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Monday 4 May 2020
Theatre You Can Stream For FREE
With no end in sight to this lockdown, the boredom may be setting in for a lot of people so I thought I'd make a little round up of some FREE theatre you can watch from your home. Now some of these do rely on you having a Netflix, Disney+ and/or Amazon Prime account but I assume most people do! There are also some no subscription shows at the end. If you have a show you'd like to be included in this list, feel free to email rewritethisstory@outlook.com
Netflix has a whole host of binge-worthy films and series, with a great selection of musicals including:
The Wizard of Oz: A young farm girl Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto are whisked away from their Kansas home in a tornado to the magical land of Oz. A complete classic, with whimsy to take you away and a load of tunes to sing along to.
Burlesque: Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a singer who moves to LA in hopes of achieving her dreams. After getting a job at a burlesque lounge, Ali performs there nightly and helps the lounge's owner (Cher) restore the club to its original glory. It's a film of absolute boppage with two musical queens.
La La Land: While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist (Ryan Gosling) and an actress (Emma Stone) fall in love. As they start to experience professional success, they struggle in their relationship and have to decide between love and doing what they love.
Opening Night: A failed Broadway singer who now works as a production manager must save opening night on his new production by wrangling his eccentric cast and crew. Starring Lesli Margherita and Taye Diggs.
The Wizard of Oz: A young farm girl Dorothy (Judy Garland) and her dog Toto are whisked away from their Kansas home in a tornado to the magical land of Oz. A complete classic, with whimsy to take you away and a load of tunes to sing along to.
Burlesque: Ali (Christina Aguilera) is a singer who moves to LA in hopes of achieving her dreams. After getting a job at a burlesque lounge, Ali performs there nightly and helps the lounge's owner (Cher) restore the club to its original glory. It's a film of absolute boppage with two musical queens.
La La Land: While navigating their careers in Los Angeles, a pianist (Ryan Gosling) and an actress (Emma Stone) fall in love. As they start to experience professional success, they struggle in their relationship and have to decide between love and doing what they love.
Opening Night: A failed Broadway singer who now works as a production manager must save opening night on his new production by wrangling his eccentric cast and crew. Starring Lesli Margherita and Taye Diggs.
West Side Story: Romeo and Juliet told through the street gangs of New York City — The Sharks and The Jets. When Tony (Richard Beymer), a Jet, falls in love with Maria (Natalie Wood), a Shark, drama ensues as the gangs fight one another and Tony and Maria fight for their love.
Crazy Ex Girlfriend: Rebecca Bunch, a New York City real-estate lawyer abandons her job and her life in an attempt to find happiness in the unlikely locale of West Covina, California. It's hilarious and heart-warming and the music (by Rachel Bloom) is completely genius.
Disney+ there are of course all the live action movies on here as well as the classic Disney films such as Annie, The Sound of Music, Frozen etc... but here are a few other things you may have missed/not gotten round to yet:
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series: If you haven't watched this, you'll probably think it's rubbish but it's actually really entertaining and has some great songs. The main plot point is that the school where the HSM movie was filmed are putting on their own production of the musical, but amongst that there's teen romance, rivalries and over the top musical numbers.
Newsies: Based on the real-life Newsboy Strike of 1899, this musical tells the story of Jack Kelly (Jeremy Jordan), a rebellious newsboy who dreams of a life as an artist away from the big city. After publishing giant Joseph Pulitzer raises newspaper prices at the newsboys' expense, Kelly and his fellow newsies take action. The dancing, the choreo, the cast- it's all exceptional and worth a watch purely just for Jezza singing Santa Fe!
Encore!: Hosted by Kristen Bell, this series takes adults back to high school to revive the musicals they were a part of in their youth. There's a great selection of musicals included from Godspell to The Sound of Music and it's lovely to see theatre kids who have all taken different directions in life reunite through a shared love.
Amazon Prime has a few more rogue theatrical selections as well as some great documentaries; some of my favourites are:
Once: The story of Girl meeting Guy. He, is a Dublin busker on the brink of walking away from music after having his heart broken and feeling unheard in a bustling world; whilst, she is a force for change who exudes positivity from the moment their worlds collide. In the space of a few days, their lives become beautifully connected and changed forever.
The Last Five Years: This show chronicles the lives of a struggling actress (Anna Kendrick) and a successful writer (Jeremy Jordan) as they journey through their ultimately doomed relationship. Told from two perspectives, this is just a beautiful piece of theatre.
Wild Rose: Fresh out of prison, a Scottish woman (Jessie Buckley) juggles her job and two children while pursuing her dream of becoming a country music star. She soon gets her chance when she travels to Nashville, on a life-changing journey to discover her true voice. Featuring both original music and covers, this is a lovely, lovely film.
Jesus Christ Superstar: Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice's musical, JCS recounts the last days of Jesus Christ (Ted Neeley) from the perspective of Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson), his betrayer.
Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway: If you're a Hamilton fan this is a must watch. It looks at how the hit musical came to be and features snippets of the show as well as interviews and archive footage.
Aside from what's available on these regular streaming platforms, the brilliant creatives from the world of theatre have put together some amazing online resources:
National Theatre at Home: Each week the National Theatre are streaming plays from their archives on YouTube. Each show stays up for 7 days and there's a whole variety of genres. This week's stream is Frankenstein with Anthony and Cleopatra going live on Thursday and more to be announced. Check out the channel here
Ghost Quartet: If you missed the recent revival of Dave Malloy's show at the Boulevard Theatre, you can now watch the original production here
Signal: A series that presents new artist driven musical theatre has released a complete playlist of songs presented over the past two years. Available here
The Show Must Go Online: Each Friday Andrew Lloyd Webber is sharing one of his musicals, available here
21 Chump Street: Lin Manuel Miranda's lovely 15 minute musical is available to stream now. Telling the true story of an agent who went undercover in a school to reveal students who were dealing drugs. For a short musical, this fits so much in and the performances from Anthony Ramos and Lindsay Mendez are outstanding.
Jesus Christ Superstar: Based on Andrew Lloyd Webber/Tim Rice's musical, JCS recounts the last days of Jesus Christ (Ted Neeley) from the perspective of Judas Iscariot (Carl Anderson), his betrayer.
Hamilton: One Shot to Broadway: If you're a Hamilton fan this is a must watch. It looks at how the hit musical came to be and features snippets of the show as well as interviews and archive footage.
Aside from what's available on these regular streaming platforms, the brilliant creatives from the world of theatre have put together some amazing online resources:
National Theatre at Home: Each week the National Theatre are streaming plays from their archives on YouTube. Each show stays up for 7 days and there's a whole variety of genres. This week's stream is Frankenstein with Anthony and Cleopatra going live on Thursday and more to be announced. Check out the channel here
Ghost Quartet: If you missed the recent revival of Dave Malloy's show at the Boulevard Theatre, you can now watch the original production here
Signal: A series that presents new artist driven musical theatre has released a complete playlist of songs presented over the past two years. Available here
The Show Must Go Online: Each Friday Andrew Lloyd Webber is sharing one of his musicals, available here
21 Chump Street: Lin Manuel Miranda's lovely 15 minute musical is available to stream now. Telling the true story of an agent who went undercover in a school to reveal students who were dealing drugs. For a short musical, this fits so much in and the performances from Anthony Ramos and Lindsay Mendez are outstanding.
Southwark Playhouse have introduced the Southwark Stayhouse with three of their previous productions, including the tale of the Bronte sisters, Wasted. Find them all here
The Royal Opera House #FromOurHouseToYourHouse: The Royal Opera House are releasing lots of their archive shows, including La Traviata. Find them all here
The Shows Must Go On!: Weekly readings of Shakespeare's plays, performed by stellar actors take place on YouTube
Only The Brave: Telling the story of a group of soldiers in the run up to the D-Day landings, the hit musical starring Caroline Sheen and David Thaxton is available to view here
Myth: The Rise and Fall of Orpheus: Filmed live at The Other Palace in March 2018, this belt-fest of a musical is available to watch here
Eugenius! Towards the start of lockdown, team Eugenius! released their show which was filmed during its run at The Other Palace and the show is still available to stream now.
Eugenius! Towards the start of lockdown, team Eugenius! released their show which was filmed during its run at The Other Palace and the show is still available to stream now.
Wednesday 30 October 2019
9 to 5 The Musical (UK Tour), Wales Millennium Centre | Review
9 to 5 (UK Tour)
Wales Millennium Centre
Reviewed on Tuesday 29th October 2019 by Elisha Harris
★★★★★
9 to 5 The Musical is a sensational representation of what women had to endure when it was believed to be a ‘man's world’. Something which still plagues the modern day but is fortunately diminishing.
There’s nothing like escaping from your 9 to 5 reality to witness a world-class musical, and this production is most definitely that! This show is so unpredictable from start to finish. and everything is perfection.
Amber Davies is impeccable, her comedic timing and powerhouse voice make for a perfect Judy. Amber presents the the purest transition from a reserved, meek housewife to a fearless, self assured business woman who will not take no for an answer.
The other two leading ladies, Caroline Sheen, who's temporarily moved from the West End production to the UK tour, and Georgina Castle blow the roof off the Millennium Centre. Between Caroline’s quick wit and gorgeous voice, and Georgina’s mesmerising vocal range, they compliment each other perfectly. I could listen to them sing all day long!
The standout performance of the evening is Sean Needham who plays the ballsy, know it all boss, Franklin Hart Jr. He portrays the dishonest, antagonistic boss excellently. Sean really brings the role to life, he is witty, insanely entertaining and his facial expressions are priceless. For a character you’re meant to hate, it's hard not to belly laugh at every line he says- a real comical genius!
Overall this production is not one to miss, the ensemble are brilliant, the sound design is excellent, you can hear every voice individually when needed yet the harmonies were perfect. If you want to spend 2 hours in side-splitting, ball crunching laughter, 9 to 5 is the show for you!
9 to 5 The Musical plays at the Wales Millennium Centre until 2nd November before continuing its tour
Wednesday 13 March 2019
9 to 5 The Musical, Savoy Theatre | Review
9 to 5 The Musical
Savoy Theatre
Reviewed on Tuesday 12th March 2019 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★
Its almost forty years since Violet, Judy, Doralee and their misogynistic boss made their way to screens in the film 9 to 5. Musical adaptation by film creator, Patricia Resnick shows that whilst times have changed, unfortunately many of the issues are still prevalent and feel very relevant during the Trump Era and #MeToo movement.
Despite what you may think, this is not a jukebox musical and apart from the world hit 9 to 5, many of the songs are forgettable although being pleasing to listen to at the time. The arrangements by Stephen Oremus, Alex Lacamoire and Mark Crossland are pretty and Lisa Stevens' buoyant choreography keeps the momentum of the show going but the music itself is not the highlight.
However, Jeff Calhoun's West End production features a fantastic cast who perform Dolly Parton's score with vigour and drive. Natalie McQueen completely shines as Dolly's character, Doralee Rhodes. Funny, feisty and a vocal powerhouse, Natalie brings life to the role and provides a memorable moment with Backwards Barbie. Amber Davies is charming as the naive Judy Bernly who finds herself throughout the show. Whilst her acting is somewhat lacking at times, Amber retains her charisma and gives a lovely performance of Get Out and Stay Out.
Caroline Sheen brings a light to the show as the strong and capable, Violet Newstead. Together the three ladies are a real force as they take drastic measures to stop their sexist boss, Franklin Hart Jnr. (played comedically by Brian Conley) from blackmailing them. The real show stealer is Bonnie Langford as Hart's devoted assistant who is completely wonderful is her unrequited love for her CEO. Her high-kicking, leg-splitting performance of Heart to Hart is impressive beyond belief and utterly hilarious.
This is a crowd pleasing production that, with a second act of only 45 minutes, flies by with a flash of hair, power-suits and feminism. There's no denying that the principles are dated and it's more of a period piece than a modern inspirational tale to live by, but it does provide a laugh. Whilst being set in the 80s, the various nods to 2019 allow it to feel more relatable. 9 to 5 is a feel-good show, helmed by powerful performers who allow you to ignore the shortcomings and enjoy it for what it is: a load of female led fun.
photo credit: Craig Sugden
Tuesday 11 December 2018
A Christmas Carol (LMTO), Lyceum Theatre | Review
A Christmas Carol (LMTO)
Lyceum Theatre
Reviewed on Monday 10th December 2018 by Olivia Mitchell
★★★★★
The London Musical Theatre Orchestra are fast becoming a staple part of my Christmas tradition, with their glorious performances of A Christmas Carol really bringing the joy and festivity of the season to life, and of course, providing a wonderful night of top quality musical theatre.
Based on the classic novel by Charles Dickens and with music by Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens and a book by Mike Ockrent, A Christmas Carol tells the tale of Ebeneezer Scrooge as he's visited by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future and is forced to evaluate the way he lives his life.
Under the expert hand of Freddie Tapner the LMTO bring out all the best parts of this beautifully virtuosic score. Alan Menken's music brings a Disney-esque vibe to the story which actually broaches some dark subjects such as homelessness and poverty, and manages to evoke a whole range of emotions.
Griff Rhys Jones brings the miserable but endearing Scrooge to life with a wonderful and fresh portrayal. His performance is supremely entertaining and he manages to enthral, even in this semi-staged concert production.
As the hilarious Mr and Mrs Fezziwig (among other characters) Nicolas Colicos and Rosemary Ashe have the audience in the palms of their hands whilst they give supremely humourous and vocally powerful performances.
The vocal delights on offer in this concert are second to none, with Cedric Neal providing smooth riffs and a delicate but powerful tone that's to die for and Jeremy Secomb bringing the ultimate scrooge to life in a menacing but humourous rendition of Link By Link, in which he shows off his booming voice. David Hunter is charming as Bob Cratchit alongside the fantastic Caroline Sheen as his wife and Jon Tarcy gives a memorable performance as Young Scrooge.
I'd like to be visited by the three ghosts just to be serenaded by them. Miriam-Teak Lee is sass embodied as the brings the Ghost of Christmas Past to life. Her vocals are super strong and she really brings magic to the stage with her performance. Lucie Jones' voice continually astounds; her clear as can be vocals and stellar diction bring Emily and The Blind Old Hag to the forefront of the show and equally, as the ghost of Christmas Future who never utters a word, Lucie still magnetises the audience and gives a subtle performance that you can't be drawn away from.
The young cast are great, as are the LMTO Chorus who are perhaps the strongest chorus at an LMTO concert yet. Completely in sync throughout their humourous numbers and close harmony pieces, they ground the piece and bring a magnificent Christmas choral feel to the show.
The true festive kindness was shown when two young girls in front of us beamed from start to finish and shared a single sweet between them during the final song. Cheer and love enveloped the theatre throughout this magically festive, and brilliantly performed evening. Get yourself to the Lyceum Theatre next Monday for a jubilant night of theatre.
A Christmas Carol is on at the Lyceum theatre on Monday 17th December at 4pm and 7.30pm
photo credit: Nick Rutter
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