Earlier this week I subscribed to Disney+ for the purpose of viewing HAMILTON, shot live in 2016, with the original cast. I was excited to see the show on July 3rd, knowing that thousands of people watched together although virtually. The fact that for under ten dollars a month, by subscribing to Disney, those who cannot afford to attend a Broadway musical and the considerable amount of people who have no chance to come to New York and see the show, could see HAMILTON, is fantastic! There are also people who want to see the show, and haven’t yet. Afficionados, such as myself, who want to see it again, now can. And there are all those Disney movies to re-visit!
I read Ron Chernow’s book, the inspiration for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s masterpiece, and I was fortunate to see the show twice: the last preview before it opened at the Rogers Theater, July, 2015, and again in September. I downloaded the CD, bought the CD and the score and long before Drama Book Shop closed its doors, a long time associate there encouraged me to purchase one of the last remaining first edition books detailing the creation of this Pulitzer Prize winning work. I use the music in my cycling choreography for Spinning class and I thoroughly enjoy the variety of musical genres incorporated into the show.
Anyone who loves theatre, and has access to a streaming platform, is provided with opportunities to see theater now. No, it's not the same as being there. Yet at this time, it keeps a connection with the art of theatre. At first, I was enthusiastic and enjoyed Sondheim’s birthday celebration, a SMASH reunion live streaming event on Youtube (I think) and a production of CORIOLANUS at the Red Bull Theater I had missed in 2016. Yet after the weeks of The Corona Days wore on, I became rather apathetic and just thought, I’ll wait.
I watched STARZ IN THE HOUSE fairly often and continue to listen to the Broadway station on Sirus Radio. I watched eight seasons of “The Midwife,” (fabulous and in chronological order of course), “Hollywood” (meh but I couldn’t stop watching) and other random Netflix programs. There’s always “Law and Order” and “The Good Wife” reruns on STARZ. I had just decided I would go back to see plays and musicals when the theaters open again. Since, this does not appear possible anytime soon, I will be streaming.
Read: We Got ‘Hamilton.’ Why Can’t We Stream Every Broadway Show?, The New York Times