On April 2, Andrew Lloyd Webber announced that viewers won’t miss out on their favorite musicals, despite the Broadway shutdown.
An English composer who has composed over 13 musicals, his work has run for more than a decade in not only West End (which refers to theatre in London), but Broadway as well.
In a 35 second video from the United Kingdom, the YouTube Channel “The Show Must Go On” released plans for upcoming musicals. Webber explained that every Friday via YouTube, musicals will make the transfer from stage to screen.
This series is free to the public, and one of Webber’s musicals will be shown each week. They started off with “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat” and “Jesus Christ Superstar.”
Along with the full length musicals themselves, “The Show Must Go On” will also include showtunes and backstage access.
Webber announced that in a few weeks his favorite show will be posted. Regarding this musical, he said this, “The most important one, my disaster musical ‘By Jeeves.’ I’m very very fond of it and you will be too.”
“Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat”
Following the Bible story about Joseph in the book of Genesis, this musical was first performed in 2005. This is a musical fit for all audiences. The 12 sons of Jacob become jealous of their brother, Joseph, after he is deemed the favorite son and given a colorful coat.
They sell their brother into slavery, telling their parents he’s been killed by a wolf. Eventually, after working hard and interpreting the Pharaoh’s dreams, Joseph is promoted as Pharaoh’s right-hand man and put in charge to prepare for the famine.
Containing themes of family, sorrow and reuniting, this musical has become so popular that it has said that over “20,000 amateur theatre groups had staged productions.”
“Jesus Christ Superstar”
This musical began as a rock opera album before debuting on Broadway in 1971, even reaching the top US Billboard Pop Albums. Although it does contain several accounts that occurred in the Bible about Jesus’ life, it contains struggles of Judas Iscariot and Jesus that are not included in the Bible.
The show begins with the preparation of the arrival of Jesus and his disciples and closes with his crucifiction. NBC aired a concert version of the show two years ago, featuring John Legend and Sara Bareilles.
“By Jeeves”
Based on a book series by P.G. Wodehouse, the play was not an initial success. Webber calls it “my disaster musical” for a reason. Premiering in London, the show flopped, running for only a month but eventually came to Broadway six years later.
The musical centers around Bertie Wooster and his loyal valet Jeeves. Wooster’s banjo string breaks right before he is to perform, eventually improvising to entertain the audience with stories about his upper-class friends.
Now is just the time to take advantage of these musicals. In the comfort of their homes and free of cost, theatre-lovers can enjoy these classics every Friday. For more information on “The Show Must Go On” and what shows will be playing, click here.
Story by: Elizabeth Armstrong
accent@suunews.net
