And the shows available for you to stream just keep rolling in.
One of the only positives I can see about this whole thing right now is that people who might not usually get the opportunity to go to the theatre (too far away, too expensive) have the chance to see some of the best shows around.
So here are the next batch for your enjoyment.
We will of course get reviewing as many as we can.
Fleabag – Soho theatre on demand
Many of you will have watched Flebag on TV but what you might not have known is that it started on stage. Here is your chance to watch it online AND support those affected by Covod-19https://ondemand.sohotheatre.com/
For every rental of Fleabag, you’re contributing to charities dedicated to supporting those affected by Covid-19 pandemic including National Emergency Trust, NHS charities together Acting for others and Fleabag support Fund
Jesus Christ Superstar and a many other Andrew LLoyd Webber musicals – every Friday
As many of you will know, one of my saddest moments was when I went to see this show as a child, expecting Jason Donovan (my first love) and there, on stage, was Philip Schofield. Looking back, with my love of The Schoff, this was wonderful, but at the time I was heartbroken.
Well, once again, I was a touch heartbroken to discover I had missed another of my favourites, Donny Osmond, in Joseph online last Friday. I knew it was on but was busy and sadly they are only available for a short time
But now I know. Premiering every Friday at 7pm on The Show Must Go On on YouTube, are a series of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musicals
On Good Friday it was JC Superstar with Tim Minchin and Mel C (watch it quick) and there are more to come
Cinderella – Mercury Theatre, Colchester (Easter weekend only)
Not everyone wants serious and this is the time when a bit of fun lifts the spirits. So if you’re looking for something for the kids and grownups alike? Bring a bit of a magic into your living room with Mercury Theatre’s Cinderella
Le Nozze Fi Figaro Mozart – Garsington Opera
Are plays such as One Man Two Guvnors and musicals not quite your thing? Or do you want to take this opportunity to try something new that you wouldn’t usually go to? Well luckily there are a whole range of operas and ballets which you might enjoy more and Garsington Opera is committed to promoting excellence and engaging the very best performers from around the world so this is a great place to start. And not only that but with one of the most easily accessible operas there is, The Marriage of Figaeo!
It is the wedding day of Figaro and Susanna, but will their marriage ceremony ever take place? During the course of a crazy day a series of confusing events unfolds. Count Almaviva has lost interest in his wife and is intent on seducing Susanna. She and Figaro conspire with the Countess to outwit him and to teach him a lesson in fidelity but his young page, Cherubino, inadvertently upsets the carefully laid plans, and relationships are severely tested. All of this is brought to life by Mozart’s music.
Sadly, we don’t get to experience it in the incredibly grounds offered by Garsington but maybe grab some flowers on your next trip out for essentials, open a bottle of bubbles, get dressed up and do opera the way it should be done for a fraction of the cost.
Flowers for Miss Harris – Chichester Festival Theatre
Chichester Festival Theatre are offering you the chance to see one of its shows for free during lockdown.
Ada Harris spends her days dusting, darning, polishing and scrubbing. But her first glimpse of a ravishing Christian Dior dress sets her off on a journey that will change her life forever…
From the cobbled streets of post-war London to the shimmering avenues of Paris, Ada transforms the lives of everyone she meets along the way; but can she let go of the past and finally allow her own life to blossom?
Wel, you have until 8th of May to find out by streaming this musical for free.
60-MINUTE SPECIAL – Cirque du Soleil
I have already reviewed the first of these 60 minute specials and it was fabulous. But don’t take my word for it – the numbers do not lie. Since the first one went live on 27th March it has had 7.1 million views and the new one has been up for just 2 days and has already had 3.2 million views.
You get to experience snippets of 3 of Cirque du Solei’s shows over 60 minutes and every moment is breathtaking, amazing, awe-inspiring, spectacular, unlike anything else you will have seen, and other synonyms.
Just watch it!
Curtains Live – a musical comedy. Live streaming on Tuesday 14th at 7:15
It’s murder putting on a new musical – literally! The star of a new Broadway-bound musical has been murdered on stage on opening night! The entire cast and crew are suspects. Time to call in the local detective, Frank Cioffi. With a nose for crime and an ear for music, Frank tries to find the killer whilst giving the show a lifeline. Starring Jason Manford, Strictly Come Dancing winner Ore Oduba, Carley Stenson, Rebecca Lock, Samuel Holmes, Leah West and Alan Burkitt, this hilarious whodunnit is packed full of catchy songs, unforgettable characters and plot twists galore! From creators of Cabaret and Chicago, this Tony award-winning backstage murder mystery musical will have audiences laughing and guessing right to the final curtain.
It is £7.50 to livestream this production – a bargain fo the whole family – and the money goes to Fund for Freelancers.
Wind in the willows the musical – London Palladium (stream for £2.99)
If nothing else, the case for this should get you reaching for your cursor – you’ll see comedian and presenter Rufus Hound as the amazing a “wildly energetic green-haired buffoon”, Mr Toad – a role for which he has won awards. He is joined by West End stars Simon Lipkin as Rat and Craig Mather as Mole, EastEnders actor Neil McDermott as Chief Weasel, with Coronation Street and Boy Meets Girl star Denise Welch as Mrs Otter and West End legend Gary Wilmot as Badger.
This is one for all the family. It is bright, loud and fun. What more can you want?
21 Chump Street the musical
Don’t have 12 minutes to spare for a full on show? Why not give Lin-Manuel Miranda’s short musical a go? He has used a piece of reporting broadcast in 2012 by This American Life and turned it into an 18-minute Broadway musical, created by people who normally work on Broadway.
MYTH – Live at The Other Palace
This rock musical, directed by Arleen Philips is a modern retelling of the Ancient Greek tale of Orpheus and the underworld. It has been inspired by the so-called ‘cult of 27’, the urban myth related to the deaths of a number of major music stars – including Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and Amy Winehouse – at the age of just 27. The show tickles themes of fame and stardom, relationships with others, own self worth, addiction and mental health issues.
This show had some fabulous reviews and it isn’t surprising with such a great cast and original songs. Give this one a go! I will be!
Hampstead theatre series
The Guardian are streaming a show a week from Hamstead Theatre. This week is Wonderland by Beth Steel.
The Midlands, 1984. Two young lads are about to learn what it is to be a miner, to be accepted into the close camaraderie and initiated into a unique workplace where sweat, toil, collapsing roofs and explosions are all to be met with bawdy humour.
London, 1984. A conflicted Tory MP, a brash American CEO and an eccentric maverick are the face of a radical Conservative government preparing to do battle with the most powerful workforce, the miners.
As the two sides clash, the miners fight for their livelihoods and families, and the government for its vision of a free Britain. Together they change the fabric of the nation forever.
Beth Steel’s Susan Smith Blackburn Prize nominated play, originally performed at Hampstead to mark the thirtieth anniversary of the Miners Strike, is directed by Edward Hall.
Also in the Hampstead Theatre At Home series: watch Howard Brenton’s Drawing The Line from Monday 12 April here.
How about somhting entirely different (and perhaps more adult oritentate?
Next Friday 17th April, Milk are doing a Facebook livestream party featuring tunes from their sexy DJ LEELEE and performances from their MILKy crew direct from their boudoirs. Milk is usually held at the Kings Head Theatre and is a night of cabaret showcasing the best of the capital’s x-rated neo-burlesque and sexiest DJs, with retro dancefloor classics like no other.
All the filth of MILK, with none of the tidying up.
FREE to watch, donations welcome.
There are so so many more things but hopefully this selection will do you well for the weekend!
Playhouse Pickings 