which provided the camera  support for the filming ( not sure, but if I recall right it was Panasonic) shared on their website that the Oklahoma! filming project was financed with a $ 4 million budget ( and that was in late 1998-early 1999). 

Btw, I was lucky to have seen the live production of Oklahoma! in London, but already after it had transferred from the RNT to the Lyceum. It was not planned as I was in London on a business trip and found out that one of the musicals from one of my favorite musical theatre composers (Rodgers&Hammerstein) was then currently playing. I had no idea who the leads were...but I was glad I went because I used to consider OKLAHOMA! ( the movie with MacRae and Jones) as a bit on the dull side. So, that opened my eyes about this landmark musical.

 

 

Updated On: 8/6/19 at 01:46 AM

[MollyJeanneMusic]

Posted: 8/6/19 at 8:58am

If they don't mind a bit of PG cursing, maybe Newsies?  I saw it live when I was in 4th grade and loved it.

[BrodyFosse123]

Posted: 8/6/19 at 9:41am

K-5? Their attention span is of a flea. My niece and nephew were already film and TV savvy at that age and have no memory of any of the Broadway shows they saw during those years. Your best bet is to show them musicals featuring kids, especially ANNIE. Something that registers to them. Anything else will simply not make an impression as they have nothing to connect to.

[Frenchbacon]

Posted: 8/6/19 at 3:18pm

my music teacher showed us the original film version of the music man in 5th grade, and most of my class loved it! i'd recommend it