Broadway musicals are a beloved art form that transport audiences into fantastical worlds filled with catchy songs, dazzling costumes, and captivating stories. For theatre lovers who don’t live near New York City or can’t afford the often hefty price of Broadway tickets, watching recordings of stage musicals is an excellent alternative. This allows you to experience the magic of Broadway from the comfort of home. But where exactly can you find and watch full-length Broadway musicals?
On BroadwayHD
BroadwayHD is a subscription streaming service dedicated entirely to theatre, providing on-demand access to a library of Broadway musicals, plays, and documentaries. Their collection includes timeless classics like The Phantom of the Opera and Cats as well as more recent hit musicals like Hamilton, Frozen, and Dear Evan Hansen.
With a BroadwayHD subscription available for $8.99/month or $99/year after a 7-day free trial, you can stream full-length stage musicals, concerts, and Broadway shows on your phone, laptop, desktop, tablet, smart TV, or devices like Roku.
Some notable musicals currently available to watch on BroadwayHD include:
Classics
– The King and I
– Oklahoma!
– The Sound of Music
Modern Hits
– Kinky Boots
– Newsies
– An American in Paris
Family Favorites
– Annie
– Cats
– Peter Pan
Off-Broadway
– Daddy Long Legs
– Puffs
– The Marvelous Wonderettes
One major advantage of BroadwayHD is that they stream Official Broadway recordings, meaning you get professional-quality productions and performances. The platform adds new shows regularly, so the musical theatre options are always growing.
On StreatsTV
StreatsTV is another theatre-focused streaming platform with an extensive collection of stage musicals and Broadway shows available on-demand. An annual StreatsTV subscription costs $4.99/month or $49.99/year and gives you access to stream over 130 theatre productions.
Some notable musicals you can currently watch in full through StreatsTV include:
Classic Hits
– Cabaret
– Chicago
– Gypsy
– A Chorus Line
Family Favorites
– Annie
– Peter Pan
– The Wizard of Oz
– Mary Poppins
Modern Musicals
– In the Heights
– Passing Strange
– Falsettos (2016)
– A New Brain
Off-Broadway & More
– Assassins
– The Fantasticks
– Songs for a New World
– Violet
A key advantage of StreatsTV is the number of classic musical theatre favorites from the ’70s, ’80s, and ’90s available to stream. Their licensing deals with various theatre content creators allows them to offer a range of beloved stage shows.
On Amazon Prime Video
For Amazon Prime members, the streaming service Prime Video grants access to a selection of filmed Broadway musicals, most of which are available to watch for free. While not as robust as dedicated theatre streaming platforms, you can find the following notable stage musicals on Amazon Prime Video:
Classics
– West Side Story
– A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum
– Kiss Me Kate
– Oklahoma!
– The King and I
Modern Hits
– Shrek The Musical
– Falsettos (2016)
– Head Over Heels
– Amadeus
Concerts & Events
– Elaine Stritch: At Liberty
– Ann, the Ann Richards play
– Between the Lines concert
A perk of watching Broadway musicals on Amazon Prime Video is taking advantage of Amazon’s X-Ray feature, which provides bonus content and facts about the cast, characters, songs, and more as you watch. You can access even more theatre content by adding on a BroadwayHD channel subscription starting at $8.99 a month through Prime Video.
On Netflix
While not the prime destination for theatre on streaming, Netflix does feature a handful of taped Broadway shows in their library:
Filmed Broadway Musicals on Netflix
Shrek The Musical | 2010 |
George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker | 1993 |
Passing Strange | 2009 |
Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar and Grill | 2016 |
Oh, Hello on Broadway | 2017 |
Most of the theatre content on Netflix leans more towards stage plays rather than big musical spectacles, but they do produce some of their own movie musicals like tick, tick…BOOM! and Diana: The Musical. Netflix also has some behind-the-scenes documentaries and concert films like Springsteen on Broadway that theatre fans can enjoy.
On Disney+
Disney has an extensive back catalogue of filmed Broadway musicals, but access currently requires adding on their Broadway on Disney+ video subscription which runs $8.99 a month.
Musicals available through the Disney+ theatre package include:
Timeless Disney Classics
– Beauty and the Beast
– Aladdin
– Frozen
– The Lion King
– Mary Poppins
Making the Movies
– Into the Woods: Original Broadway Production
– Newsies: The Broadway Musical
Hamilton
– Hamilton movie with original Broadway cast
More
– Aida
– Memphis
– Something Rotten!
– Peter and the Starcatcher
The Disney+ Broadway musical lineup brings beloved stories and characters to the stage in stellar productions. It’s a treasure trove for Disney fans who want to see the animated films and stories they love performed on Broadway.
On Now on Broadway TV
Now on Broadway is a relative newcomer created by Broadway producers during the pandemic to stream recorded theatre online. For $4.99 per month or $49 per year, you can watch a catalogue of over 30 theatre productions on Now on Broadway TV, including these musical standouts:
Revivals & Classics
– Les Misérables
– Cats
– The Wiz
– Hairspray
– Ain’t Too Proud – The Life and Times of The Temptations
Recent Hits
– Jagged Little Pill
– Beetlejuice
– Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn
Plays
– Frankie and Johnny in the Clair de Lune
– All My Sons
– The Inheritance
Now on Broadway helps extend the reach of Broadway, making these productions accessible to viewers at home while providing revenue to productions halted due to COVID-19.
On Fathom Events
While not a streaming service, Fathom Events has partnered with Broadway producers to bring special limited theatrical screenings of Broadway musicals to movie theatres across America.
Some Broadway musicals shown in cinema by Fathom Events include:
One Night Only Events
– David Byrne’s American Utopia
– Trevor: The Musical
– Broadway’s Carols for a Cure
Classics
– West Side Story
– Singin’ in the Rain
– The Wizard of Oz
– Grease
– The Sound of Music
Family Favorites
– How the Grinch Stole Christmas
– Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
– Frosty the Snowman
Experiencing a Broadway show on the big screen with surround sound can transport and immerse you in the musical like you’re there live in the theatre. It’s the closest you can get to Broadway short of traveling to New York City.
On Public Television (PBS)
PBS has a long history of airing concert specials and theatre performances from Broadway. While not available on-demand, you can often catch full musicals and Broadway content airing on PBS channels like:
Great Performances
– Much Ado About Nothing
– Bright Star concert
– In the Heights concert
– Falsettos (2016)
Live From Lincoln Center
– She Loves Me
– The King and I
– South Pacific
Other Musical Specials
– A Chorus Linet
– Chicago
– Spamalot
Your local PBS station may also air musical specials like concerts, documentaries, and locally produced theatre content. Check your PBS listings for occasions to watch full Broadway musicals from the comfort of home.
On YouTube & Other Free Options
While most Broadway musicals are only legally available as rentals or for purchase, some individual songs, concerts, documentaries, and other theatre content can be found in full on free sites like YouTube. You can find videos like:
YouTube
– Newsies concert
– Rent final performance
– [Title of Show] off-Broadway run
– Bonus features from theatre DVDs
Archive.org
– Bye Bye Birdie
– Lil’ Abner
– Anything Goes (1954)
Other Sites
– Legal bootlegs of OBCs
– Les Misérables 10th anniversay concert
– Musical numbers from Tony Awards
While most full Broadway musicals must be purchased or subscribed, snippets and some entire performances can be freely viewed for the price of watching a few ads. Search thoroughly online and you may find rare legal uploads of older shows.
On DVD or Blu-Ray
One of the best ways to build your own Broadway musical library is by collecting theatre productions on DVD or Blu-ray. You can purchase recordings of Broadway shows new or used on sites like:
– Amazon
– eBay
– Barnes & Noble
– Best Buy
– Stage Door (Specialty store)
Some worthwhile Broadway musicals and filmed stage shows to own on disc include:
Popular Titles
– CATS
– Hamilton
– Wicked
– The Phantom of the Opera
– Les Miserables
– Chicago
– Rent
– Into the Woods
– West Side Story
– Gypsy
Modern Hits
– Book of Mormon
– Kinky Boots
– Come From Away
– Spring Awakening
– Next to Normal
Classic Gems
– Carousel
– Brigadoon
– Show Boat
– South Pacific
– Carousel
Owning a recording lets you rewatch treasured shows whenever you want. Collecting Blu-rays provides optimal video and sound quality.
Conclusion
Broadway musicals provide all the glitz, glamour, and talent of live theatre conveniently from your own home. Streaming services like BroadwayHD and StreatsTV offer huge libraries of stage musicals and plays to stream on-demand. Major platforms like Amazon Prime, Disney+, and Netflix house a selection of filmed Broadway shows in their catalogs, while PBS airs specials and Great Performances episodically. You can also purchase recordings on disc or find rare uploads online for free theatre content. With so many ways to watch Broadway shows at home these days, theatre can now be appreciated by the most devoted fans and casual viewers alike.