BY LAUREN PAULSON
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF
As more and more people are forced to stay in their houses in an effort to flatten the curve of people infected with Covid-19, there has been an increase in the amount of video, audio, and literary content released on the internet for free. Popular sports channels, podcasts, and online libraries are giving out free trials and free content in an effort to entertain people across the globe during this challenging time. The world of Broadway is no exception, and theatre-goers everywhere are taking advantage of this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity: watching a Broadway musical in their homes for free. While all in-person Broadway shows have been cancelled through June (at the earliest), several big-name theatre companies and artists are releasing professional content weekly. Below are two of the most popular ways people are streaming shows.
- The Shows Must Go On: Andrew Lloyd Webber, the famous playwright of hit musicals like The Phantom of the Opera, Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, and Jesus Christ Superstar, is releasing a film of one of his shows every weekend. Available for twenty-four hours starting on Fridays at 1:00 P.M., these musicals can be found at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdmPjhKMaXNNeCr1FjuMvag/featured. The first featured performance (which aired on April 3rd) was Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat, followed by Jesus Christ Superstar a week later. Phantom of the Opera and its sequel, Love Never Dies, were available the past two weekends. Each week the website is updated with the news of which musical will be aired next, so be sure to keep informed so you can catch your favorite Webber show! If you missed one of your favorites, there are still clips of the most beloved songs from each of the musicals that have already been aired that can be found on youtube.
- BroadwayHD: This website streaming service that usually requires a paid subscription if offering a free seven-day trial to fans who want to binge their favorite musicals, dramas, and documentaries. All you have to do is visit their website at https://www.broadwayhd.com/ and sign up for a free subscription for one week; this will unlock access to hundreds of classics like Carousel, Les Miserables, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, and many more. At the end of your free trial, you will have to unsubscribe to ensure you are not automatically charged a fee for an added month of access.
Another professional theatre resource (not a part of Broadway) that you can use to stream top-level Shakespeare productions is the Globe Theatre in London. This company is releasing several of its productions on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/user/ShakespearesGlobe, with each one available for two weeks starting every other Monday. A 2009 version of Romeo and Juliet is currently accessible for free from the website. In the coming weeks productions of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, The Merry Wives of Windsor, The Two Noble Kinsmen, Macbeth, and The Winter’s Tale will be available for free viewing and streaming as well.
In our modern age, there are many ways we are able to stay connected and continue to enjoy entertainment, even when we are stuck at home. With a lot of effort from the theatre world to find a way to produce free, accessible content, theatre-goers and thespians are grateful to be able to maintain some of the joys of normal life.
Sources:
https://www.broadwayhd.com/categories/shakespeare
https://www.shakespearesglobe.com/watch/
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