Whether you’ve fallen short to the cost of living, have other commitments, or simply don’t have the time anymore, I think we can all agree that it’s getting more and more difficult to take a trip to London (or anywhere else you are in the world), to see your favourite show.
Thanks to the 21st Century however, musical theatre is becoming increasingly more accessible, with more shows becoming available to stream online, due to professionally shot recordings, called proshots! So, I have hand-picked a list of the most popular proshots and where to find them, so that you can still experience the magic of theatre, without leaving your sofa!
Heathers The Musical
Watch: Amazon (free with subscription with ads/Roku in America)
Based on the 1989 cult classic by the same name, Heathers smashed the off-broadway scene in America and made its way to the UK to do a run, that would later turn out to win a “whatsonstage” award for best new musical.
Heathers follows 17 year old Veronica Sawyer as she is adopted by the three brutal queen B’s, all called Heather, and meets bad-boy JD, who has some questionable (to say the least) ways of making the world beautiful.
Hamilton
Watch: Disney+ (free with subscription)
Hamilton tells the story of Americas founding father, Alexander Hamilton like you’ve never seen it before- through hip-hop, R&B and rap! It features the original cast, including Lin-Manual Miranda, Leslie Odom Jr and Philippa Soo.
Whether you’re a die-hard fan or this is your first time hearing of Hamilton, it is not one you’ll not want to miss. Hamilton is a cultural phenomenon which gained its popularity in 2015- winning 11 Tony Awards!
Miss Saigon 25th Anniversary Production
Watch: Amazon
A personal favourite of mine, Miss Saigon tells the tragic and hopeless love story between American G.I Chris (Alistar Brammer) and Vietnamese bar-girl and prostitute Kim (Eva Noblezada), during the Vietnamese war.
The proshot was filmed at London’s Prince Edward Theatre and included to current West End cast at the time of filming. As well as featuring the iconic performers of Miss Saigon past and present, including Lea Salonga and Simon Bowman.
The Phantom Of The Opera- 25th Anniversary Production
Watch: Amazon/YouTube
One of the most recognisable musicals from the beginning note of the overture, The Phantom Of The Opera tells the story of ballet dancer Christine Daae (Sierra Boggess), who becomes the obsession of the mysterious and disfigured musical genius Eric, otherwise known as the phantom (Ramin Karimloo). This lavish production has an orchestra of over 200- so you can hear the iconic overture in HD!
Anything Goes
Watch: Amazon
Anything goes follows the lives of several characters, that takes place on the ocean liner S. S. American, through romantic entanglements, mistaken identities and finding their way to true love.
The 2021 West End revival of Anything goes is available for streaming on Amazon prime, starring the iconic Sutton Foster.
As I said before musical Theatre is becoming increasingly more assessable by the minute- its finally waking up to the 21st Century. So, if you favourites are not available to stream right now, rest assured that there lots of other musical proshots in the works, from Six to Frozen!
Additionally, If you would like to watch a movie musical of musical theatre shows, I have a post of my top recommendations here: 3 Movie Musicals That Prove Screen Can Be Just As Powerful As Stage | Chorus Box | Engaging Insights on Musical Theatre
As always, have a good day! x
