For much of Broadway’s history, most shows and unions resisted allowing cameras into their storied halls. Only later, in 1970, did they relent so that the New York Public Library For The Performing Arts could record performances for an on-site archive that can only be accessed in Lincoln Center. But some runaway success stories couldn’t be contained. Starting in the 1980s, PBS’s Great Performances and American Playhouse presented taped performances of shows like Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber Of Fleet Street, Into The Woods, and Company. A few other productions were filmed and theatrically released with help from vendors like Fathom Events.
But in 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic shut down Broadway like never before, a revived interest in filmed Broadway shows grew out of necessity. A taped version of Hamilton made its debut on Disney+ at the height of the pandemic in the summer of 2020, and soon after, Come From Away made its streaming debut on Apple TV in 2021. Specialized streaming platforms like NT At Home and BroadwayHD kept audiences entertained at home.
While theaters have opened up again, the interest in taped performances wasn’t left behind. A filmed version of Heathers: The Musical made its way to Roku in 2022. In 2023, Hadestown: The Musical distributor Bleeker Street released a filmed version of Waitress: The Musical, one of the first shows to turn the lights back on on Broadway. Last year, Merrily We Roll Along made its way to theaters after a triumphant restaging on Broadway.
As with these films and the PBS presentations before them, Hadestown: The Musical and Six: The Musical Live! (coming in August) have audiences far beyond the theater district, and distributors are banking on curious fans flocking to screenings, or returning audiences revisiting their favorite musicals on the screen. Hadestown became a fixture in the theater district, winning Best Musical, Best Original Score, and earning a Featured Role award for the legendary André De Shields. The show has spread over to the West End, where this production was filmed, and is on its second national tour in the States. There’s also added appeal for Hadestown devotees and newcomers: The filmed version is possibly the last chance to see the original Broadway cast of Reeve Carney, Eva Noblezada, Patrick Page, Amber Gray, and De Shields reunite. Like Hamilton, both Hadestown and Six: The Musical continue to welcome audiences in person, but their limited cinema engagement may even boost some extra ticket sales for the show, because after all, nothing quite replaces the feeling of a live theatrical experience.
In the case of the late, lamented Cats: The Jellicle Ball, it will take some fast-working behind-the-scenes magic to get a suitable recording done before the curtain comes down for good. If all else fails, the historic production will survive in the archives. Yet, its closing will be a tough act to follow: A distributor nervous about the show’s financial situation might not take a risk on releasing a slapdash taping of a musical that would neither do justice to the production or its audience. It may be too late to give Cats: The Jellicle Ball a tenth life, but as more and more musicals are filmed for wide release, the accessibility to Broadway shows, especially after they close, allows new audiences to discover these works or returning theatergoers to relive the experience beyond their typically limited run.
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