DISers Love Broadway!

EmJ

DIS Veteran
Joined
Oct 17, 2010
So this is Disney OT, but I’m not really active on other threads, so I’m begging forgiveness 😝

My family watched Hamilton last night and LOVED it. We are huge musical theater nerds; it’s probably our favorite thing to do together as a family, maybe even more than theme parks. We had tickets this year for Ragtime, Lion King, and Hamilton—all cancelled, of course. And to my knowledge, no musical has ever been filmed and released straight-from-Broadway, rather than adapted as a (usually inferior) film. Although I’m sure a live performance would be even better, it was a huge treat to sit in our living room last night and watch Lin-Manuel Miranda and his equally talented coperformers. (Daveed Diggs? OMG!!) Even my five-year-old was enthralled, though he couldn’t follow the plot and liked King George III the best 😂

Anyway, I know there’s been a lot of criticism of Disney’s theme park related handling of the pandemic, including from me. But the things they’ve been doing on Disney+ are really quite special. I understand that Hamilton was meant for a theatrical release next year, and, as *the most* in demand theatrical production in the world (and deservedly so), I have to think that Disney lost a lot of potential revenue by releasing it a year early by streaming service instead. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit and there is a secret profit here somewhere, but it really is just so neat and unprecedented, and I still can’t quite put my finger on why Big Corporate did it, that I wanted to give at least a little credit where credit is due. And to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet — you’ve got homework 😉
 
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So this is Disney OT, but I’m not really active on other threads, so I’m begging forgiveness 😝

My family watched Hamilton last night and LOVED it. We are huge musical theater nerds; it’s probably our favorite thing to do together as a family, maybe even more than theme parks. We had tickets this year for Ragtime, Lion King, and Hamilton—all cancelled, of course. And to my knowledge, no musical has ever been filmed and released straight-from-Broadway, rather than adapted as a (usually inferior) film. Although I’m sure a live performance would be even better, it was a huge treat to sit in our living room last night and watch Lin-Manual Miranda and his equally talented coperformers. (Daveed Diggs? OMG!!) Even my five-year-old was enthralled, though he couldn’t follow the plot and liked King George III the best 😂

Anyway, I know there’s been a lot of criticism of Disney’s theme park related handling of the pandemic, including from me. But the things they’ve been doing on Disney+ are really quite special. I understand that Hamilton was meant for a theatrical release next year, and, as *the most* in demand theatrical production in the world (and deservedly so), I have to think that Disney lost a lot of potential revenue by releasing it a year early by streaming service instead. Maybe I’m giving them too much credit and there is a secret profit here somewhere, but it really is just so neat and unprecedented, and I still can’t quite put my finger on why Big Corporate did it, that I wanted to give at least a little credit where credit is due. And to anyone who hasn’t watched it yet — you’ve got homework 😉

glad you finally got to see it, but nothing compares to seeing it live, hopefully you’ll get to that too once live theater opens up once more.

i love Ham too, but this release is strange for me in several ways.

(1) I’ve seen it a few times live (the And Peggy tour in SF) and that is my baseline, IMO, they had a grittier performance across most characters. Seeing the original cast was like a half-shock. Ever watch a TV show where a minor character is replaced by a new actor? Yeah, weird.

(2) I take for granted the wide reach of Disney+...my news feeds are full of critiques/debates about the merits of Ham, it’s like this thing came out new yesterday. I’m not like my snooty friends who saw the off-broadway performances in 2014(?), but it’s like when your favorite indie band hits the top of the charts.

that said, Groff is the best King George and Hams been on a loop in this house since yesterday!
 
... And to my knowledge, no musical has ever been filmed and released straight-from-Broadway, rather than adapted as a (usually inferior) film...
Have you streamed "Newsies, the Musical" on DIsney+? That was filmed live at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood -- super fun! They got some of the OBC back for that and the energy level is really high. Great choreography and dancing!
 
Have you streamed "Newsies, the Musical" on DIsney+? That was filmed live at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood -- super fun! They got some of the OBC back for that and the energy level is really high. Great choreography and dancing!
I thought that was a film adaptation! Will be watching tonight 😍
 


And to my knowledge, no musical has ever been filmed and released straight-from-Broadway, rather than adapted as a (usually inferior) film.

There are SO MANY!! Newsies on Disney+ (the musical, with Jeremy Jordan, not the 1992 film, which is actually the original), Into the Woods (original production complete with Bernadette 😍), Sunday in the Park with George (with Bernadette and MandyPatinkin 😍😍), Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, The Spongebob Musical on Amazon Prime, Shrek the Musical (Sutton freaking Foster as Fiona!!) on Netflix, Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall (with Sierra Boggess as Christine - she was the original Ariel on Broadway!), the filmed Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman!, Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway...

Well, that should last you a couple weeks at least ;)

Have you streamed "Newsies, the Musical" on DIsney+? That was filmed live at the Pantages Theatre in Hollywood -- super fun! They got some of the OBC back for that and energy level is really high. Great choreography and dancing!
I thought that was a film adaptation! Will be watching tonight 😍

The 1992 with Christian Bale as Jack is the original, and is a film. It's actually worth watching, honestly, although the stage version with my husband Jeremy Jordan is 100000000x better ;) Honestly, it's my comfort movie - I put it on all the time.

Although I’m sure a live performance would be even better, it was a huge treat to sit in our living room last night and watch Lin-Manual Miranda and his equally talented coperformers. (Daveed Diggs? OMG!!)

There is nothing that compares to seeing this show live for the first time, but seeing the OBC (well. most of them - Emmy and Betsy are missing from the ensemble, which is a shame but their replacements did a great job) and being able to see it in my home as many times as I want is pretty fantastic! It was also great because my husband was a total nay-sayer about the show, refusing to see it because "nothing is that good" finally watched it and agreed that it was jaw dropping, ground breaking, and every bit lived up to the hype. Funny, he ate that same humble pie about Disneyland a couple years ago. You'd think the man would learn to just listen to me!

i love Ham too, but this release is strange for me in several ways.

(1) I’ve seen it a few times live (the And Peggy tour in SF) and that is my baseline, IMO, they had a grittier performance across most characters. Seeing the original cast was like a half-shock. Ever watch a TV show where a minor character is replaced by a new actor? Yeah, weird.

Agree 💯. I thnk LMM is an absolute genius and I wish I had half his talent and vision. That said - he is not the best A. Ham I've seen 😲 In fact, we may have seen the same Hamilton - my first (and favorite) Ham was Julius Thomas III. He was first with the Philip Tour in several standby roles, and then moved to the And Peggy company to assume the lead role. He's so amazing. That said, it's also quite likely that a lot of the grit heart just didn't come across in the film. Capturing the true essence of a live performance on film is incredibly hard.

Ok, I'll stop. See what y'all started?! ;)
 
There are SO MANY!! Newsies on Disney+ (the musical, with Jeremy Jordan, not the 1992 film, which is actually the original), Into the Woods (original production complete with Bernadette 😍), Sunday in the Park with George (with Bernadette and MandyPatinkin 😍😍), Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, The Spongebob Musical on Amazon Prime, Shrek the Musical (Sutton freaking Foster as Fiona!!) on Netflix, Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall (with Sierra Boggess as Christine - she was the original Ariel on Broadway!), the filmed Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman!, Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway...

Well, that should last you a couple weeks at least ;)

Omg! I stand corrected! Okay, I am absolutely going to check these out. Where do I find Rent? It is in my top 5 all time favorites; we actually got to see it on its 25th anniversary at the end of February before we knew we we under siege.
 
Agree 💯. I thnk LMM is an absolute genius and I wish I had half his talent and vision. That said - he is not the best A. Ham I've seen 😲 In fact, we may have seen the same Hamilton - my first (and favorite) Ham was Julius Thomas III. He was first with the Philip Tour in several standby roles, and then moved to the And Peggy company to assume the lead role. He's so amazing.

I hate saying it since he wrote it, but I like Julius Thomas III way better as A. Ham than LMM. Julia K Harriman will always be Eliza for me. Brandon L. Armstrong as Hercules Mulligan was gritty as hell and I loved it.

Simon Longnight is on board as Lafayette and Jefferson for the shows in Los Angeles and I’m keen on watching that production when it reopens!
 


I hate saying it since he wrote it, but I like Julius Thomas III way better as A. Ham than LMM.

Agree completely. Although, I do wish I'd been able to see Javier Munoz as Hamilton. Javi's performance as the Baker in Into the Woods remains my favorite performance by anyone ever (and that includes my own kid!), and I so wish I could have seen him as Hamilton.

To get back on topic with the speculation...I feel like we're in it for the long haul with everything closed. I am curious to hear what Newsom has to say in his next press conference, whenever that is.
 
There are SO MANY!! Newsies on Disney+ (the musical, with Jeremy Jordan, not the 1992 film, which is actually the original), Into the Woods (original production complete with Bernadette 😍), Sunday in the Park with George (with Bernadette and MandyPatinkin 😍😍), Peter Pan with Cathy Rigby, The Spongebob Musical on Amazon Prime, Shrek the Musical (Sutton freaking Foster as Fiona!!) on Netflix, Phantom of the Opera at Royal Albert Hall (with Sierra Boggess as Christine - she was the original Ariel on Broadway!), the filmed Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman!, Rent: Filmed Live on Broadway...
It's like you've been looking at our DVD shelf and streaming list!
 
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Sooooo? How was it? :)
Lol, I didn’t watch it 😂 But in my defense, it was because I was otherwise occupied on the Broadway-front. After @mouschievous (gently) brought to my attention that there are a huge number of filmed-on-Broadway shows available and I am a crazy person to not have known that, I spent a decent amount of time yesterday seeing what ELSE I could find. I’m definitely getting a subscription to BroadwayHD! And I already bought Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway from Amazon Video, haha. So that’s what we were watching last night.

Love the new thread!
 
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Lol, I didn’t watch it 😂 But in my defense, it was because I was otherwise occupied on the Broadway-front. After @mouschievous (gently) brought to my attention that there are a huge numbers of filmed-on-Broadway shows available and I am a crazy person to not have known that, I spent a decent amount of time yesterday seeing what ELSE I could find. I’m definitely getting a subscription to BroadwayHD! And I already bought Rent: Filmed Live On Broadway from Amazon Video, haha. So that’s what we were watching last night.

Love the new thread!
Oh... keep me away from Amazon when I start getting a Broadway craving! I've had to promise DH that I will hit "add to list" first, not "1 click" when that happens! LOL. Let's just say my wishlist is pretty long right now... Glad you found lots of fun things to bring some more joy into your home this summer. :)
 
Omg! I stand corrected! Okay, I am absolutely going to check these out...
When movies theaters finally reopen and it is finally safe to go back to enjoy them, check out Fathom Events (https://www.fathomevents.com). They show Broadway show films/tapings, like "Newsies, the Musical," on the big screen! So much fun! We got to see "Newsies" at Disney's El Capitan Theatre -- people dressed up -- a really fun event.
 
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Oh... keep me away from Amazon when I start getting a Broadway craving! I've had to promise DH that I will hit "add to list" first, not "1 click" when that happens! LOL. Let's just say my wishlist is pretty long right now... Glad you found lots of fun things to bring some more joy into your home this summer. :)
Yeah, I think we might start doing a Broadway/musical night once a month with special snacks 🙂
 
When movies theaters finally reopen and it is finally safe to go back to enjoy them, check out Fathom Events (https://www.fathomevents.com). They show Broadway show films/tapings, like "Newsies, the Musical," on the big screen! So much fun! We got to see "Newsies" at Disney's El Capitan Theatre -- people dressed up -- a really fun event.

Yes! That's how I saw Newsies originally. Oh, and Holiday Inn!
 
Newsies is my guilty pleasure. Also happy we have a dedicated b'way/theater thread (I still have photos to post in the marine world thread). Yay offshoots!

I never knew there was a Rent that was filmed from Broadway directly. I knew the movie from 2005 existed, but I refused to see it...mostly because I didn't want to sully the memory I have of watching Rent at the Nederlander on Broadway many moons ago.
 
Newsies is my guilty pleasure. Also happy we have a dedicated b'way/theater thread (I still have photos to post in the marine world thread). Yay offshoots!

I never knew there was a Rent that was filmed from Broadway directly. I knew the movie from 2005 existed, but I refused to see it...mostly because I didn't want to sully the memory I have of watching Rent at the Nederlander on Broadway many moons ago.
I'm not a fan of the movie, tbh. There are a number of musical films that I enjoy very much (Greatest Showman being the most recent, and I still hold a soft spot for Carol Burnett's Annie--probably my favorite movie as a child), but I tend not to like the film versions of stage productions very much. I am enjoying this "filmed direct from Broadway" though. I'm on my second pass while working, haha!

Would anyone be interested in a "monthly musical"? I.e., we pick a musical available to stream for free on any of the more popular services (Amazon, Netflix, or Disney+) to watch and chat about? Idk, maybe dumb but I'm bored and I'm excited about all these newly discovered possibilities! July could be Hamilton :)
 
July could be Hamilton :)

I'm game. Question, I never caught this the first times around on stage, but when Eliza gasps at the end of the show, what's that about?

It was subtle when I saw it on stage, I just assumed she was crying. It was much more pronounced on the B'way stage production on D+. Now I see theories about a) Eliza breaking the 4th wall, b) dying and seeing Alexander in the afterlife, c) ???

Thoughts on this anyone?
 
I'm not a fan of the movie, tbh. There are a number of musical films that I enjoy very much (Greatest Showman being the most recent, and I still hold a soft spot for Carol Burnett's Annie--probably my favorite movie as a child), but I tend not to like the film versions of stage productions very much.

I kind of liked The Producers movie, but I liked the stage production better. Same with Chicago (yay student rush tickets, sat in the FRONT row far extreme stage left...my neck hurt after that, hahah).
 

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