Features

22 West End musicals to watch now on BroadwayHD

Plus there’s a week-long free trial if you want a quick binge

Alex Wood

London

05 October 2020

Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara in The King and I — Ken Watanabe and Kelli O'Hara in *The King and I*
© Matthew Murphy

With theatres locked down, streaming platforms like BroadwayHD, Digital Theatre or Marquee.TV have come into their own – offering audiences a chance to witness old productions with high quality streams and excellent back catalogues. And if you want to do a hardcore theatre binge, there're are also free trials – BroadwayHD offers a week (tip: a calendar notification can mean you don't forget to cancel after seven days) while Marquee TV has a 30-day option.

There are oodles more than just simply musicals on BroadwayHD (we've rounded up some of our favourite Shakespeare productions here) but below are some of our favourite showtune-laden productions. Thankfully, all of the shows are also captioned.

While it's great to watch shows, also think about ways to help the community during the pandemic.

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Les Misérables

The 2010 concert show, staged at the O2 arena, was truly a historic moment for musical theatre. Relive the glory days back when you could fill a stadium safely.

42nd Street

The iconic show was the last to be staged at Theatre Royal, Drury Lane before its refurbishment and it is a magnificent watch – a huge cast serenading audiences with exquisite number after exquisite number. Clare Halse and Bonnie Langford star in this dance masterclass of a meta-musical.

Miss Saigon

The award-winning revival (which at the time broke WhatsOnStage Award records when it was on at the Prince Edward Theatre, is now available on BroadwayHD.

Love Never Dies

The epic Australian production with Ben Lewis and Anna O'Byrne picks up where the original left off to describe what happens to the Phantom after Phantom. Some rather lush tunes.

Fame

They were on stage at the Peacock Theatre in 2019, but they're gonna live forever online – the hit production (which wrapped up its run recently) was captured for streaming during its London run. A chance to revel in some pumping tunes and energetic choreography.

Lady Day at Emerson's Bar and Grill

The legend that is Audra McDonald brings Billie Holiday to life in this special production that wowed West End audiences when it first ran.

Kinky Boots

Matt Henry (Lola) and Killian Donnelly (Charlie)
© Dan Wooller for WhatsOnStage

What else can we say about Kinky Boots – the beloved cult classic won our hearts when it was at the Adelphi, and seeing two leads Matt Henry and Killian Donnelly back for the recorded production is a nice touch. Shoe manufacture has never been the same since this show landed.

From Here To Eternity

Tim Rice's wartime musical ran in the West End for half a year and amassed a large following during that time – you can catch it here on BroadwayHD.

The King and I

Bartlett Sher's enormous, vibrant production was a sell-out hit at The London Palladium, with leads Ken Watanabe, Kelli O'Hara and Ruthie Ann Miles receiving heaps of praise for their performances.

The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall

The epic spectacular with Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess is now available to watch online – Phantom as you've never seen it before!

An American in Paris

Another dance-tacular show that lived on one of London's biggest stages, An American in Paris had a brilliant run at the Dominion Theatre, wowing with its 20-minute ballet sequence. Now that it's been recorded, they can't take that away from us!

Cats

The stage production of the show, with Elaine Paige, John Partridge and more, has made its way online.

Hetty Feather

Jacqueline Wilson's novel was adapted for the stage by Emma Reeves and Sally Cookson, and went on a massive tour after its original run at the Rose Theatre Kingston. One to keep the whole family entertained, the show features acrobatics, aerial skills and whimsical tales.

Oklahoma!

We're going to rewind back to 1999 for this one – the Hugh Jackman, Josefina Gabrielle-led Oklahoma! is presented in all its glory on BroadwayHD. A chance to see Jackman just before he shot to stardom as Wolverine.

Ruthless the Musical

Tracie Bennett and Kim Maresca in Ruthless — Tracie Bennett and Kim Maresca in *Ruthless*
© Alastair Muir

The new musical was a rip-roaring fun fest at the Arts Theatre, with a cast including the award-winning great Tracie Bennett, Harriet Thorpe and Jason Gardiner. Bennett and Thorpe would go on to repeat the same trick in Mame on tour last year.

The Toxic Avenger

The B-movie bonanza is borderline batty but also oodles of fun – it ran at the Arts Theatre after a UK premiere at Southwark Playhouse. A great show for kicking back and wallowing in stupendous fun, featuring a great big slime hero monster.

Into the Woods

The award-winning Open Air Theatre revival was recently added to the platform for anyone who's missed it, with Jenna Russell, Hannah Waddingham and more bringing Sondheim's extravagant show to life.

Funny Girl

Sheridan Smith leads the rollicking revival of the iconic musical in what is a side-splitting ride for all involved. You'll rarely find a show this fun! (Not available in the UK)

Billy Elliot Live

The Ruthie-Henshall-starring stage production has been immortalised in digital format – you only need a bit of Electricity (and a Wi-Fi connection) to watch it.

The Wind in the WIllows

The London Palladium production was being streamed for free earlier in the lockdown and while it's now pay-to-play, you can still catch the wonderful version of Kenneth Grahame's whimsical tales on BroadwayHD.