TELEVISED BROADWAY SHOWS ON BLURAY? (1 Viewer)

In the USA there are many Broadway shows that are televised towards the end of their run but if you live overseas then the only way that you can see these great shows is by buying an illegal dvd from the pirates who sell them in both the USA and UK..Why don't the copyright owners of these televised shows sell them on bluray for the whole world to enjoy.The recent revival of SOUTH PACIFIC is an example of a fantastic show that deserves a bluray release. I had to get my copy from a pirate but the quality was superb.

There isn't a Broadway show that has not been filmed and sold by pirates today.This has been going on for many, many years.. It is time that authentic copies of these shows were available to the masses of fans world wide. There has been only a very small handful of Broadway shows made available in dvd in recent years (but none on bluray). Very few Broadway (and West End) shows travel overseas but when they do it can be up to seven years later (in Australia for example) before we can see them live.You have long lost interest in seeing them after such a long wait.In the U.K. at least some West End shows do make it to dvd.

You can see opera and ballet and occasionaly a West End show recorded live and shown at your local cinema for a couple of screenings only. Lets see more of these shows and other stage shows released on bluray..It is the only way top beat the pirates.

The reason very few taped Broadway shows are put out on video is that the producers of those shows don't want them shown. They are protecting the demand for touring casts, local community theaters, and high schools to license the material from them. It is their belief (and probably justified) that putting out a video of the original Broadway show would do harm to the box office of the ongoing theatrical productions across the country.

The PBS broadcasts are for a one showing only. They do not have the rights to release them on any form of Home Entertainment. I understand this is due to agreements with Unions in order to make then economically feasible to a network that is funded by grants and subscriptions.

In terms of "Broadway" shows legally available on Blu-Ray. There are:

Rent
Victor/Victoria

Full non-broadway stage productions include

Phantom of the Opera
Love Never Dies

And the Les Miserables 25th anniversary concert.

In addition, Into the Woods, and Sunday in the Park with George are available on DVD.

Interesting to point out, but the Blu-ray edition of "Victor/Victoria" contains a different performance to that which is on the older DVD. Certain line readings are a bit different, various camera cuts are different. Two performances must have been filmed as a 'safety measure'.

Don't forget the wonderful Sweeney Todd, starring Angela Lansbury and George Hearn which is on DVD. There are also multiple other Andrew Lloyd-Webber shows on DVD but they were specially staged for home video, like Cats, Joseph, and Jesus Christ Superstar, or were big "event" productions, like the most recent release of Superstar.

Adding to the Blu-ray list are two versions of Company, one with Raul Esparza and the other, an all-star concert staging with Neil Patrick Harris, Stephen Colbert, Patti LuPone, and others.

Since I live in West Virginia and discovered last week that good seats for Pippin on Broadway are selling for $250 a pop, I wish there were more show recordings that were legally available, too. Sigh.

Speaking of Pippin, there is a, sadly edited, version of a touring production from the early-Eighties featuring William Katt and Martha Raye on DVD. It at least keeps the original Fosse choreography.

Sweeney Todd on DVD was the US National Touring production not the Broadway production though it did star Angela Lansbury. Len Cariou was the Broadway Sweeney. "Passion" another Sondheim show is or was also on DVD. Not sure if its still available. Oklahoma with Hugh Jackman from National Theater in London is available on blu. This production, without Jackman, played Broadway later.

Mark-P said:

The reason very few taped Broadway shows are put out on video is that the producers of those shows don't want them shown. They are protecting the demand for touring casts, local community theaters, and high schools to license the material from them. It is their belief (and probably justified) that putting out a video of the original Broadway show would do harm to the box office of the ongoing theatrical productions across the country.

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I partly disagree as they film them live for showing internationally in cinemas around the world.In my city we have one or two filmed stage shows being screened every week in several cinemas.This has never stopped people from seeing them live.Most Broadway and West End shows rarely travel overseas so at least they should be able to be seen on bluray in these countries.

Video Artists International puts out a lot of old tv broadcasts of musicals. I recently got the Hallmark Hall of Fame version of Kiss Me Kate with Alfred Drake & Patricia Morrison.

Peter Pan is oop but is close to the broadway version (I've seen bootlegs of the first broadcast and there is not much difference).

There is also a dvd of the recording of the OBC album of Company (also oop).

I'd love to get the Patti LuPone Broadway version of Anything Goes .. I've seen a short UTube clip of the title number which makes me hope that the whole show was in fact recorded. I'd buy that instantly!
And speaking of shows, the revue 'New Faces of 1952' was turned into a movie and is available on some really terrible DVDs .. that really deserves spruiking up for Blu ray.

The Patti Lupone Anything Goes clip is probably from the Tony Awards. It is available on DVD on Broadway's Lost Treasures II.

Yes that Patti LuPone clip is from that season's Tony Awards. All of the "Broadway's Lost Treasures" DVDs are worth seeking out.

And I believe that the 1951 Broadway musical "Top Banana", starring Phil Silvers, was also filmed as a movie during its Broadway run.

classicmovieguy said:

And I believe that the 1951 Broadway musical "Top Banana", starring Phil Silvers, was also filmed as a movie during its Broadway run.

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Go to my review of the MGM MOD release here and read down the list of comments until you get to Bob Furmanek's very informative post about the production and presentation of this film. You'll learn some valuable information that will correct your mistaken impression.

You all left out Shrek the Musical...

There certainly are others. Romance Romance was filmed with its touring cast and released on videotape through some company sponsorship (Singer maybe?). I taped it off TV, so I never bothered to buy the commercial videotape.

Legally Blond aired on MTV. I don't think there's a DVD of it. I'd really like to see Spamalot....

There was a commercial tape of I Do! I Do! with Hal Linden and Lee Remick once out there, but I haven't seen it in years.

Matt Hough said:

There was a commercial tape of I Do! I Do! with Hal Linden and Lee Remick once out there, but I haven't seen it in years.

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That I would love to see.

verneaux said:

Video Artists International puts out a lot of old tv broadcasts of musicals. I recently got the Hallmark Hall of Fame version of Kiss Me Kate with Alfred Drake & Patricia Morrison.


Peter Pan is oop but is close to the broadway version (I've seen bootlegs of the first broadcast and there is not much difference).


There is also a dvd of the recording of the OBC album of Company (also oop).

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Are those legit releases?