Stewart F. Lane News

What does an archive considered to be "the crown jewels" of public and network television and Anton Chekhov have in common? They are all headed to BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, in May.  This month, BroadwayHD will be adding a selection of premier titles from the Broadway Digital Archive, which brings together Broadway plays and great works of literature produced for television over the past five decades. 

BroadwayHD presents viewers the chance to come and meet those dancing feet of 42nd Street, when it debuts in cinemas as a one-night Fathom Events screening in movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. local time. It will then be available on the Webby-nominated streaming service at a date to be announced. Tickets for screenings of 42nd Street can be purchased at www.FathomEvents.com and participating theater box offices.

Last night, WP Theater held its 40th Anniversary Gala honoring game-changing women with the Women of Achievement Awards. The gala honored three-time Tony Award-Winning Producer & Founder of BroadwayHD Bonnie Comley (A Gentleman's Guide, War Horse), Award-Winning actress, activist, and singer-songwriter Amanda Seyfried (Mamma Mia, Dear John, Mean Girls), and Grammy Award-winning songwriter and recording artist Emily Warren (The Chainsmokers' 'Don't Let Me Down', Dua Lipa's 'New Rules').

BroadwayHD presents viewers the chance to come and meet those dancing feet of 42nd Street, when it debuts in cinemas as a one-night Fathom Events screening in movie theaters nationwide on Wednesday, May 1 at 7:00 p.m. local time.

"Dreams do come true, if only we wish hard enough," says Peter Pan, and this month it definitely seems that BroadwayHD subscribers will be getting everything they've dreamed about and even more! In April, BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, will be adding a number of standout productions to their service including the beloved family favorite Peter Pan starring Cathy Rigby, remastered in high definition and available on streaming for the very first time, and an intriguing documentary Leonard Bernstein's West Side Story. In addition, one of the most renown music festivals, the BBC Prom, will be coming to the service with the debut of BBC Prom: Dawn at Dusk and BBC Prom: Rogers and Hammerstein this month as well.

BroadwayHD is inviting subscribers this month to run away to the circus, kick-up their heels and dance along with some of the most elite Irish dancers, and enjoy some of their favorite moments from the cannon of Oscar Wilde! In March, BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, will be adding a number of standout performances to their service including the West End production of family favorite Hetty Feather directed by the Olivier award-nominated Sally Cookson.  March will also mark a celebration of the legendary Irish playwright Oscar Wilde with four of his plays filmed from West End performances that made up Classic Spring's Oscar Wilde Season. Finally, BroadwayHD's line-up will be rounded out with a special St. Patrick's Day playlist debuting on March 13th featuring some of the most exciting Riverdance performances from around the globe.

Mother doesn't always know best as we see from the latest hit theater production to come to BroadwayHD.  The 2018 West End production of the award-winning, darkly funny hit, Ruthless! The Musical, will be arriving exclusively on BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, on February 14th. The show stars  Jason Gardiner (Dancing on Ice), Tony-nominated, Two-Time Olivier Winner, Best Actress Tracie Bennett (End of the Rainbow) and Kim Maresca (Ruthless! The Musical, Off-Broadway), who deliver a fun and engrossing performance that will appeal to a new generation of viewers. The 2018 production of Marvin Laird and Joel Paley's smartly written and lyrically funny Ruthless! The Musical is directed by Richard Fitch and choreographed by Rebecca Howell, with music supervision by Gareth Valentine. As part of this twisty tale about a mother and daughter, the cult classic features spoofs of Broadway shows turned into iconic films such as The Bad Seed,  Gypsy and The Women, as well as Hollywood's most famous iconic film, All About Eve later turned into the Broadway musicalApplause. It was originally performed 27 years ago in an off-Broadway production, and the 2018 West End production was updated with  today's audience in mind.

 It's time to put on a happy face because BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, is bringing the 1995 Star-Studded TV adaptation of the delightful Broadway musical Bye Bye Birdie to its platform on February 7.  This Emmy Award nominated musical comedy directed by Tony Award-winner Gene Saks (The Odd Couple) is supported by an all-star cast featuring Jason Alexander (Seinfeld), Vanessa Williams (Ugly Betty), and Chynna Phillips (Bridesmaids).  

 The more you see it, the more it becomes one of your favorite things! Since making its Broadway debut in 1959, Rodgers and Hammerstein's perennial classic has been embraced by audiences around the globe.  Now, in celebration of its 60th anniversary, THE SOUND OF MUSIC LIVE, an ambitious, live-broadcast production from BAFTA-nominated director Coky Giedroyc, will be released on BroadwayHD on January 31.  

 BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, continues to expand content and is adding two breathtaking opera performances to the existing lineup of more than 270 titles. Brokeback Mountain is a modern opera adaptation of the short story written by Annie Proulx and directed by award-winning, international superstar director Ivo van Hove, who will be directing the eagerly-anticipated revival of West Side Story on Broadway in 2020.  The vivid patriotic opera Nabucco is a drama in four acts filled with energetic performance, intensely beautiful singing and impressive set design that collectively throttles the audience into the time period of the 1800's. 

In honor of Black History month, the Live from Lincoln Center presentation of PIPELINE will air Friday, February 8 at 9 p.m. on PBS*. Produced in partnership with BroadwayHD, PIPELINE depicts a mother's hopes for her son and their clash with an educational system rigged against him. The powerful work was originally staged at Lincoln Center Theater in 2017 to wide critical acclaim, and was hailed as "potent and intensely acted" by the New York Times, and confirmed Dominique Morisseau's "reputation as a playwright of piercing eloquence". 

 BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater, is set to release the electrifying musical A Night with Janis Joplin to its platform on January 19th.   Starring Mary Bridget Davies, Broadway's original 'Janis' in her Tony Award® nominated performance, the show was filmed live during one of its final performances on October 4, 2018 at La Mirada Theatre for The Performing Arts in Los Angeles. The release of BroadwayHD's groundbreaking live-capture of the show will coincide with the anniversary of the rock icon's birthday, while ushering in the 50th anniversary celebration of Woodstock and her famed performance at the legendary concert.

Good morning, BroadwayWorld! Begin your Tuesday the only way Broadway fans know how: by catching up on the latest news!

During the third and final day of BroadwayCon, the founders of BroadwayHD united for 'An Artist's Perspective of Stage to Screen.' The founders, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, along with Ellie Heyman, Max Vernon and Leah Lan, gave a panel and attended the reception for the event and BroadwayWorld was there. Check out the photos below!

Shall we dance? Lincoln Center Theater's multi-award winning and critically acclaimed production of Rodgers and Hammerstein's legendary musical The King and I is making its debut today on BroadwayHD.  Called 'a hit' by the Times of London and 'complete rapture' by the Telegraph, this joyous and captivating rendition stars Kelli O'Hara as she reprises her Tony Award®-winning role as Anna, alongside Tony and Oscar nominee Ken Watanabe as The King.  It also marks the crowd-pleasing return of Ruthie Ann Miles in her Tony Award®-winning role as Lady Thiang.  Supported by a company of over 50 dazzling performers, this not-to-miss stage spectacular features one of the finest scores ever written with show-stopping hits like 'Whistle a Happy Tune,' 'Getting to Know You,' and 'Shall We Dance.' 

Just in time for the holidays, The Olivier Award-Winning Mischief Theatre Company's A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will be available to stream on BroadwayHD. This special marks the first production Mischief Theatre has made solely for television consumption. The company's first US venture, The Play That Goes Wrong, celebrates its standing as the longest running play currently on Broadway. The original airing of A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong garnered a live viewership of 4 million people in the UK, and will available for the first time in the US & Canada.

Just in time for the holidays, The Olivier Award-Winning Mischief Theatre Company's A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong will be available to stream on BroadwayHD. This special marks the first production Mischief Theatre has made solely for television consumption. The company's first US venture, The Play That Goes Wrong, celebrates its standing as the longest running play currently on Broadway. The original airing of A Christmas Carol Goes Wrong garnered a live viewership of 4 million people in the UK, and will available for the first time in the US & Canada.

BroadwayHD, the premier streaming service for live theater with more than 270 productions, has signed an agreement with Shochiku Co. Ltd., one of Japan's leading entertainment companies, to introduce premium live theater content to Japan. The agreement covers a variety of shows over a multi-year term. The influx of live theater entertainment will lead to the creation of the Shochiku Broadway Cinema Series, a separate programming offering flagged for BroadwayHD productions. These offerings will be added to Shochiku's current distribution of Met Live content. Release dates and titles will be announced at a later date.

December marks the first anniversary of the opening of Boston University's Joan & Edgar Booth Theatre Complex which includes the College of Fine Arts Production Center.  The 75,000-square-foot state-of-the-art theater complex, designed by Elkus Manfredi Architects, has a 250-seat theater, production and costume shops, design labs, classrooms, faculty offices, and a landscaped plaza.

BroadwayHD, the world's premiere online streaming platform delivering more than 250 premium live productions to theatre fans globally, today announced that the Geffen Playhouse production of the Drama Desk Award-winning piece The Lion will debut on the platform December 6.  The Lion will join Pulitzer Prize-winning show Long Day's Journey Into Night, and Pulitzer Prize Finalist Play Thom Pain, as the third title to stream on the platform, in partnership with Geffen Playhouse.  The show is directed by Kevin S. Bright, an Emmy Award Winning Executive Producer of the hit television series Friends and produced by Gil Cates Jr (Executive Director of Geffen Playhouse) and Eva Price (Tony-Winning Broadway Producer), and Executive Produced by Bright, Candice Abela Mikati and Fouad Mikati.