Let that lonely (self isolation) feeling wash away, raise the barricades and get ready to defy gravity, as today marks #WorldTheatreDay! While this year’s festivities can’t involve a trip to see a glittering West End show, there are still plenty of ways that you can celebrate your love of theatre…
Netflix and… sing?
One of the many gifts that the internet has given us is the ability to access and stream a myriad of films, tv programmes, music, podcasts – and now theatre too! Below we’ve rounded up the incredible selection of musicals, movie adaptations and plays currently available on a range of streaming platforms. Get bingeing!
Netflix
West Side Story (1961)
The classic musical of star-crossed lovers in New York City.
Les Misérables (2012)
Hugh Jackman… need we say more? The Oscar-winning adaptation is also available to stream on Amazon Prime Video.
Fiddler on the Roof (1971)
This 3-hour epic is the perfect way to pass #WorldTheatreDay.
Amazon Prime
The Last Five Years (2014)
Anna Kendrick and Jeremy Jordan (swoon) star in the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s hit musical.
Now TV
Dreamgirls (2006)
The film that propelled Jennifer Hudson to superstardom, get ready to belt I Am Telling You at the top of your lungs.
Grease
John Travolta in his prime and shaking his hips – what more could you need? And yes, there’s a sing along version too!
Soundtracks galore
Apple Music and Spotify users rejoice – with more soundtracks than ever before instantly available to stream and download, you can enjoy your favourite musical theatre tunes from the comfort of your home. Our top recommendations include…
SIX
Take six of the most infamous women in human history, write a girl-power fuelled smash-hit musical, cast ridiculously talented queens, record an album, and what do you end up with? The SIX: The Musical soundtrack. These are the perfect power ballads to get us through the drolls of self isolation!
Hamilton
With catchy music and impressive lyrics from talent power-house and all-round beacon of positivity, Lin-Manuel Miranda (if you don’t follow him on social media, we highly recommend), it’s no wonder that the Hamilton soundtrack is one of the most streamed worldwide. It could also be a great way to teach the kids some history as part of their home schooling!
Company (2018)
It wouldn’t be #WorldTheatreDay without Sondheim or Patti LuPone! Following a five-star West End run in 2018, the critically acclaimed gender-switched adaptation of Company transferred to Broadway in 2019, and has wowed audiences on both sides of the pond. If you didn’t get a chance to see the show yourself, listening to the soundtrack will give you a taste of the talent behind this new version of Sondheim’s classic.
The power of social media
The National Theatre recently announced that they will be uploading one of their past productions to their YouTube channel every Thursday at 7PM, and they they’ll also available on-demand for a full week afterwards. The first production to go live will be One Man, Two Guvnors, starring James Corden in the role that saw him win a Tony award. This will be live from 2nd April, with full details on further productions available here.
Sadler’s Wells have also announced a programme of full-length dance performances and workshops online, to keep you entertained and connected through dance, wherever you are in the world while their live stages are dark. The programme launches today (Friday 27 March), with an exclusive online screening of Deluxe by BalletBoyz at 7.30PM. It will be available to watch on the Sadler’s Wells Facebook page as the first in their weekly series of Sadler’s Wells Facebook Premieres.
Game of Thrones fans that missed out on Maisie Williams’ stage debut are in luck – Hampstead Theatre have announced that they will be broadcasting their production of Lauren Gunderson’s play ‘I and You’, which tells the story of two students studying Walt Whitman on Instagram. Watch from March 23-29 on Hampstead Theatre’s IGTV @hampstead-theatre.
However you are celebrating #WorldTheatreDay, we hope you are staying safe and well!
