New releases plus “Love is in the Air” with a select playlist for Valentine’s Day.
January 29, 2020: BroadwayHD, the premiere streaming service for theater fans, spreads a little love this February with a not-to-miss lineup, sure to please audiences of all ages. It’s a “Wonderful, Wonderful Day” when movie musical extravaganza Seven Brides for Seven Brothers joins the platform on February 1. Phyllida Lloyd’s thrilling all-female performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest, the third and final of Donmar Warehouse’s series,debuts on February 6, while The Royal Ballet’s Sleeping Beauty Ballet kicks off Valentine’s Day on February 14. David Hare’s compelling political drama Absence of War also makes its way to the platform on February 20.
Subscribers are also in for Valentine’s Day goodies all throughout the month, as BroadwayHD will go live with performances worthy of the perfect date night or Galentine’s day celebration with a special playlist. Among those featured in the rail are An American in Paris, Brigadoon, Bye Bye Birdie, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me, Falsettos, From Here to Eternity, Indecent, King and I, Kinky Boots, Kiss Me, Kate, Memphis, Romeo and Juliet, She Loves Me, The Sound of Music Live, Miss Saigon, Phantom of the Opera, Love Never Dies, and Les Miserables. Below is more information about these shows.
“What better way to celebrate this month than with these outstanding performances, both new and well-known, that will tug at each viewer’s heartstrings,” said BroadwayHD co-founders, award-winning producers and filmmakers Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley. “Forget the box of chocolates, the real treat is right here on BroadwayHD.”
See below for a full line-up of what BroadwayHD subscribers can see starting this January:
February 1, 2020 – Seven Brides for Seven Brothers – Nominated for five Academy Awards®, including “Best Picture,” 1954’s Seven Brides for Seven Brothers remains a thoroughly delightful blend of songs, dances and romantic comedy. When the eldest of seven brothers (Howard Keel) living on the frontier in the Oregon Territory returns with a bride (Jane Powell), she is shocked to learn that her new home includes six untamed, unkempt and uncouth brothers-in-law. Her efforts to turn the six brothers into gentlemen inspire them to find wives of their own … leading to an all-out, singing, dancing, Wild West battle of the sexes. Directed by Stanley Donen (Singin’ in the Rain), the film is based on Stephen Vincent Benet’s The Sobbin’ Women. Adolph Deutsch and Saul Chaplin won the Oscar® for their film score.
February 6, 2020 – The Tempest – The Donmar Warehouse returns to St. Ann’s with The Tempest, the finale to Phyllida Lloyd’s thrilling all-female Shakespeare Trilogy. Led by the great Harriet Walter as Prospero, and with songs by the legendary Joan Armatrading, The Tempesttakes place in a women’s prison, where Lloyd’s intrepid “inmates” play the roles Shakespeare originally wrote for men. The Tempest proves a moving metaphor, conjuring Prospero’s magical island from the stark prison setting.
February 14, 2020 – The Sleeping Beauty Ballet – Recorded live at the Royal Opera House, Royal Ballet Principal Marianela Nuñez delights as Princess Aurora, with Vadim Muntagirov as her Prince Florimund, in this performance of a timeless classic. Marius Petipa’s The Sleeping Beauty holds a special place in The Royal Ballet’s repertory, with its vibrant sets and glittering costumes and featuring such iconic moments as the Rose Adage, the Vision pas de deux, the exuberant wedding celebration and the charming fairy-tale guests, all danced to Tchaikovsky’s richly layered music – one of the most beloved ballet scores of all time. This Sleeping Beauty captures all the magic and virtuosity that ballet has to offer.
February 20, 2020 – Absence of War – John Thaw (Inspector Morse) stars in David Hare’s compelling political drama. As the battle for the soul of the Labour Party commences, the Right Honourable George Jones, MP, leader of the Party and honourable in every sense of the word, is subjected to intolerable behind-the-scenes pressures.
Selected Valentine playlist:
An American in Paris – Jerry Mulligan is an American GI striving to make it as a painter in a city suddenly bursting with hope and possibility. Following a chance encounter with a beautiful young dancer named Lise, the streets of Paris become the backdrop to a sensuous, modern romance of art, friendship and love in the aftermath of war.
Bye Bye Birdie – Relive the musical magic of BYE BYE BIRDIE, one of America’s best-loved musicals. In this tuneful parody of Elvis Presley, Conrad Birdie is a wildly popular ’50s rock-n-roll star. Conrad’s manager, Albert (Jason Alexander) and his devoted secretary, Rosie (Vanessa Williams), arrange for Conrad to make a dramatic final appearance on “The Ed Sullivan
Ernest Shackleton Loves Me –ERNEST SHACKLETON LOVES ME is a wildly inventive musical adventure that tells the story of a sleep-deprived single mom who struggles to balance her family and career as a video game music composer. Late one night, while posting a dating video, she receives an unexpected response from the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), one of the most iconic leaders of the 20th century. Shipwrecked and stranded on an iceberg in the Antarctic, Shackleton reaches across space and time to share his heroic journey with her. Against all odds, they discover that their greatest inspiration lies within each other.
Falsettos – Nominated for five 2017 Tony Awards, including Best Revival of a Musical, Falsettos is a hilarious and poignant look at a modern family revolving around the life of a gay man Marvin, his wife, his lover, his soon-to-be-bar-mitzvahed son, their psychiatrist, and the lesbians next door. Originally created under the specter of the AIDS crisis, this timely musical about middle-class family dynamics manages to remain buoyant and satirically perceptive even as it moves towards its heartbreaking conclusion.
From Here to Eternity – Pearl Harbor, 1941, where the girls sing “don’cha like Hawaii”, the men of G Company sing the blues, and where even on an army base, love and desire are never very far away. When the troubled Private Prewitt (Robert Lonsdale) falls for the kind hearted escort club girl Lorene (Siubhan Harrison), and when his platoon sergeant, Warden (Darius Campbell), embarks on a dangerous affair with his commanding officer’s wife, Karen (Rebecca Thornhill), the lives of both men are set on a course they cannot control. As war approaches, the worlds of the four lovers and the soldiers of G Company are dramatically ripped apart.
Kiss Me, Kate – The first revival in nearly 50 years of the musical comedy masterpiece by composer Cole Porter and book writers Sam and Bella Spewack not only enchanted critics and delighted audiences, but went on to triumph as one of the biggest prize winners of the 2000 season. Taking its inspiration from Shakespeare, this hilarious romp recounts the backstage and on-stage antics of two feuding romances during an out-of-town tryout for a musical adaptation of The Taming of the Shrew. Sparkling with 18 classic Cole Porter songs including “Another Op’nin’, Another Show,” “Wunderbar,” “So in Love,” “Always True to You in My Fashion,” “Too Darn Hot,” and “Brush Up Your Shakespeare” this is Broadway musical comedy at its irresistible best. Directed by Michael Blakemore, this Tony winner for “Best Revival” stars Brent Barrett, Rachel York (Victor/Victoria), Nancy Anderson and Michael Berresse as the squabbling couples whose offstage disputes entangle them with a pair of song-and-dance gangsters and a pompous U.S. army general.
Memphis – The 2010 Tony Award- winner for Best Musical, Memphis stars Montego Glover and Chad Kimball. Captured live in performance at Broadway’s historic Shubert Theatre with the Tony- nominated cast, this tale of love, ambition and the cultural revolution that changed music forever jumps off the screen and into your heart!
Romeo and Juliet – The digitally captured production of the 2013 Broadway revival of “Romeo and Juliet” stars Orlando Bloom and two-time Tony-nominated Condola Rashad. The production ran for 93 performances at the Richard Rodgers Theatre from September 19th to December 8th, 2013. It is the 36th time “Romeo and Juliet” has appeared on Broadway. Set in Verona, Italy, this is the tragic story of two star-crossed lovers. The Capulets and the Montagues have been engaged in an ancient feud that has been lost to time. However, when Romeo of the house of Montague and Juliet of the house of Capulet meet and fall in love, nothing can stop them from being together, not even death.
She Loves Me – BroadwayHD and Roundabout Theatre Company, in association with Ellen M. Krass Productions, Inc., are thrilled to bring She Loves Me back to our subscribers for on-demand viewing! On June 30, 2016, She Loves Me was the first Broadway musical ever to be LIVE STREAMED to the entire world.
Phantom of the Opera – In celebration of the 25th Anniversary of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Phantom of the Opera, Cameron Mackintosh produced a unique, spectacular staging of the musical on a scale which had never been seen before. Inspired by the original staging by Hal Prince and Gillian Lynne, this lavish, fully-staged production set in the sumptuous Victorian splendour of London’s legendary Royal Albert Hall features a cast and orchestra of over 200, plus some very special guest appearances.
Love Never Dies – Set 10 years after The Phantom of the Opera, the Phantom has escaped from Paris to New York where he lives amongst the joy rides and freak shows of Coney Island. He has finally found a place for his music to soar; all that is missing is his love Christine Daaé.
BroadwayHD introduces award-winning theater from all across the globe with both classic and modern productions. Fans can expect to see the full works of Shakespeare, awe-inspiring performances from Cirque du Soleil and a selection of the world’s greatest musical including Kinky Boots, Cats,42nd Street, She Loves Me, The Phantom of The Opera, The King and I, Sound of Music, and An American in Paris. All performances are adapted specifically for streaming audiences to maximize the entertainment experience. To learn more about BroadwayHD, visit www.broadwayhd.com.
