VIDEO

Colour Code:
                        DATE = VOB


  • Aladdin: A Musical Spectacular
  1. [unknown date] Live show at the Hyperion Theatre (at Disney's California Adventure)
    NOTES: Like The Lion King or Beauty & the Beast, it is a live show based on the Disney cartoon. It's shorter than most of the Broadway musicals though, because it is a special production done at Disneyland. It is still a really good show though, and I loved seeing it when I was there, so I was very excited to discover that a video existed. The video quality isn't the best ever, but there is plenty of zoom, and the filmer did a good job of catching all of the action and sets. It was filmed from a couple of different places in the theatre and the filmer did a great job of editing the videos together seamlessly, to give a feeling of professionalism, and to capture all of the best shots. Very watchable. A must for any Disney fan. Rating: "B/B+"

  • American Idiot
  1. Look under "Green Day's American Idiot" (further down page)

  • Applause
  1. 1973 CBS Telecast
    CAST:
    Lauren Bacall*...Margo Channing
    Penny Fuller*...Eve Harrington
    Larry Hagman...Bill Sampson
    Rod McLennan...Buzz Richards
    Sarah Marshall...Karen Richards
    Robert Manden*...Howard Benedict
    Harvey Evans...Duane Fox
    Debbie Bowen...Debbie**
        NOTES: Wonderful television adaptation of the 1970 musical "Applause.
        "Think How It's Gonna Be", "Good Friends", and "She's No Longer A Gypsy" were cut in this adaptation.
        *Cast members reprising their original stage roles.
        **This character is the "Bonnie" equivalent of the London
            cast, which made up the company of this telecast.

  • Cinderella (Rodgers & Hammerstein)
  1. 1957 CBS Television Movie Musical Event
    NOTES: High quality rip. As "bonus features", I have thrown in a video of Julie Andrews' introduction to the film, talking about the creation of the film, as well as a folder of production and promotional photos for the film, and a video of Rodgers and Hammerstein themselves, on the Ed Sullivan show, talking about the film.

  • Dreamgirls
  1. 2004, August [exact date unknown] @ Pittsburgh, PA
    CAST:
    Katie Clark
    Frenchie Davis
    David Jennings
    Andre Garner
    Ramona Keller
    Angela Robinson
    NOTES: Excellent filming, with sound directly from soundboard. Filmer used tripod with zooms and pans. Rating: "A". You can see some screenshots under "Dreamgirls - 2004.08" on Screenshots page.

  • Green Day's American Idiot
  1. 2009.09.26 @ Berkeley Rep (VOB)
    NOTES: Incredible quality. Opts more for wide- pan shots, but plenty of zoom action. Highly watchable. Comes with dvd menu. Rating: "A"
  2. 2009.10.04 @ Berkeley Rep (VOB)
    NOTES: Incredible quality. Nice side-angle shots (filmed from box seat in House Right). Very watchable Comes with dvd menu, and images of the playbill are shown at the beginning of the video. Rating: "A"

  • Gypsy
  1. 2008.03.25 - Broadway Revival with Patti Lupone (VOB)
    NOTES: Fairly high quality video, with a lot of zoom. The filmer is a bit shaky, which can make watching a bit jarring at times, but all of the important action is captured. The show is decent. Not my favourite of Patti LuPone's performances, but it's definitely worth watching anyway - whether or not you are a PL fan. Rating: "A-"

  • The Last Five Years
  1. Original Off-Broadway Cast [date unkown]
    CAST:
    Norbert Leo-Butz
    Sherie Rene Scott
    NOTES: Excellent filming. Decent quality video (though a little fuzzy sometimes). While there is rarely a full shot of the stage (making seeing the overall set design difficult), there are a lot of good close-ups on the actors, which heightens the emotion. Second half missing, but you can still trade for the first half, and we can work something out, until I re-find the second half. Rating: "C"

  • Legally Blonde: The Musical
  1. MTV Presents: Legally Blonde: The Musical
    NOTES: A professional multi-angle filming of Legally Blonde: The Musical, presented by MTV.

  • Les Miserables
  1. 2006.05.06 @ London
    CAST:
    Tim Godwin (u/s Valjean)
    Cornell John (Javert)
    Kerry Ellis (Fantine)
    Amanda Jane Callaghan (u/s Eponine)
    Hayden Tee (Marius)
    Nolan Dark (u/s Enjolras)
    Julia Moller (Cosette)
    Tracie Bennett (Madame)
    Barry James (Thenardier)
    NOTES: Great cast. Great show. Excellent filming. Catches all of the important action. Quality zoom and great capturing of emotion. Dodging of a few heads, but nothing too distracting. One unfortunate 4-minute blackout toward the end (I assume to dodge an usher), but the show can still be heard, and filming is quickly recovered in time for a very powerful finale. High quality picture as well. You would almost never guess it wasn't a VOB. Very watchable. Overall, I give it an "B+/A-".

  • The Light in the Piazza
  1. Live from Lincoln Center (on PBS)
    CAST:
    Michael Berresse
    Sarah Uriarte Berry
    Victoria Clark
    Katie Clarke
    Patti Cohenour
    Beau Gravitte
    Aaron Lazar
    Chris Sarandon
        NOTES: Great performance. Still has snippets from PBS about the making of the show. I have two versions of it - one has some of the PBS snippets cut out, but the quality is significantly better. If we trade for this video, I will send you both versions (and count them as one).

  • Merrily We Roll Along
  1. 2008.08.18 -Kennedy Center Production @ Eisenhaugher Theatre, Washington D.C. (VOB)
    CAST:
    Michael Hayden (Franklin Shepard)
    Miriam Shor (Mary Flynn)
    Raúl Esparza (Charley Kringas)
    Emily Skinner (Gussie)
    Anastasia Barzee (Beth)
    Adam Heller (Joe)
    Keith Byron Kirk (Jerome/Minister)
    John Jellison (Terry/Mr. Spencer)
    Edgar Godineaux (Bunker/Pianist)
    Peggy Yates (Sound Technician/Mrs. Spencer)
    Thursday Farrar (K.T.)
    Tracy Lynn Olivera (Meg/Valedictorian)
    Sean MacLaughlin (Ru)
    Sherri L. Edelen (Evelyn/Scotty)
    Amy McWilliams (First Girl/TV Newswoman)
    Jason Gilbert (Makeup Artist/Tyler)
    Sean MacLaughlin (Ru)
    Mary Jayne Raleigh (Stage Manager/Dory)
    Justin Pereira (Frank, Jr.)
    NOTES: This is one of my favourite musicals, and I am very happy to say this is a great video! The video itsself is high quality. Good camerawork, especially considering the filmer had to hold the camera over the head in front of them. Great cast (love Miriam Shor) and a great show. A must for any Sondheim fan! Rating: "A-"

  • Miss Saigon
  1. 2001 [exact date unknown] - Philippines (VOB)
    CAST:
    Lea Salonga (Kim)
    Will Chase (Chris)
    Leo Tavarro Valdez (The Engineer)
    Ronn K. Smith (John)
    Lisa Capps (Ellen)
    Robert Sena (Thuy)
    Isay Alvarez (Gigi)
    NOTES: In English, despite being produced in the Philippines. Definitely a professionally shot film, with a lot of camera changes, and audio from the soundboard. There is an awkward underlying buzz and a "preview purposes only" watermark at the bottom, throughout, but you quickly stop noticing them. The last ten minutes must have been lost, because a video of another production was tacked on - which sounds annoying, but it is also a great cast, and the video is watchable, so you can still enjoy the show. The whole thing is very watchable, and as quality videos of Miss Saigon are hard to find, this is a must. Rating: "B+".

  • Next to Normal
  1. 2008.03.03 - Off-Broadway (VOB)
    CAST:
    Alice Ripley (Diana)
    Brian D'Arcey James (Dan)
    Jennifer Damiano (Natalie)
    Aaron Tveit (Gabriel)
    Skylar Astin (Henry)
    Asa Somers (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine)
    NOTES: Also one of my very favourite musicals. This is one of the best quality videos I have seen of a Broadway Musical (other than the ones professionaly shot for television). DVD menus are included (even scene selections!). Since this video was made while the show was still Off-Broadway (though, after the "Feeling Electric" days were passed), the show is a little different. Some of the songs are rearranged, or altogether different. But, for the most part, it is pretty close to what the show is today. Rating: "A"

  • NINE
  1. 2003.03.30 - Broadway Revival Cast (VOB) - starring Antonio Banderas and Chita Rivera
    CAST:
    Antonio Banderas (Guido)
    Mary Stuart Masterson (Luisa)
    Chita Rivera (Liliane)
    Jane Krakowski (Carla)
    Laura Benanti (Claudia)
    Mary Beth Peil (Guido's Mother)
    NOTES: An excellent production. The video quality is decent, though since the lighting of this show is fairly dim, it is harder to capture. Good camerawork (though a little shaky at times). The faces are a bit blown out by stage lights during the wider shots, but there is plenty of zoom work too, so you can see faces and get more intimacy during important moments. Overall, a "B+".

  • Passing Strange
  1. Passing Strange: The Movie - Filmed by Spike Lee
    Stew (Narrator)
    Daniel Breaker (Youth)
    De'Andre Aziza (Edwina/Marianna/Sudabey)
    Elisa Davis (Mother)
    Colman Domingo (Mr. Franklin/Joop/Mr. Venus)
    Chad Goodridge (Terry/Christophe/Hugo)
    Rebecca Naomi Jones (Sherry/Renata/Desi)
    NOTES: This was an excellent show, and I am sad I never actually got to see it on Broadway, so I am very glad that Spike Lee undertook the project of filming the last three performances and piecing them together into an epic video, documenting the entire show from many angles and with a lot of character (a bit like RENT: Filmed Live on Broadway). This is a must-see for anyone. Whether or not you are a musical theatre fan, you are going to enjoy this show. Rating: "A+"

  • The Phantom of the Opera
  1. 2001.01.04 @ Broadway
    CAST:
    Howard McGillan (Phantom)
    Adrienne McEwen (Christine)
    Jim Weitzer (Raoul)
    NOTES: Fair quality video. Important moments are captured. Watchable. Rating: "B"
  2. 2002.03.27 @ Broadway
    CAST:
    Howard McGillan (Phantom)
    Elizabeth Southard (Christine)
    Michael Shawn Lewis (Raoul)
    NOTES: Fair quality video. Important moments are captured. Watchable. Rating: "B"
  3. 2005.07.16 (matinee) - Hugh Panaro & Rebecca Pitcher [rare]
    NOTES: Better video quality than my other two. Zoom quality is also better, so more costume and set detail are visible. About 20-30 min of the show has been cut out though, as he person who made the video calls it "Highlights". But it is still watchable - and worth watching! Rating: "B+"

  • RENT
  1. 1998.01.09
    NOTES: Poor quality video (as this was filmed before the days of digital recording). The filmer seemed to have a lot of trouble hiding the camera from ushers, as they often pan away from whoever is performing at the moment. Enough important moments are captured though, to make it worth looking at. I haven't been able to get myself to watch the whole thing yet, due to the quality of video and filming, but I am very happy to have the video, as documention of an older cast of the show, if nothing else. Filming ends at end of "Your Eyes", and a momentary glimpse of the stage door is seen at the end. Rating: "D+"
  2. German Cast [date unknown] (performed in English)
    CAST:
    Unknown
    NOTES: While the video quality isn't amazing (I am pretty sure it is from the days of handheld camcorders), I have to say that this video is amazing! I have fallen head-over-heels in love with this one. I am only sad that I have no idea what date this is, or who is in the cast. While "Mark"'s attempt at an American accent is pretty laughable (he keeps slipping between a British, Irish, and German accent), I was completely blown away by Roger and Mimi. Roger is both frightening (in a good way) and completely heartbreaking in his performance (especially during "One Song, Glory" and "Your Eyes"), and Mimi is a fantastic powerhouse of energy. I have NEVER seen a Mimi have that much consistent energy through an entire performance of "Out Tonight" - girl doesn't run out of breath! I also give some big props to the filmer. They really knew what they were doing, and managed to do an excellent job of catching everything that was going on. There is barely a moment in this video where you wonder what is going on off-screen. So, despite the video quality, I am giving this one a "B".

  • South Pacific
  1. 2008.04.02 - Lincoln Center Theatre's Broadway Revival Cast
    CAST:
    Kelli O'Hara (Ensign Nellie Forbush)
    Paulo Szot (Emile de Becque)
    Loretta Ables Sayre (Bloody Mary)
    Danny Burstein (Luther Billis)
    Matthew Morrison (Lt. Joseph Cable, U.S.M.C.)
    Skipp Sudduth (Captain George Brackett, U.S.N.)
    Li Jun Li (Liat)
    NOTES: This is an excellent capturing of the show. Great video quality. Very good use of zoom, without losing sight of the set as a whole (plenty of wide-pan shots). Great audio quality. Incredibly watchable. Might as well be a VOB. Highly recommended. It is rare for me to rate a non-VOB video above "B+", but I am giving this one an "A-".

  • Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street
  1. 2005 Broadway Revival Cast - Michael Cerveris and Patti LuPone
    NOTES: Decent quality video. Filmer is a bit shaky, but it's more of a bobbing than shakiness, so it's not too distracting. Plenty of zoom action. Fantastic cast! (Patti LuPone are perfectly marvelous in their roles, and give them a very distinct twist from any other cast I have seen). Pretty watchable. Rating: "B"

Other Video

  • Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging
  • Walt Disney's Alice in Wonderland