Broadway Musicals, Now Available on Netflix

In this economic climate, it’s likely that you’ve missed some of the musicals and plays that have been on Broadway in the last few years. Some shows only last a few months and getting to New York can be expensive and time-consuming. But fear not, theatre fans! PBS has filmed some of the best Broadway shows of the last few years for their "Great Performances" series, and other companies have worked to film Broadway productions for theatrical release. Many of these filmed theatrical productions are now available online through Netflix’s Instant Streaming service.

Passing Strange

Photo Credit: Darwin Bell 

Passing Strange is the tale of musician Stew’s soul-searching journey through Europe as a young man. Stew has been making music for years with his band The Negro Problem and as a solo artist, but Passing Strange was his first attempt at theatre. The musical is narrated by Stew himself, while Daniel Breaker plays “the Youth”, the younger version of Stew. Passing Strange was nominated for several Tony Awards, and won the 2008 award for Best Book of a Musical, but closed after only 165 performances. Spike Lee directs this recording of the musical.

Company

This 2006 revival of the classic Stephen Sondheim musical comedy stars Raul Esparza as Bobby, a Manhattan bachelor surrounded by married friends. Bobby observes the trials of marriage and contemplates whether he’ll ever settle down. This musical features such classic tunes as “Being Alive”, “The Ladies Who Lunch” and “Marry Me A Little”. In this particular production, the cast acts as both the actors and the orchestra, accompanying themselves on several musical numbers. Though Company closed after less than a year on Broadway, it won the 2007 Tony Award for Best Revival of a Musical.

Memphis

Photo Credit: Memphis CVB

Memphis is a musical tells the story of Huey Calhoun, a disc jockey loosely based on Dewey Phillips, one of the first white radio DJs to play black music in the 1950s. He encourages integration in a time where that is hardly an option and falls in love with a black artist named Felicia. Memphis has a lot to say about the United States’ troubled history with race and the part that music played in the civil rights movement. The musical had a healthy life in regional theatre before moving to Broadway in 2009 and winning the Tony Award for Best Musical in 2010. The Broadway production may have closed a few weeks ago, but the film is now available online.

What are your favorite movie musicals, or musicals available on film? Let us know in the comments! 

A Summer on the Fringe

For us theatre lovers, summer means blasting the original Broadway cast recording of our favorite musicals while driving down to the beach (or lake or other body of water), attending the final performance of every theatre camp in town, and heading to the fringe festival in our nearest city.

Now, you may be asking, what the heck is a fringe festival? By Wikipedia’s definition, fringe theatre is “theatre that is not of the mainstream”. The term can be used to describe smaller theatres that stage more experimental productions, but generally, it refers to the unjuried festivals that accept productions on a first come, first serve basis until all of the available performance spaces are full. The programming of these festivals usually isn’t limited to theatre. All kinds of performance art, from cabaret to spoken word poetry, are welcome at fringe festivals.

What makes the fringe festivals so attractive to young audiences is that tickets to festival productions are inexpensive and occasionally free!

The term “fringe” was first coined in Edinburgh, Scotland at the 1947 Edinburgh International Festival, when eight theatre groups turned up uninvited and staged their own productions outside of the festival, or “on the fringe”. Since then, the Edinburgh Festival Fringe has become the largest and most exciting of its kind. This festival features performance art of all kinds, though in recent years it has been known to attract big names in comedy such as Ricky Gervais and Tim Minchin. Tom Stoppard’s Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead, one of the most highly acclaimed plays of the twentieth century saw its first full performance at the 1966 Festival Fringe. This year’s festival runs through August 27.

A more recent addition to the fringe festival scene is the Chicago Fringe Festival, founded in 2010. Featuring about 50 performance groups each year, the CFF, “unites daring theatergoers with emerging and boundary-pushing artists from around the world.” This festival provides a win-win situation for both the artists and the audience; tickets are only $10 and 100% of the proceeds go to the artists. Though it is a younger venture, the Chicago Fringe Festival is definitely one to check out. This year’s festival runs from August 30 to September 9.

The Philadelphia Live Arts Festival and Philly Fringe bring cutting edge art to the Philadelphia area for two weeks in September. Productions range from dance to film to things that defy categorization altogether. Tickets to many of the productions are inexpensive, and the festival offers great student discounts. This year’s festival will be particularly exciting for me, because I will be performing in MONUMENT, the Drexel Players’ first production in the Philly Fringe. The process of creating this piece has been exciting and we can’t wait to share it with the world. We also have a blog where we are documenting the creative process, which you are all free to check out!

Have you been to a fringe festival? What did you think of it? Comment below with your fringe stories!

Prologue

Welcome, theatre enthusiasts (or soon to be enthusiasts), to Standing Room Only, your hub for theatre news, reviews, and tips!

In this digital age, many believe that live theatre is a dying art. Boy, are they wrong. Nearly every city in America has their own thriving theatre scene, and more young people are studying theatre than ever before.  I'm here to find the best theatre experiences and give my readers the resources they need to enjoy theatre on a budget. I also want young people to feel comfortable in a theatre environment. The theatre isn't just for blue-haired matinee ladies anymore. Young artists are creating exciting, experimental works for theatre-goers like you. I'm here to help you find them.

Photo credit: Alan Cleaver

So, who am I, the almighty voice at the other end of your internet connection? My name is Charlotte, and I'm just your average social-media obsessed college student with a passion for theatre. I'm currently studying Screenwriting & Playwriting at university in between my many internet ventures (all of which you can find on my About page).

If you're so inclined to watch this space for more, you can subscribe via RSS on the left sidebar. I hope you're all as excited about this new project as I am!