Thousands of people have seen the professional recording of “Hamilton.” When the recording was released on Disney Plus in 2020, it became an instant hit. However, several lesser-known proshots, a high-quality recording of a live performance, bring live theater right to the viewer’s living room. Here are five proshots to watch to fill the “Hamilton” void.
“Newsies: The Broadway Musical”
Based on the real-life 1899 newsboy strike and following the same storyline as the 1992 film, the Broadway musical truly brings the story to life. The stars, Jeremy Jordan, Kara Lindsay, and Ben Fankhauser as Jack Kelly, Katherine Plumber, and Davey, respectively, truly understand their roles and play them beautifully.
The music is slightly different from the movie, but the changes all enhance the story and provide better storytelling than the original lyrics.
The filmed production also allows for easier listening, and more voices and harmonies are heard throughout the songs compared to the studio recording or the original movie. “Newsies” is one of my personal favorite proshots and is definitely worth a watch. “Newsies” is available to stream on Disney Plus.
“Legally Blonde the Musical”
“Legally Blonde” is another musical based on an iconic movie, and it follows the same plot as the 2001 film. “Legally Blonde” is one of my favorite movies, so when I found out it had been adapted into a musical, I was skeptical; however, this is slowly becoming a frequent rewatch.
The musical does an excellent job showing Elle Woods, played by Laura Bell Bundy, truly wants to succeed at Harvard, even though she started at the school to win back her ex-boyfriend, Warner, played by Richard H. Blake.
While the musical distinguishes itself from the movie a bit by having Emmett, played by Christian Borle, play a larger role in helping Elle improve her law skills, it is still true enough to the source material. “Legally Blonde the Musical” can be watched on YouTube.
“Next to Normal”
The musical won three Tony awards when it was first on Broadway in 2009. It was recently revived on the West End, starring Caissie Levy, Eleanor Worthington-Cox, and Jack Wolfe, and the proshot of this recording can be found with a subscription to Broadway HD.
The show tells the story of a mother trying to manage her bipolar disorder and grief from the loss of her son 16 years prior.
The story tackles the effects it has on the rest of her family, including her husband and daughter, who both feel invisible compared to their late son and brother.
“Oklahoma!”
Although this musical is much older than the first three on my list, originally coming out in the 1940s, the adaptation was filmed in 2003. Starring Hugh Jackman as Curly McClain, the musical contains music that will be stuck in your head for days upon days.
Although the show has had several revivals since the 2003 recording, Jackman’s Curly is something that sticks with you after seeing it.
The set is very simple, just having a train station and two houses, so it allows the actors to move throughout the stage while dancing and singing to their fullest potential. The 2003 “Oklahoma!” can be found on Amazon Prime Video.
“Anything Goes”
“Anything Goes” is another musical that has had many revivals, all of them getting better as time goes on.
The 2021 recording, starring Sutton Foster, contains some of Foster’s best singing and comes with some drama, as it is highly debated whether Foster or Patti LuPone played a better Reno Sweeney.
I am partial to Foster, but I’ve seen her live, so she holds a special place in my heart. If I could sell “Anything Goes” viewers in just one sentence, I would say this musical has possibly the best, most fascinating and entertaining tap number I have ever seen, running nearly eight minutes long, which I rewatch almost weekly.
“Anything Goes” is streaming on Broadway HD.