BroadwayHD
BroadwayHD describes itself as “an online streaming service on a mission to promote and preserve live theatre, extending the reach of Broadway and Broadway caliber shows to anyone, anywhere.”
The Nuts and Bolts
Price: $19.99/month or $199.99/year
There is a 7-day free trial available
Ad-free viewing
The service available to stream on iOS, Android devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV
BroadwayHD is also available for purchase on Amazon Prime Video.
The Catalogue
BroadwayHD has a wide selection of over 300 productions to choose from including pro shots of Broadway and West End musicals, movie musical adaptations, documentaries, concerts and ballets, Shakespeare plays, and content from the BBC, PBS, and Lincoln Center.
Highlights include:
Allegiance follows one family’s journey in an untold American story – a mysterious envelope leads Sam Kimura back 60 years to a time when he and his sister tried to save their family from being wrongfully imprisoned in an internment camp during World War II. The musical is inspired by the true-life experience of George Takei.
“Defiantly moving.” – USA Today
Billy Elliot: The Musical is based on the beloved film and won 10 Tony Awards including Best Musical. With music by Elton John and book and lyrics by Lee Hall, this pro shot was filmed from London’s West End and follows Billy, a British boy who begins taking ballet lessons. As he immerses himself in dance, his father and brother grapple with the 1984 Miners’ Strike in the UK.
“There might not be a musical easier to love than Billy Elliot.” – The Guardian
Elaine Stritch At Liberty was filmed at London’s Old Vic Theatre. This one-woman show follows star, legend, force of nature Elaine Stritch as she recounts her over fifty years on stage and screen. Follow her backstage as she reminisces about colleagues like Noel Coward, Judy Garland, and Rock Hudson as well as personal stories about her triumphs and struggles. This show won a Tony Award for Special Theatrical Event in 2002 and is a must-watch for any theater fan.
“Ms. Stritch turns this production into the season's one indispensable ticket for fans of musical comedy, a one-woman testimony to the vitality that once made the Broadway musical the liveliest of the American arts.” – The New York Times
Kinky Boots won the Tony Award for Best Musical with music and lyrics by Cyndi Lauper and book by Harvey Fierstein. The musical follows Charlie, a factory owner struggling to save his business. Lola is a cabaret performer. Together they produce a line of high-heeled boots and save the business. This pro shot was filmed in 2018 on the West End at the Adelphi Theatre.
“Sweetly, vivaciously, irresistibly good.” – Washington Post
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill was filmed in 2014 at Café Brasil in New Orleans and stars Audra McDonald as the legendary Billie Holliday. Written by Lanie Robertson, Lady Day features songs like “When a Woman Loves a Man,” “What a Little Moonlight Can Do,” “Crazy He Calls Me,” “Baby Doll,” “Easy Living,” and “T’ain’t Nobody’s Bizness if I Do.”
“This amazing actress and this jazz icon are indivisible.” - Newsday
Les Miserables in Concert, the 25th Anniversary Edition was filmed in 2010 at The O2 Arena in London and features an all-star cast including Nick Jonas, Alfie Boe, Lea Salonga, Norm Lewis, Ramin Karimloo, Matt Lucas and Jenny Galloway. The event marked the 25th anniversary of the original West End production of the show. Listen to iconic songs like “I Dreamed a Dream,” “Do You Hear the People Sing?” “One Day More,” and “On My Own.”
“The West End’s longest-running musical proves a haunting and thrilling inspiration.” – The Guardian
Miss Saigon – this 25th anniversary Gala Performance in 2014 stars Lea Salonga, Simon Bowman, and Eva Noblezada and is set in Saigon during the Vietnam War. Based on Puccini’s opera Madame Butterfly, the story follows an Asian woman and her American lover in their ultimately doomed romance.
“The 25th Anniversary Performance of Miss Saigon is one of the most moving things I've watched on a big screen.” – WhatsOnStage
She Loves Me is based on Miklos Laszlo’s Parfumerie (the films The Shop Around the Corner, In the Good Old Summertime, and You’ve Got Mail are all based on this same play). With lyrics by Sheldon Harnick, music by Jerry Bock, and book by Joe Masteroff, She Loves Me follows Amalia and Georg, a salesgirl and store clerk who can’t stand each other. When they both respond to a “lonely hearts” newspaper advertisement, a romance blooms…but neither knows the identity of the person they are writing to.
“A show to fall head over heels for.” – The Guardian
The Bottom Line:
BroadwayHD has a wide selection of theater offerings including popular recent hits like Kinky Boots and She Loves Me and more niche offerings. For musical theater lovers wanting the largest selection of shows to watch, this is the service to pick.