Howdy Everyone
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Howdy everyone….
This list is current as of 7/10/2010.
As of the above date, I can only trade via online VOB trades. Everything on this list is already uploaded to Megaupload unless there is a * in front of the name (in which case it can usually be uploaded within 36 hours.)
Always interested in new online trades (they’re much faster and easier than snail mail, in my opinion.) If you don’t know how to upload, or have an issue extracting files, let me know, and I’ll walk you through it.
Email me at [email protected] if you’re interested!
Thanks!
9 to 5, The Musical 9/13/08- Los Angeles Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, Andy Karl, Kathy Fitzgerald, Marc Kudisch, Ioana Alfonso, Ann Harada. This video has beautiful widescreen picture, but there are several blackouts throughout the show, probably because of ushers. The footage that is there is definitely A+ worthy footage, but the blackouts drops it down to an A-.
9 to 5, The Musical 9/23/08 ~ Los Angeles, CA, Pre-Broadway Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, Marc Kudisch, Andy Karl, Kathy Fitzgerald, Ioana Alfonso, Dan Cooney, Ann Harada, Van Hughes, Karen Murphy, Charlie Pollock, Tory Ross, Maia Nkenge Wilson. Very well filmed. Crystal clear, with no obstructions. Nice mix of close ups and wide shots. Only two short blackouts, each lasting less than a minute. They continue to make major changes from what I’ve heard, so it’s safe to assume that this will be fairly different than what makes it to Broadway-but it’s a fun show. DVD has been constructed with menus with scene selection for all scenes and musical numbers. A
9 to 5, The Musical 10/19/08 ~ Los Angeles, Pre-Broadway Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, Marc Kudisch, Andy Karl, Kathy Fitzgerald, Ioana Alfonso, Dan Cooney, Ann Harada, Van Hughes, Karen Murphy, Charlie Pollock, Tory Ross, Maia Nkenge Wilson. Well filmed. Crystal clear, with great close-ups. Some heads in the bottom of the screen for the wider shots. A-
9 to 5, The Musical 4/11/09 ~ Broadway, Previews Allison Janney, Stephanie J. Block, Megan Hilty, Marc Kudisch, Kathy Fitzgerald, Andy Karl, Ioana Alfonso, Timothy George, Jennifer Balahna, Justin Bohon. Blackouts for the first few minutes of both Acts I and II due to late comers, then improves. Nicely filmed from the balcony with a good mix of close-ups and full stage shots. Occasional head at the bottom of the screen. A-
13
5/15/08 ~ Goodspeed Opera House, East Haddam, CT (Pre-Broadway) Graham Phillips, Aaron Simon Gross, Allie Trimm, Eric Nelsen. Elizabeth Egan Gillies, Ashton Smallings, Kyle Crews, Alberto Calderon, Eamon Foley, Joey LaVarco, Ariana Grande, Caitlin Gann and Taylor Bright. “Evan Goldman has it all – he’s popular, has the ‘perfect’ family and lives in the greatest city in the world – New York. That is until his parents get divorced and he’s forced to move - to a small town in Indiana. Uprooted from his old life, he has to make new friends and somehow maneuver the minefield of High School to become part of the ‘in- crowd’. With wit and searing honesty, 13 is a hilarious, high-energy musical for all ages. It’s about the lessons one learns throughout life and the discovery that the journey to who you want to be starts with discovering who you are. Featuring an explosive rock score by celebrated composer Jason Robert Brown (Parade, The Last Five Years) and performed by an astonishing cast of young actors, 13 is a grown-up story about growing up.” Filmed during the shows pre-Broadway run at the Goodspeed Opera House in East Haddam, CT. Filmed in the orchestra section about fifteen feet away from the stage. Heads, seats and other random things in frame. Mostly a clear shot center stage with extreme sides obstructed with heads. Occasional cover-ups and some action not caught in frame. Not the best video, but what is captured is good, and you get a good sense of the show despite all the issues. B-
13 12/29/08 ~ Broadway Graham Phillips, Allie Trimm, Eric M. Nelson, Delaney Moro, Aaron Simon Gross, Malik Hammond, Al Calderon. Filmed from the balcony. A few short cover-ups, heads in the bottom of the screen, and missing a few minutes during the “Movie theatre” scene. This is the only known capture of the show in its 90 minute state. In previews it ran around 2 hrs and 30 minutes and many songs/scenes were cut to produce the final 90 minute final version of the show. B+
42nd Street 4/21/01 ~ Broadway Revival Michael Cumpsty, Beth Leavel (u/s), Kate Levering, David Elder Shot from balcony, good zooms with some heads in the way and a little spotlight washout in a few scenes. B-
42 nd Street 12/3/04 ~ Lakeland, FL, Non-Equity Tour Kyle Dean Massey, Mara Davi, Natalie Buster, Ron Smith, Maureen Veronica Illmensee, Evan Alboum, Randi Kaye, Michelle Whitty, Erin West. A production by Big League Theatricals. Filmed using multiple cameras with sound patched in from the soundboard. Some slight generational loss, and has counter numbers onscreen. Fantastic production! A-
*1776, Recording Session 11/11/97 ~ New York Brent Spiner,John Herrera, Paul Michael Valley, Pat Hingle, Merwin Foard. Home video recording filmed from the sound booth documenting the revival cast recording the cast album. Fun "behind the scenes" video. Lots of starts and stops and directions given as the cast records "But Mr. Adams", "The Lees Of Old Virginia", "The Egg", "Cool, Cool, Considerate Men", and "Molasses To Rum." About an hour and 50 minutes. A
Addams Family 12/29/09 ~ Chicago, IL, Pre-Broadway
Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth, Terrence Mann, Carolee Carmello, Kevin Chamberlin, Jackie Hoffman, Zachary James, Wesley Taylor, Krysta Rodriguez, Adam Riegler. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear with great close-ups. A
*The Adventures of Tom Sawyer 4/10/01 ~ Broadway Joshua Park, Jim Poulos, Kristin Bell, Linda Purl, John Dossett. Broadway flop with only 21 official performances. Sound levels can be low at times. Otherwise, it's fairly good. A-
Aida 3/29/00 matinee ~ Broadway Heather Headley, Adam Pascal, Sherrie Rene Scott, Damian Perkins, John Hickok A-
Aida 11/18/02 ~ Los Angeles, CA Tour Simone, Patrick Cassidy, Kelli Fournier, Jacen R Wilkerson, Neal Benari, Jerald Vincent. Beautifully filmed, with some great close ups. Some slight generational loss. Also includes about 90 minutes of highlights from the Broadway production with Matt Bogart. A-
Aida 9/25/02 ~ Chicago, IL Act 1 only Jeremy Kushnier (Radames), Lisa Brescia (s/b Amneris), Paulette Ivory (Aida)
Aida 6/23/02 ~ Broadway Simone (Aida), Felicia Finley (Amneris), Robert Gaynor (u/s Radames) Shot from third row mezzanine; aside from a slightly jumpy child whose head occasionally appears in shot, it's a gorgeous video. Clear picture and sound with nice closeups
Aida 6/22/03 ~ Dutch Cast René van Kooten , Chaira Borderslee, Antje Monteiro & Marlon David Henry
Aida 3/17/04 ~ Essen Florence Kasumba (Aida), Mathias Edenboarn, (Radames), Maricel (Amneris)
Aida 7/27/05 ~ Wichita, KS Montego Glover, Darren Ritchie, Chelsea Krombach, Craig Ricks, Javier Perez-Gomez, Thomas Wesley Douglas. A production of the Music Theatre Of Wichita. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. Disc also includes local television commercials for the show. A-
*Altar Boyz 9/04 ~ NYMF Cheyenne Jackson, Tyler Maynard, Andy Karl, Ryan Duncan, David Josefsberg. Filmed early on in the life of the show at the New York Musical Theatre Festival. Based on the success of the show at the NYMF the show transferred to Off-Broadway in 2005, and then went on to tour. Filmed from a tripod in the back of the house. Mostly a full stage shot. A-
Altar Boyz 5/4/07 ~ Long Beach, CA Danny Calvert, Dan Domenech, James Royce Edwards, Tyler McGee, Dan Pacheco. A great production of Musical Theatre West. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. Crystal clear. A
American Idiot 9/23/09 ~ Berkley, CA, Pre-Broadway John Gallagher Jr., Michael Esper, Matt Caplan, Mary Faber, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Tony Vincent, Christina Sajous, Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico. Music by Green Day. “Green Day won two Grammys for its multi-platinum album American Idiot, which sold more than 12 million copies worldwide. Now those searing songs seize the stage with the director behind Spring Awakening, the groundbreaking musical that earned eight Tony Awards and enthralled audiences around the world. American Idiot follows working-class characters from the suburbs to the city to the Middle East, as they seek redemption in a world filled with frustration. This high-octane show features every track from the album, plus several new tunes from Green Day’s newest release, 21st Century Breakdown. With an on-stage band and a cast of 19, American Idiot will take you on an exhilarating journey borne along by Green Day’s electrifying songs”. Recorded during it’s pre-Broadway run at the Roda Theatre at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Well filmed and crystal clear, but occasional heads in the frame. A-
American Idiot 10/4/09 ~ Berkeley, CA John Gallagher Jr., Michael Esper, Matt Caplan, Mary Faber, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Tony Vincent, Christina Sajous, Declan Bennett, Andrew Call, Gerard Canonico. Filmed during the pre-Broadway run at the Berkeley Repertory Theatre. Beautifully filmed from the balcony. Crystal clear. A
The American Musical Theatre: Bob Fosse & Gwen Verdon 1962 ~ WCBS-TV Bob Fosse, Gwen Verdon, Hosted by Earl Wrightson with Jay Blackton and the CBS Orchestra. "An informal workshop presented for the students of the New York City High School system, by the Board of Education of The City of New York, and telecast on a local New York CBS television station. A series of television biography's featuring people who's personal contributions to the musical theatre has made it a native of American art." The couple discuss their early years in show business, and their work on such shows as How To Succeed, Damn Yankees, Pal Joey, Red Head and others. Both Gwen and Bob sing and dance some of the numbers that have made them famous, and participate in a question and answer session with the students in the audience. In black and white. About 50 minutes. A Annie 10/80 ~ Broadway Allison Smith. Great video, considering its age. Slight generational loss. C+
*Annie Date Unknown ~ Broadway Betty Hutton, Gary Beech, Rita Rudner. Generational loss, but great sound. C+
Annie, 30th Anniversary Tour 10/1/06 ~ Chicago
Marissa O'Donnell, David Chernault (u/s Daddy Warbucks) Alene Robertson, Elizabeth Broadhurst, Ashley Gonzales, Scott Willis, Monica Patton. Filmed 14 rows from the stage with amazing clarity and close-ups. Some heads are visible at the very bottom of the screen, but nothing too bad. This is the same company that made it's way to Broadway to finish the tour. A-
Annie: Life After Tomorrow 12/06 ~ Showtime-TV Sarah Jessica Parker, Allison Smith, Kathy Raicht, Nicole Francis, Roseanne Kavanagh, Ana Lovelis, Robyn Finn-Moosey, Kristy Coombs. "If you're over 30, you may remember the halcyon days of Studio 54 when, in the late 70's and early 80's, you couldn't snort a line in the ladies room without tripping over a wasted Drew Barrymore and a gaggle of those Annie orphans. Those Broadway babies were the toast of the town back in the day, and a new Showtime documentary - Life After Tomorrow - tracks down those former orphans to find out what happened to their showbiz aspirations. The most famous member of the cast - Sarah Jessica Parker - is on hand for the reminiscences, but so are the 39 other girls that didn't live the dream after their Annie success had come and gone. The documentary promises some real ugly - eight shows a week, cat-fighting stage moms, salacious stagehands and a Menudo-style dismissal when puberty set-in. There's no business like show business when it comes to robbing childhoods and crushing dreams." A
Annie Warbucks 10/29/92 ~Los Angeles, Pre-Off-Broadway Harvey Evans, Harve Presnell, Lindsey Ridgeway, Molly Scott. RARE! "The action picks up right where "Annie" leaves off, when Child Welfare Commissioner Harriet Doyle arrives on the scene to inform Daddy Warbucks he must marry in sixty days so the newly adopted Annie can have a proper mother. In the end, Daddy Warbucks' whirlwind search for a fitting bride uncovers not only a plot by Doyle and her daughter to strip him of his fortune, but also his true feelings for Grace Farrell." Well filmed. Performed at LA’s Pantages Theatre. They made enormous changes in the show during the Pantages run, including booting Lindsey because she looked like she was 17. They still hadn't figured out where to put "When You Smile," here sung by Annie to Sandy, which is just a placeholder and a really bad one at that. That song was supposed to be the "Tomorrow" of this version, and it never fit. At Goodspeed, it was actually the opening number after Annie had a bad dream. (Oh, so to get her back to sleep Daddy Warbucks belts a snappy showtune? Yeah, that makes sense.) Some minimal generational loss. Had only 200 official performances Off-Broadway. B
Annie Get your Gun 2000 ~ Broadway, Revival Bernadette Peters, Tom Wopat. Some generational loss. Filmed from the balcony. B- Annie Get Your Gun 5/01 ~ Broadway Revival Reba McEntire, Brent Barrett, Peter Marx, Kerry O’Malley. Some spotlight washout, but overall good with great sound. B
Anything Goes 7/14/04 ~ London Sally Ann Triplett, John Barrowman. Cover ups and "stage searching" for the first 5 mins, then greatly improves. Crystal clear video and sound. A
The Apple Tree 11/29/06 ~ Broadway Kristen Chenoweth, Mark Kudish, Brian D'arcy James. Filmed during the first preview at Studio 54. Beautifully filmed, and crystal clear. A
The Apple Tree 1/20/07 ~ Broadway, Revival Kristen Chenoweth, Brian D'Arcy James, Marc Kudish. Well filmed with crystal clear images. A few short blackouts, but nothing too bad. DVD has been nicely constructed with a main menu, and animated thumbnails and scene selections for all the songs. Also includes scanned Playbill information. A
Aspects Of Love 5/89 ~ London Michael Ball, Ann Crumb. Amazingly good video, considering it's age. A-
Aspects Of Love 2000 ~ Bern, Switzerland Maya Hakvoort, Carsten Lepper. Nice production. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. Some spotlight washout. In German. A-
Assassins 1991 ~ New York Victor Garber, Terrence Mann, Jonathan Hadary, Lee Wilkof, Annie Golden, Debra Monk, Patrick Cassidy, Greg Germann. From Playwrights Horizons; one head in the way and a little fuzzy, great sound B-
Assassins 4/4/04 ~ Broadway Revival Becky Ann Baker, James Barbour, Mario Cantone, Michael Cerveris, Mary Catherine Garrison, Alexander Gemignani, Neil Patrick Harris, Marc Kudisch, Jeffrey Kuhn, Denis O'Hare. Pretty nice video filmed from back of the mezzanine; 1st generation from the master A-
Assassins 5/29/04 ~ Broadway Revival Becky Ann Baker, James Barbour, Mario Cantone, Michael Cerveris, Mary Catherine Garrison, Alexander Gemignani, Neil Patrick Harris, Marc Kudisch, Jeffrey Kuhn, Denis O'Hare. A-
Avenue Q 7/26/03 ~ Broadway John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada. Great picture and sound; camera cover-up for first five minutes and occasionally throughout but not distracting; 1st generation from the master. Tape includes the Tony performance. A-
Avenue Q 10/18/03 ~ Broadway John Tartaglia, Stephanie D'Abruzzo, Rick Lyon, Jennifer Barnhart, Natalie Venetia Belcon, Jordan Gelber, Ann Harada. Excellent quality picture and sound; occasional cover-ups but
very good tape; 1st generation from the master; tape includes Avenue Q on Breakfast with the Arts on A&E. A
Avenue Q 2/24/04 ~ Broadway Barrett Foa (u/s), Aymee Garcia (u/s), Peter Linz (u/s), Jen Barnhart, Ann Sanders (u/s), Jordan Gelber, Chandra Wilson (u/s). There must have been some bug going through the cast to have this many understudies performing in the same show. Occasional heads appear in the shot. B+
Avenue Q 4/21/08 ~ Broadway Jonathan Root (Princeton/Rod), Sarah Stiles (Kate/Lucy the Slut), Christian Anderson (Nikky/Trekkie), Ann Sanders (Christmas Eve), Nicholas Kohn (Brian), Rashidra Scott (Gary),Jennifer Barnhart (Mrs. T). Nicely filmed from the balcony. Occasional heads in the bottom of the shot. Great clarity. A
The Ultimate "Avenue Q" OBC DVD 1. The 8/13/03 OBC VOB files (this is the main source for video and all audio).2. The 2/22/04 VOB files (used for the video projections and for sections where the OBC recording goes black)3. The Tony telecast of "It Sucks To Be Me" (intercut with the OBC above, and uncensored)4. Clips from the Avenue Q website5. Clips from the Avenue Q promo6. Clips from a performance on "The View"7. "Avenue Jew" and the "Time" intermission bit
Bare, A Pop Opera 5/27/04 ~ Final ATA Performance, New York Michael Arden, Jenna Leigh Green, Kearran Giovanni, John Hill, Natalie Joy Johnson, Aaron Lohr, Sasha Allen, Romeida Benjamin, Isaac Calpito, Mike Cannon, Adam Fleming, Kaitlin Hopkins, Jim Price, Lindsay Scott, Kay Trinidad, Scott Allgauer. Excellent video of the final performance of the first New York run. Good picture and sound throughout although Act 2 is a little clearer. A
Barnum 1986 ~ London Michael Crawford. Pro shot for video. A-
Beautiful And Damned 2004 ~ London Michael Praed, Helen Anker, David Burt, Susannah Fellows. Musical based on the lives of Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald. Pro-Shot for video. A
The Beautiful Game (Volt egyszer egy csapat) May 2005 rehearsal – Hungary, Budepest - PROSHOT Zoltan Miller (John), Andrea Maho (Mary), Nikolett Gallusz (Christine), Janos Balogh (Frank), Pal Omboli (Gondor), David Sandor (Daniel), Zsuzsanna Vago (Bernadette), Janos Koltai (Father O'Donell). Filmed during a Dress Rehearsal - the instructions of the director were cut. Recorded from the upper circle. Direct from the master copy. Good zooms.
Beauty And The Beast, "Shubert Archive" 1994 ~ Broadway
James Barbour, Tom Bosley, Gary Beach. This was supposedly recorded specifically for the Shubert Theatre Organization for their archives, not too sure about the validity of that though. Only about 90 minutes of HIGHLIGHTS-not the complete show. Focus is mainly on Lumiere. The best version of the show I have seen-crystal clear video and amazing audio, but still has a bootleg “feel.” A-
Beauty & The Beast 1995 ~ Los Angeles, CA Susan Egan, James Barbour, Tom Bosley, Gary Beach. Filmed from right hand side balcony. B
Beauty and the Beast 9/7/97 ~ ? Kerry Butler. Highlights Only
Beauty and the Beast December 11 2000 ~ Madrid, Spain Carlos Marin (of Il Divo as the Beast), Geraldine Larrosa (Belle), Lisardo, Victor Ullate.
Beauty And The Beast 6/02 ~ San Paulo, Brazil Kiara Sasso, Saulo Vasconcelos, Daniel Boaventura, Andressa Massei, Marcus Tumura, Jonathas Jobas. Pro-shot in front of an audience using 7 cameras. In Portuguese. A
Beauty and the Beast 2003 - UK Tour - PROSHOT Alex Bourne and Dianne Pilkington.
Beauty And The Beast 2005 ~ British Tour Nic Greenshields, Katie Rowley Jones, Michael Quinn, Ashley Vallance, David Oakley, Mark Inscoe, Adam Stafford, Tania Newton. Recorded from the house camera. Some spotlight washout. A-
The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas 7/24/82 ~ Broadway Carlin Glynn, Dolores Hall, Gil Rogers, Clifton Allmon, Mimi Bessette, Craig Chambers, Susann Fletcher. Recorded on closing night. Looks like it was filmed from a tripod, or from the lighting booth. Mostly a steady shot, but occasionally the filmer zooms in. There are some video dropouts and some glitches for the first few minutes of each act. But this is a little better quality than the other videos that have been in circulation. Includes the reprise of “Texas Has A Whorehouse In It”. Some generational loss. B-
Best Little Whorehouse In Texas 2000 National Tour Ann-Margret, Gary Sandy, Avery Sommers. Hal Davis, Ed Dixon, Rob Donohoe, Roxie Lucas, Matt Landers, Jen Celene Little, Terri Dixon
The Best Of Broadway at Temple Beth Shalom Theatre
11/14/04 ~ Stamford, CT Megan Hilty, Kristy Cates, Julie Reiber, Horace Rogers, Mary Bond Davis, Emily Rozek, Julie Hanson, Tina Madigan, Noah Racey. 22 Broadway performers traveled to Stamford on their Sunday off to participate in this musical concert showcase of Broadway show tunes. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. A
Billy Elliot, The Musical 11/2/06 ~ London Mathew Koon, Sally Dexter, Philip Whitchurch, Ann Emery, Chris Lennon, Sara Poyzer. Filmed from the balcony in a very steep theatre, so it's a high angle, but crystal clear images. Lots of heads in the bottom of the shot, but they are never in the way. A-
Billy Elliot, The Musical 10/18/08 ~ Broadway David Alvarez, Haydn Gwynne, Gregory Jbara, Carole Shelley, Santino Fontana, Frank Dolce, Stephen Hanna, Joel Hatch, Leah Hocking. Beautifully filmed from the balcony and crystal clear. Nice balance of close-ups and full stage shots. Disc also includes scanned Playbill information as well as two clips from The View which features all three Billys talking to the ladies, and Kiril Kulish performing “Electricity”, in addition, NY1 coverage of opening night, and a NY1 review of the show are included. A
Billy Elliot, The Musical 11/15/08 ~ Broadway Trent Kowalik, Haydn Gwynne, Gregory Jbara, Carole Shelley, Santino Fontana, Frank Dolce, Stephen Hanna, Joel Hatch, Leah Hocking. Nicely filmed from the balcony, and the filmer wisely shoots full screen for the dance numbers. A
Billy Elliot 11/21/08 ~ Broadway David Alvarez, Haydn Gwynne, Gregory Jbara, Carole Shelley, Santino Fontana, Frank Dolce, Stephen Hanna, Joel Hatch, Leah Hocking. Nicely filmed with a good balance of wide shots and close-ups. It takes a few minutes for the filmer to settle, and there is an occasional head in the frame. A-
Billy Elliot 2/14/09 ~ Broadway Kiril Kulish (Billy), Haydn Gwynne (Mrs. Wilkinson), Gregory Jbara (Dad), Carole Shelley (Grandma), David Bologna (Michael), Santino Fontana (Tony), Grant Turner (u/s Older Billy/Scottish Dancer). Nicely filmed from the balcony with a good balance of close-ups and full stage shots, although a little shaky at times. This is the first (and so far, only) video with Kiril Kulish in the role of Billy. Unfortunately about 15 minutes of the show is missing due to battery issues. What’s missing is: Grandma’s song “We Go Dancing”, the scene between Dad and Tony, the beginning of “Deep Into The Ground”, and the scene between Mrs. Wilkinson and Dad discussing Billy’s ballet. It appears the filmer was trying to conserve battery power and was trying to focus on Billy’s scenes. DVD has been enhanced with main menu and thumbnail images for access to the various songs. A-
Billy Elliot 3/6/09 ~ Broadway
David Alvarez (Billy), David Bologna (Michael), Leah Hocking (u/s Mrs. Wilkinson), Jayne Paterson (u/s Mum), Liz Pearce (u/s Clipboard Woman). Interesting to see the show with Leah Hocking in the role of Mrs. Wilkinson-she has a different interpretation, which is very good. Well filmed. One head occasionally in the shot, but filmer does a good job dealing with it. The camera had a broken pixel, so there is a small blue spot on the bottom center of the screen, but it’s not too distracting. Crystal clear. DVD has been enhanced with main menu and thumbnail images and song selection. Scanned Playbill information also included. A-
Blithe Spirit 5/16/09 ~ Broadway, Revival Rupert Everett (Charles), Jayne Atkinson (Ruth), Christine Ebersole (Elvira), Angela Lansbury (Madame Arcati), Susan Louise O'Connor (Edith), Simon Jones (Dr. Bradman), Deborah Rush (Mrs. Bradman). The first 4 or 5 minutes of each act are blacked out, and there are lots of heads in the shots, but the filmer does his best to shoot around them. There is also an occasional moment or two of “stage searching”, but what is captured is crystal clear, and you can get a good feel for the show. The filmer switched seats for the second act, so there are fewer heads in the shot and it’s a little better. Filmed in widescreen mode. B+
Blood Brothers 4/29/89 ~ OLC Kiki Dee, Con O'Neill, Warwick Evans, Robert Locke Professionally Shot for BBC. A little on the dark side, but very watch able, lots of close-ups. Sound is really good in the songs, slightly quieter during dialogue. Dark picture (Pro Video) B
Boeing-Boeing 4/19/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Christine Baranski, Bradley Whitford, Mark Rylance, Gina Gershon, Mary McCormack Kathryn Hahn. Filmed on the first night of previews. “In Boeing-Boeing, an architect living in Paris (Whitford) has been successfully juggling three flight attendant fiancées, with his housekeeper (Baranski) reluctantly playing romantic air-traffic controller as they fly in and out of his swank bachelor pad. But when an old school pal (Rylance) visits, things get rather turbulent. Schedules change, flights are delayed and chaos ensues in this whirl of mayhem and matchmaking.” Original production played Broadway for 65 performances in 1965. This production is based on London’s West End revival of 2007. Nicely filmed and crystal clear. Balcony railing visible in the wider shots. Missing the first minute of Act 2. A
Bonnie & Clyde 11/14/09 ~ La Jolla, CA Laura Osnes (Bonnie Parker), Stark Sands (Clyde Barrow), Mare Winningham (Emma Parker), Melissa van der Schyff (Blanch Barrow), Claybourne Elder (Buck Barrow), Chris Peluso (Ted), Wayne Duvall (Sheriff), Michael Mulligan (Bud), Michael Lanning (Preacher/Judge). “Stuck in a dead-end job in Texas in the 1930s, young Bonnie Parker falls in love with Clyde Barrow, a charismatic criminal on the run from the law. Their love affair soon spirals out of control, as Bonnie & Clyde commit a series of bank robberies while staying one step ahead of the authorities. But as their notoriety — and body count — rises, the ill-fated lovers find themselves racing to the top of the Public Enemies list…with a bullet. From the creative team of Frank Wildhorn (Jekyll & Hyde), Don Black (Sunset Boulevard) and Ivan Menchell (Chitty Chitty Bang Bang) comes this world premiere musical — with a thrilling new score that combines rockabilly, blues and gospel music”. Beautifully filmed. Occasional short blackouts-but nothing too bad. Filmed at the 5th preview, so changes are apt to be made for the final version. A
The Boyfriend 2005 ~ US Tour Jessica Grove, Nancy Hess, Bethe Austin, Paul Carlin, Andrea Chamberlain, Sean Palmer. Directed by Julie Andrews. RARE! Recorded through the house camera, so it's a stationary, full-stage shot. Amazing clarity, with some minor spotlight washout. A
The Boy From Oz 10/16/03 ~ Broadway Hugh Jackman, Stephanie J. Block, Beth Fowler, Isabel Keating, Jarrod Emick, Michael Mulheren. Mitchel David Federan. Filmed on Opening night. Great picture and sound and lots of closeups. A-
The Boy From Oz (Press Reels) 2003 ~ Broadway High Jackman, Stephanie J. Block, Jarrod Emik. Unedited pro-shot Press reels. About an hour and a half of musical numbers. Nearly perfect quality. Digital rip! A+
The Boys in the Photograph (Formally known as The Beautiful Game) 2009 ~ Press Reels Pro-shot footage filmed for media use. The show began life as The Beautiful Game, playing for a year in London’s West End, from September 2000 until September 2001. Receiving stellar reviews, with critics calling it Andrew Lloyd Webber’s best musical and praising Ben Elton’s book and lyrics, the show was awarded the prestigious Best Musical Award in the Critics' Circle Theatre Awards 2000. The creators had wanted an opportunity to rework the musical for some time. That chance came with the Manitoba Theatre Centre (MTC) production earlier this year. Now Toronto will be able to experience this major new work from the leading creators in musical theatre. The new show will play October 20 to November 29, 2009 at the Royal Alexandra Theatre. The Boys in the Photograph stars an impressive all-Canadian cast. In the lead roles Tony Le Page plays John Kelly, Erica Peck plays Mary McGuire and Richard McMillan plays Father O’Donnell. About 15 minutes in total. A
Broadway: Three Generations 10/5/08 ~ Washington DC “The Kennedy Center celebrates three generations of Broadway songwriters with star-filled evenings combining abridged concert versions of three representative musical classics: Girl Crazy, Bye Bye Birdie, and Side Show. After nearly 16 months of renovations, the Kennedy Center's Eisenhower Theater reopens its doors with a grand celebration of three generations of Broadway composers. This eagerly anticipated Washington event hosted by Academy Award winner Shirley Jones will present abridged concert versions of three musicals, all in one spectacular evening! The festivities begin with Girl Crazy, the Gershwin brothers' classic 1930s musical that weaves together such popular songs as "Embraceable You" and "I Got Rhythm." Max von Essen (The Kennedy Center's Mame) will portray the role of Danny Churchill, while Randy Graff (Tony winner for City of Angels) will play Kate Fothergill, the role that launched Ethel Merman's career. Tony nominee Brooks Ashmanskas (Martin Short: Fame Becomes Me) will perform the role of Slick Fothergill. Ned Eisenberg (Awake and Sing!) will play Gieber Goldfarb. Jenn Colella (High Fidelity) appears as Molly Gray. Representing Broadway's "second generation" is Bye Bye Birdie, which won four Tony Awards in 1961, including Best Musical. Featuring such hit songs as "Put On a Happy Face"
and "A Lot of Livin' to Do," it follows rock and roll superstar Conrad Birdie and a publicity stunt in which he will kiss one lucky girl before being drafted into the army. For the Kennedy Center performances, the role of Rosie will be played by Leslie Kritzer (A Catered Affair), James Snyder (Cry-Baby) appears as Conrad, Laura Osnes (Grease) plays Kim, Brooks Ashmanskas will portray Albert Peterson, Lisa Brescia (The Times They Are A- Changin') appears as Doris MacAfee, Ned Eisenberg plays Harry MacAfee, and Bobby Steggert (110 in the Shade) will perform the role of Hugo. The evening comes to a close with the "third generation": Henry Krieger and Bill Russell's Side Show. Based on the true life story of vaudeville entertainers and conjoined twins Violet and Daisy Hilton, it earned four Tony nominations in 1997, including Best Musical, Book, Original Score, and in a first, a co- nomination for Best Actress. Jenn Colella and Lisa Brescia will play the roles of Daisy and Violet Hilton. Bobby Steggert appears as Buddy Foster and Max von Essen plays Terry Conner. Both Tony nominees, Michael McElroy (Big River) will portray Jake while Michael Mulheren (Kiss Me, Kate) appears as The Boss.” Nicely filmed from the balcony. A
*Broadway Bound 1992 ~ PBS-TV Anne Bancroft, Hume Cronyn, Corey Parker, Jonathan Silverman, Jerry Orbach, Michele Lee. Final chapter of Neil Simon's semi-autobiographical "Brighton Beach Trilogy" following Brighton Beach Memoirs (1986) and Biloxi Blues (1988) Pro-shot for TV. A
Brooklyn 10/2/04 ~ Broadway Kevin Anderson, Cleavant Derricks, Eden Espinosa, Ramona Keller, Karen Olivo. Great video. Also includes review from CBS and NY1 and Denver Press Reel. A
Brooklyn 6/26/05 ~ Broadway Eden Espinoza, Ramona Keller, Cleavant Derricks, Kevin Anderson, Karen Olivo. Final Broadway performance. Unfortunately many heads in the way, but taper tries his best to shoot around them. What is captured is very clear. B
Bye Bye Birdie 9/16/09 ~ Broadway, Revival John Stamos, Gina Gershon, Dee Hoty, Bill Irwin, Jayne Houdyshell, Nolan Gerard Funk, Allie Trimm. Well filmed from the balcony. One or two brief blackouts, but nothing too bad. A
Cabaret 10/21/87 ~ Broadway Revival RARE-Joel Grey, Alyson Reed, Regina Resnick, Werner Klemperer, Greg Edelman. Very well shot. Good picture and sound. B
Cabaret 3/29/03 ~ Broadway matinee Neil Patrick Harris, Deborah Gibson, Tom Bosley, Mariette Hartley Digital, 1st generation from the master. A-
Cabaret 11/4/06 ~ London
Anna Maxwell Martin, Michael Hayden, James Dreyfus, Sheila Hancock, Geoffrey Hutchings, Harriet Thorpe, Andrew Maud. Very different interpretation of the show then we are used to...more "adult" and the show does contain nudity. Fantastically original choreography. Well filmed, and crystal clear images with occasional blackouts throughout. A-
Camelot, In Concert 5/8/08 ~ PBS-TV Gabriel Byrne (King Arthur), Marin Mazzie (Guenevere), Nathan Gunn (Lancelot), Christopher Lloyd (Pellinore), Stacy Keach (Merlyn), Fran Drescher (Morgan LaFay), Bobby Steggert (Mordred), Christopher Sieber (Dinadan), Will Swenson (Sagramore), Mark Kudisch (Lionel.) PBS’ Live From Lincoln Center telecast of the New York Philharmonic’s production of Camelot, the celebrated musical with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe. The PBS broadcast, one of the five semi-staged performances of the musical filmed live from Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center. A
Captain EO – A Musical Adventure Starring the late Michael Jackson and Anjelica Houston, this musical adventure as directed by Francis Ford Coppola, executive-produced by George Lucas and choreographed by Jeffrey Hornaday was a major attraction at Disneyland for 8 years. This DVD contains both Widescreen and Pan/Scan versions (the latter is of a much higher quality) as well as 'the Making Of'.
Carmen Cubana, A Latin Pop Opera 2006 ~ Amstetten, Austria Lana Gordon, Gino Emnes, Ruben Heerenveen, Walter Reynolds, Kudra Owens, Dennis Le Gree. "Carmen Cubana premiered at the Musical Sommer in Amstetten, Austria on July 19, 2006. The show is based on the story of Carmen by Prosper Mérimée. It remains close to the emotion of the opera with several themes from the opera heard through the show with a more modern feel. "Carmen Cubana' is set in 1994 when many Cubans were fleeing Cuba across the Florida Straits to America to seek a better life. Carmen escapes on one of the make shift boats, but the boat does not make it and capsizes. Luckily, Carmen and the occupants of the boat are saved by the Coast Guard (Unlike many who perished on the journey). After being saved from the ocean, Carmen and her friends are detained at the American Navel base in Guantanamo Bay. It is in Guantanamo that Carmen meets Joe, a US soldier working at the naval base. Carmen is placed in the prison by Sergeant Cooper (who tries to make a unsuccessful move on Carmen) after a fight with one of the other inmates. Joe is her guard and this is where Carmen seduces Joe. Joe helps Carmen escape Guantanamo, but he gets caught in the process by Sergeant Cooper and is himself placed in the prison. Carmen makes it back to her friends at her old place of work (Lillas Pastias's bar) and resumes her life back in Cuba." Dialog is in German, songs are in English. Pro-shot for video. Letterboxed. A
Carousel 1994 ~ Lincoln Center, Revival Amazing Production! Some generational loss. C
Carrie, The Musical 2/88 ~ London
Barbera Cook, Linzi Hateley, Charlotte d'Ambrose, Darlene Love, Sally Ann Triplett, Gene Anthony Ray. Long hidden video has just finally surfaced! Complete show, recorded through the house camera. Shot during London previews, prior to moving to Broadway. B
Catch Me If You Can 8/4/09 ~ Seattle, WA Aaron Tveit (Frank Abagnale, Jr.), Norbert Leo Butz (Carl Hanratty), Tom Wopat (Frank Abagnale, Sr.), Kerry Butler (Brenda Strong), Rachel De Benedet (Paula Abagnale), Felicia Finley (Cheryl Ann). Filmed early on during the previews. Nicely filmed, and a great capture of the show. A
Catch Me If You Can 8/15/09 ~ Seattle, WA Aaron Tveit (Frank Abagnale, Jr.), Norbert Leo Butz (Carl Hanratty), Tom Wopat (Frank Abagnale, Sr.), Kerry Butler (Brenda Strong), Rachel De Benedet (Paula Abagnale), Felicia Finley (Cheryl Ann. A little different than the earlier version listed above as the show is tweaked and is changing on its way to Broadway. Occasional blackouts and occasional heads in the frame. Some shakiness here and there. Widescreen. A-
Cats 1991 ~ Mexico Features the original Mexican cast, Maria Del Sol, Manuel Landeta, Enrique del Olma, Javier Diaz Duentas. Semi-pro shot, using one camera on a tripod. Includes menus and chapter stops at all the musical numbers. In Spanish. A
Cats 10/26/03 ~ Berlin, Germany Nadja Solovieva (Grizabella), Gido Schimanski (Rum Tum Tugger), Uli Scherbel (Skimble), Ethan Freeman (Asparagus/Bustopher Jones/Growltiger). Recorded through the theatre’s house camera, so it’s a stationary full stage shot, with sound patched directly in from the soundboard. In German, with some short passages in English. (PAL ONLY). A-
Cats 9/13/05 ~ 25th Anniversary Tour, Chicago Esther Stilwell, Derek Hanson, Drew Little. 25th Anniversary Tour. Excellent capture of the show. Includes scanned Playbill info. A
Chess 1988 ~ Broadway Judy Kuhn, David Carroll. Shaky for the first 2 mins then improves greatly. Outstanding video overall. Filmed from the balcony. B
Chess 2003 ~ Stockholm, Sweden Tommy Korberg, Helen Sjoholm, Anders Elborg, Josefin Nilsson, Per Myrberg, Rolf Skoglund. Different interpretation that we are used to. Briliantly staged and very imaginative. Pro shot for video. Letterboxed. Beautifully sung in Swedish. Also includes rehearsal footage. Best Chess video I have ever seen! A
Chess Actor’s Fund BC/EFA Concert 9/22/03 ~ New York Julia Murney, Adam Pascal, Josh Groban, Raul Esparza, Norm Lewis, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Sutton Foster. BC/EFA Pro video of the one night only Actors’ Fund Benefit Concert at the New Amsterdam Theatre. Includes full menus, and copied directly from digital master. Perfect pristine copy. A
Chess Dutch Proshot - 2007 - 2x DVD Ben Cramer as Molokov, Mieke Dijkstra as Svetlana Sergejevski, Perry Dossett as Scheidsrechter, Jasper Kerkhof as Freddie Trumper, Joke de Kruijf as Florence Vaszy and Henk Poort as Anatoli Sergejevski
Chess, In Concert 6/17/09 ~ PBS-TV Idina Menzel (Florence), Adam Pascal (Frederick Trumper), Josh Groban (Anatoly Sergievsky), Kerry Ellis (Svetlana), David Bedella (Molokov), Clarke Peters (Walter) Marti Pellow (The Arbiter). “Recorded at London's Royal Albert Hall in May 2008, this spectacular Chess In Concert - introduced by Rice and with the 50- piece City of London Philharmonic and 100-voice West End Chorus - finally fulfills the promise of the popular cult musical.” Letterboxed. A
Chicago 1978 ~ US Tour Melody Adams, Kristen Childs. RARE! First tour of the show, featuring Bob Fosse's original staging, direction and choreography. Semi-pro shot, using one camera on a tripod. Unfortunately MUCH generational loss. D
Chicago 1995 ~ Broadway Ann Reinking, Bebe Neuwirth, James Naughton, Joel Grey. The pro shot video that was used to make the reviewers reel; excellent quality with the time code bar at the bottom. Suffers a bit from over copying. C+
Chicago 10/5/04 ~ Broadway Pia Douwes, Belle Callaway, Roz Ryan, Tom Wopat, PJ Benjamin, D. Sabella
Chicago 11/23/05 ~ US Tour, Chicago Paige Davis (Trading Spaces,) Tom Wopat, Brenda Braxton, Carol Woods. Crystal clear! Best version of Chicago I have seen! A
Children Of Eden 1999 ~ Wichita, KS Nicholas F Saverine, Nedra Dixon, Seth Swoboda. Another amazing, professional production of The Music Theatre of Wichita. Includes footage shot backstage during a performance. Very well filmed using a tripod and soundboard. A
Children Of Eden
2/03 ~ Los Angeles, CA John Huntington, Kim Huber, Miles Wesley, Joseph Andreas, Allen Everman, Julie Gunner, April Berry. Beautiful production, presented by Performance Riverside. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. A
Children Of Eden, In Concert 12/1/03 ~ St. John's Church, New York Jai Rodriguez, Darius de Haas, Norm Lewis, John Tartaglia, Kate Shindle, Jonathan Dokuchitz, Julia Murney. Very nicely filmed from a tripod. Jai sings "A World Without You" which was cut from the original score. A
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang 4/16/05 ~ Broadway Raul Esparza, Philip Bosco, Erin Dilly, Chip Zien. Filmed during previews. Excellent video, shot from the balcony. A
A Chorus Line 1975 ~ Broadway Pamela Blair, Wayne Cilento, Kay Cole, Priscilla Lopez, Robert LuPone, Donna McKechnie. Original Broadway cast. Professionally filmed using multiple cameras for the Lincoln Center Archives. Newly surfaced video which is a HUGE improvement over the previous version which has been in circulation for a while. This is also complete and includes the opening announcement alerting the audience that the show is being filmed. Amazing quality, but still has a little generational loss. In black and white. The DVD has been enhanced with chapter stops for all of the musical numbers. B+
A Chorus Line 9/30/06 ~ Broadway, Revival Michael Berresse, Charlotte D'Amboise, Alisan Porter, David Baum, Natalie Cortez, Tyler Hanes. Beautifully filmed, with a perfect balance of wide shots and closeups. One or two short coverups, but overall-very good. DVD also includes scanned Playbill information, as well as pre-opening coverage, opening night coverage, and a review all from NY1. A-
Cinderella 11/21/04 ~ New York City Opera Sarah Uriarte Berry, Lea DeLaria, John "Lypsinkia" Epperson, Ana Gasteyer, Eartha Kitt, Christopher Sieber, Renee Taylor, Dick Van Patten. Beautiful crystal clear video. A
The Color Purple 4/22/07 ~ Chicago Jeannette Bayardelle, Michelle Williams, LaToya London, Rufus Bonds Jr., Stu James, Felicia Fields, Stephanie St. James. Very nicely filmed and crystal clear. A
Company, Reunion Concert, Performance 4/11/93 ~ New York Dean Jones, Elaine Stritch, Barbara Barrie, Beth Howland, Charles Kimbrough, Merle Louise, Donna McKechnie, Pamela Myers, and the rest of the original Broadway cast. This is NOT the same copy that has been around for the last several years. It is a completely new video which has just surfaced. Well filmed with amazing clarity for being more than 15 years old.
There is some obstruction occasionally on the left side of the picture, looks like it might be a cloth or something the filmer used to hide his camera. A-
*Company 10/93 ~ Los Angeles Carol Burnett, Patrick Cassidy. A presentation of Long Beach Civic Light Opera. Excellent production. Shaky camera work to start-then improves. Some static at bottom of screen. B+
Company 2007 ~ PBS Raul Esparza, Kelly Jeanne Grant, Angel Desai, Elizabeth Stanley, Matt Castle, Amy Justman, Fred Rose, Leenya Rideout, Keith Buterbaugh, Kristin Huffman, Robert Cunningham, Heather Laws, Bruce Sabath, Barbara Walsh. Pro-shot video of the Broadway revival cast. A
Crazy For You 1999 ~ PBS-TV Bruce Adler, Lori Alexander, Jeb Brown, Jane Cowell, Alan Gilbert. A televised version of the Papermill Playhouse production. A
Cry-Baby 6/22/08 ~ Broadway (Closing Night Performance) James Snyder, Elizabeth Stanley, Harriet Harris, Dwayne Clark, Christopher J. Hanke, Ali Mauzey, Carly Jibson, Lacey Kohl, Richard Poe and Tory Ross. Filmed at the closing night performance. Blackouts for the first 4 minutes or so, then improves. Occasional shakiness, and occasional “stage searching.” Curtain call includes the producers and the creative team. A-
*Curtains 3/27/07 ~ Broadway David Hyde Pierce, Debra Monk, Karen Ziemba, Jason Danieley, Jill Paice, Edward Hibbert. Nicely filmed, but an occasional head appears at the bottom of the screen. Crystal clear, some minor spotlight washout in the wide shots. DVD has been nicely constructed with an opening menu, scanned Playbill information, and production photos. A-
Damn Yankees April 1996 ~ National Tour Jerry Lewis, Valerie Wright, David Elder, Linda Gabler, Susan Bigelow B
Damn Yankees 7/5/08 ~ Encores! Sean Hayes (Applegate), Jane Krakowski (Lola), Cheyenne Jackson (Joe Hardy), Ana Gasteyer (Gloria Thorpe) Randy Graff (Meg Boyd), Veanne Cox (Sister Miller), Michael Mulheren (Benny Van Bure) P.J. Benjamin (Joe Boyd). A production of Encores! at City Center. Filmed at the opening night performance. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. A
Dance A Little Closer 5/83 ~ Broadway
Len Cariou, Elizabeth Hubbard, George Rose, Brent Barret, Alyson Reed. Music by Charles Strauss, lyrics and direction by Allen Jay Lerner. Broadway flop with just one Broadway performance. B-
Dance Of The Vampires, Press Reels 2002 ~ Broadway Michael Crawford, Dame Edith Shorthouse, Rene Auberjonois. About 70 minutes of unedited, pro-shot footage. A
Dancin' 1980 ~ Broadway Review directed and choreographed by Bob Fosse. Unfortunately much generational loss. C-
Dirty Dancing 11/7/06 ~ London Georgina Rich, Josef Brown, David Rintoul, Rae Baker, Isabella Calthorpe, Nadia Coote, Issy Van Randwyck. There are heads at the bottom of the screen occasionally, but the filmer does his best to shoot over and between them. The "classic story on stage..." Featuring the story and songs of the movie. The audience really is into this show! A-
Dirty Rotten Scoundrels 2/26/05 ~ Broadway Norbert Leo Butz, John Lithgow, Sherie Renee Scott, Joanna Gleason. Filmed from the balcony. Slightly better video than above date, with fewer heads at the bottom of the screen. Also includes scanned Playbill info. A
Dog Sees God; Confessions Of A Teenage Blockhead 1/18/06 ~ Off-Broadway Eliza Dushku, Karen DiConcetto (u/s), America Ferrera, Ari Graynor, Logan Marshall-Green, Keith Nobbs, Ian Somerhalder, Eddie Kaye Thomas "Set approximately ten years after the events in the beloved and ever popular Peanuts comic strip, the gang is back, teenage and reckless, their minds addled with drugs and hormones, their sex drives in overdrive, coming of age and coming out in a smart, funny, poetic, irreverent and touching examination of what it means to be on the brink of adulthood in an all-too scary grown up world." Very nicely filmed. Shaky to start then greatly improves. A
Dracula 7/31/04 ~ Broadway Tom Hewitt, Melissa Errico, Don Stephenson, Darren Ritchie, Stephen Henderson, Kelli O'Hara, Chris Hoch, Shonn Wiley, Bart Shatto, Celina Carvajal, Melissa Fagan, Jenifer Foote, Anthony Holds, Pamela Jordan, Elizabeth Loycano, Tracy Miller, Graham Rowat, Megan Sikora, Chuck Wagner. Recorded from right orchestra. Average filming with amazing sound. Digital, first generation from master. B
Dracula 8/07 ~ Germany Thomas Borchert, Uwe Kroger. Music by Frank Wildhorn. Presented at The Music Festival Graz. Pro-shot for video. Beautiful production. In German. A
Dreamgirls 1/04 ~ Tour, San Jose, CA Frenchie Davis, David Jennings, Andre Garner, Ramona Keller, Angela Robinson. Very well filmed version, with sound directly from soundboard and filmer used tripod with zooms and pans. A-
The Drowsy Chaperone 4/3/06 ~ Broadway Sutton Foster, Georgia Engel, Bob Martin, Beth Leavel, Danny Burstein, Edward Hibbert, Troy Britton Johnson, Eddie Korbich, Garth Kravits, Jason Kravits, Kecia Lewis-Evans, Jennifer Smith, Lenny Wolpe. This is a recording of the first Broadway preview. Very nicely filmed. Great close ups and crystal clear video and audio. A
*The Drowsy Chaperone 5/20/06 ~ Broadway Sutton Foster, Bob Martin, Georgia Engel, Danny Burstein, Beth Leavel, Eddie Korbich. Filmed after the show officially opened with some small changes made since Previews. Beautifully filmed. Also includes scanned Playbill information, some opening night coverage, a review and a few interviews. A
The Drowsy Chaperone 12/1/07 ~ Philadelphia, PA Tour Jonathan Crombie, Andrea Chamberlain, Georgia Engle (recreating her Broadway role), Nancy Opel, Robert Dorfman, Mark Ledbetter, James Moye. First US Tour cast. A bit shaky for the first 5 minutes until the filmer settles down, then improves. Occasional obstruction here and there and 2 short missing segments when the batteries to the camcorder were changed. B+
Edward Scissorhands 4/19/07 ~ Denver, CO Sam Archer, Kerry Biggin. A production of Mathew Bourne's New Adventure's Company. "Matthew Bourne (Swan Lake) is back with a new stage adaptation of the classic Tim Burton motion picture Edward Scissorhands. This touching and witty Gothic fairytale tells the story of a boy created by an eccentric inventor. With only scissors for hands, Edward must find his place in a strange new suburban world. With music based on the original score by Danny Elfman." Act 1 is audio only, but Act 2 is beautifully filmed and crystal clear and you can see what an amazing production it is. B
EFX 1996 ~ Las Vegas, NV Michael Crawford. The best version of the show I have seen. Although it still suffers from some generational loss, it’s much better than anything that has surfaced before. It doesn’t appear to be the whole show as the camera gets turned on and off, but it appears to be almost complete. B
Elisabeth 1992 Wein - Dress Rehearsal – PROSHOT Pia Douwes, Uwe Kröger, Ethan Freeman, Else Ludwig, Andreas Bieber, Viktor Gernot
*Elegies: A Song Cycle
Spring 2003 ~ Off Broadway Michael Rupert, Carolee Carmello, Betty Buckley, Christian Borle,Keith Byron Kirk. One steady shot of the stage. No close-ups. Good picture and very good sound. A-
Elisabeth 4/4/98 - Wien - PROSHOT (2 DVDs) Maya Hakvoort (Elisabeth), Felix Martin (der Tod), Thomas Borchert (Lucheni), Leon van Leeuwenberg (Franz-Joseph), Thomas Harke (Rudolf), Else Ludwig (Erzherzogin Sophie
Elisabeth 2002 - Wien - 10th Anniversary Andreas Bieber, Maike Boerdam, Thomas Borchert, Stanley Burleson, Pia Douwes, Ethan Freeman, Viktor Gernot, Maya Hakvoort, Kata Janza, Uwe Kröger, Carsten Lepper, Else Ludwig, Felix Martin, Jesper Tydén
Elisabeth 9/17/09 - Stuttgart (2 DVDs) Pia Douwes, Olegg Vynnyk, Bruno Grassini, Ivar Helgasson, Katherine Krüger, Martin Pasching
Elisabeth 2007 Takarazuka (Snow Troupe) Japan - PROSHOT 2x DVD Mizu Natsuki (der Tod), Shirahane Yuri (Elisabeth), Otozuki Rei (Luigi Lucheni), Ayabuki Mao (Franz Joseph), Mirai Yuuki (Sophie), Ouki Kaname (Rudolf), Ritsu Tomomi (Max)
Equus 12/16/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Daniel Radcliffe, Richard Griffiths, Kate Mulgrew, Anna Camp, T. Ryder Smith. Filmed from the orchestra section-maybe 12 rows from the stage. A bit of an odd angle, and heads in the shot throughout, but the filmer tries his best to capture the action onstage. Disc also includes the full Theatre Talk episode from 11/1/08 devoted to Equus, as well as footage of Danielle Radcliffe and the rest of the cast leaving the theatre after the show and interacting with the fans. (LIMITED AVAILABILITY-ASK FOR DETAILS). B
Everyday Rapture 4/24/09 ~ Off-Broadway Sherie Rene Scott, Eamon Foley, Lindsay Mendez, Betsy Wolfe. Written by Dick Scanlan and Sherie Rene Scott, and featuring music supervision by Tom Kitt and direction by Michael Mayer. Sherie Rene Scott starred in the semi-autobiographical show, at Second Stage Theatre. “Everyday Rapture is the story of a young woman's psycho-sexual-spiritual journey on the rocky path that separates her mostly Mennonite past from her mostly Manhattan future. Her life takes her from the cornfields of Kansas to the clover fields of New York (with a disturbing detour through YouTube). The show also features songs made famous by David Byrne, George Harrison, U2, The Dap Kings, and Judy Garland”. Well filmed and crystal clear. Some spotlight washout in the wider shots. A
Evita 1980 ~ Broadway
Patti Lupone, Mandy Patinkin, Bob Gunton. Not too bad for being such an old video. Some grainyness and color washout, but it's still very watchable. Also includes a TV commercial for the show. B-
Evita 2006 - Baden, Austria – PROSHOT Franz Csencsits, Maya Hakvoort, Reinwald Kranner, Boris Pfeiffer, Betina Reifenschmieder.
Evita 5/26/07 ~ London Elena Roger, Philip Quast, Matt Rawle, Greg Castiglioni, Lorna Want. Filmed at the closing night performance. Finally a great video of this amazing production. Very well filmed, but occasional heads appear in the bottom of the shot. Great close ups. A-
Evita 8/17/08 ~ Sacramento, CA Julia Murney (Eva), Eric Kunze (Che), Scott Blanks (Peron), Philip Michael Baskerville (Magaldi), Kari Yancy (Peron's Mistress). A presentation of the Sacramento Music Circus, at the Wells Fargo Pavilion. A very nice production, performed “in-the-round”. Well filmed. Occasional heads appear in the shot-but nothing too bad. A
Fame 1/27/99 ~ Chicago Gavin Creel, Jennifer Gambastese, Jose Restrepo, Natasha Rennalls, Dioni Michelle Collins, Amy Ehrlich. B+
Fiddler on the Roof 2/28/04 ~ Broadway Alfred Molina, Randy Graff, Nancy Opel, Stephen Lee Anderson, David Ayers, Laura Michelle Kelly, Sally Murphy. Excellent complete video with good picture and sound; 1st generation from the master. A
Fiddler on the Roof 1/8/05 ~ Broadway Harvey Fierstein, Andrea Martin, Nancy Opel. Another excellent video. A
Finian’s Rainbow 3/28/09 ~ Encores! at City Center Cheyenne Jackson, Kate Baldwin, Jeremy Bobb, Phillip Bosco, Guy Davis, Alina Faye, Jim Norton, Ruben Santiago-Hudson, Andrew Weems, William Youmans. Filmed from very high up in the balcony. Heads at the bottom of the frame and a little shaky. (The first 20 minutes or so of the show were actually filmed on 3/29/09). B
First You Dream, A Tribute To Courage 6/12/00 ~ New York Marin Mazzie, Heather Headley, Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Sherie Rene Scott, James Naughton, others...Pro shot video of Actors Fund Of America's benefit honoring Christopher Reeve and Brian Pace. . A-
Flashdance, The Musical
3/1/09 ~Liverpool, England, UK Tour Victoria Hamilton-Barritt, Noel Sullivan, Bruno Langley, Bernie Nolan, Michael Conway, Simon Harvey, Gavin Spokes, Vas Constanti, Carryl Thomas, Djalenga Scott, Ruthie Stephens, Vanessa Leigh Hicks. This is the world premier presentation of the musical based on the movie of the same name. It uses songs from the movie and introduces some new music as well. There are hopes to bring the show to London’s West End, and then eventually to the US. Well filmed, although there are a few blackouts during the first 5 minutes of the video. Crystal clear. DVD has been enhanced with an opening menu and thumbnails images and chapter stops at all the musical numbers. A
Footloose 7/04 ~ Amstetten, Austria Serkan Kaya, Susa Meyer, Dennis Kozeluh, Kerstin Ibald, Steven Seale, Bob Fowler, Chris Brewer, Sabine Meyer-Fowler. Great production-a different interpretation than we saw here in the US. Nicely filmed, with occasional heads at the bottom of the screen. The songs are in English and the dialog is in German. A-
Forbidden Hollywood 1995 ~ Los Angeles Gerald Allessandri, Christine Pedi, Susan Blakeslee, Jason Grace, Brad Ellis. RARE. Amazingly good video. A-
The Frogs 6/25/04 ~ Lincoln Center, New York Nathan Lane, Chris Kattan, John Byner, Daniel Davis. Music and Lyrics by Stephen Sondheim. Book adapted by Nathan Lane. Digital, first generation. A-
*A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum 1996 ~ Broadway Nathan Lane, Lewis J. Stadlen, Ernie Sabella, Jessica Boevers. Great tape! B+
God Of Carnage 5/28/09 ~ Broadway Hope Davis, Jeff Daniels, James Gandolfini, Marcia Gay Harden. “Two ostensibly civilized married couples meet up to sort out a playground fight. The son of one couple (Jeff Daniels and Hope Davis) has broken two of the teeth of the son of another (James Gandolfini and Marcia Gay Harden). At first diplomatic niceties are observed, but as the meeting progresses and the rum flows, huge tensions emerge and the gloves come off, leaving more than just their liberal principles in tatters”. Filmed from the balcony. Disc also includes the Charlie Rose Show and Theatre Talk, both devoted to God Of Carnage with the cast. A-
The Graduate 4/17/02 ~ Broadway Kathleen Turner, Jason Biggs, Alicia Silverstone. Excellent quality video; nice close-ups and zooms. A-
Grand Hotel Broadway - Date? David Carroll, Liliane Montevecchi, Jane Krakowski, Michael Jeter. Shot from Stage Right.
Grand Hotel 1/9/92 ~ Broadway Featuring Cyd Charisse (Elizaveta Grushinskaya) on her first night in the show, and, at 70 in her Broadway debut. Recorded from the Orchestra section. Mostly a full stage shot. Some heads at the bottom of the screen. Some spotlight washout and some generational loss. C+
Grease 7/28/07 ~ Broadway, Revival Max Crumm, Laura Osnes, Lindsay Mendez, Jenny Powers, Kirsten Wyatt, Matthew Saldivar, Robyn Hurder, Ryan Binder, Stephen Buntrock. This production features the winners of NBC's "You're The One That I Want" reality show. Beautifully shot and crystal clear. An occasional head appears in the shot every once in a while-but nothing too bad at all. The crispness and clarity of this video is amazing. A
Grey Gardens 4/9/06 ~ Off-Broadway Matt Cavanaugh, Christine Ebersole, Sara Gettelfinger, Sarah Hyland, John McMartin, Michael Potts, Bob Stillman, Audrey Twitchell. Extremely clear with lots of great close ups. Cover ups for about a minute at the beginning of Act 2 due to ushers. Otherwise a perfect video! A
Guys And Dolls 3/18/92 ~ Broadway Nathan Lane, Peter Gallagher, Josie Guzman, Faith Prince. Mostly a full stage shot, filmed in the Orchestra. Slight generational loss. B-
Guys And Dolls 3/10/09 ~ Broadway, Revival Lauren Graham (Miss Adelaide), Kate Jennings Grant (Sarah Brown), Oliver Platt (Nathan Detroit), Craig Bierko (Sky Masterson), Titus Burgess (Nicely-Nicely Johnson), Steve Rosen (Benny Southstreet), Glenn Fleshler (Big Jule), Adam LeFevre (Lt. Brannigan), Jim Ortlieb (Arvide Abernathy), Mary Testa (General Cartwright). Well filmed from the back of the balcony with a good mix of close-ups and full stage shots for the dance numbers. Occasional moments of “stage searching”, and some heads appear at the bottom of the screen during the wide shots. The disc also includes “A Bushel And A Peck” and “Adelaide’s Lament” from the 2/14/09 preview performance. A-
Gypsy Bette Midler. An amazing performance.
Gypsy 1992 ~ San Diego, CA Karen Morrow. RARE! Filmed at The Olde Globe Theatre in San Diego, CA. Looks like it was probably filmed from a tripod. B
Gypsy 1998 ~ Paper Mill Playhouse, New Jersey Betty Buckley, Deborah Gibson, Alexandra Kiesman, Lenny Wolpe, Laura Bell Bundy, Joe Machota. Beautifully filmed from the balcony. Some slight generational loss. B+
Gypsy 8/13/06 ~ Highland Park , IL Patti Lupone, Jack Willis, Jessica Boevers, Jen Temen, Debra Watassek, Jane Blass, Derin Altay, The Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Performed at the Ravinia Festival, just outside of Chicago. Occasional cover-ups and heads in the way. Wonderful production! A-
Gypsy 3/25/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, Laura Benanti, Alison Fraser, Marilyn Caskey, Leigh Ann Larkin, Tony Yazbeck. Blackouts for the first minute or so, and the balcony railing is visible in the wider shots, but otherwise a great video, with great close-ups and crystal clear images. A-
Gypsy 4/5/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Patti LuPone, Boyd Gaines, Laura Benanti, Alison Fraser, Marilyn Caskey, Leigh Ann Larkin, Tony Yazbeck. Nicely filmed from the balcony. Occasional heads and the balcony railing in the wider shot. Not as many close ups as the other video capture of the show, but this one allows you to appreciate the staging a little more. A
The 'Ultimate' Gypsy DVD (Patti Lupone) - Various Dates - Broadway * Work done - Noise reduction filter applied to the 25 March 2008 video to reduce the background noise. * Missing overture added using audio from the excellent 19 September 2008 audio recording. * Video added of the orchestra from 5 April 2008 - in sync with the new overture audio. * Added video from 5 April 2008 to more than 20 sections in the 25 March 2008 which had blackouts then Colour corrected these scenes to match the March video. * Retained the better audio from the 25 March 2008 video for the new scenes which remained in sync even for the dialogue * Added menu and chapters for each scene & song
Hair: Let The Sunshine In 2007 ~ Documentary “Since its overwhelming success on Broadway forty years ago, HAIR has inspired generations with its messages of love, non-violence and liberation. This definitive and entertaining documentary highlights the continuing relevance of the show and its still- radical, transformative power. A wealth of archival footage covers US and international productions and portrays an era, a generation and its politics. The efforts of author and co- creator Jim Rado to bring HAIR’s vibrant energy and fantastic score to life once again merges with historical interviews and new segments featuring Milos Forman, Keith Carradine, Ben Vereen, Tim Curry, Melba Moore, Tom O’Horgan, Michael Butler and others from the original productions. With the US again mired in a prolonged and unpopular war, HAIR: Let the Sun Shine In documents how a new generation is inspired by its cry for peace, love and change.” Includes lots of great footage of the original cast from The Smothers Brothers Show, and The Tonight Show and more. Originally produced for French TV. In English. About an hour. A
Hair 7/9/08 ~ Theory’s Preview Performance, New York
Jonathan Groff (Claude), Will Swenson (Berger), Bryce Ryness (Woof), Kacie Shiek, and rest of cast. This footage is from the free performance preview of the Public Theatre's Shakespeare in the Park production of "Hair" at Theory's New York store on the Plaza. Only three songs (Hair, I Got Life, Let The Sunshine In) on one DVD with scene selection. Total run time is about 12 minutes. A
Hair 3/15/09 ~ Broadway, Revival Will Swenson (Berger), Gavin Creel (Claude), Caissie Levy (Sheila), Kacie Sheik (Jeanie), Darius Nichols (Hud), Bryce Ryness (Woof), Sasha Allen (Dionne), Saycon Sengbloh (Tribe). Well filmed from high up in the balcony. Occasional blackouts, and heads at the bottom of the screen, but nothing too bad. DVD has been enhanced with an opening menu with chapter stops and thumbnail images for all the musical numbers. A-
Hair Reprise Concert 2001 ~ Los Angeles Sam Harris, Steven Webber, Marissa Jaret Winoker. Rare and interesting concert version of the show. Slight generational loss. B
Hairspray 7/29/02 ~ Broadway Harvey Fierstein, Marissa Janet Winokur, Matthew Morrison, Laura Bell Bundy, Kerry Butler, Linda Hart, Dick Latessa, Corey Reynolds, Clarke Thorell, Danielle Eugenia Wilson, Mary Bond Davis. Digital, Shot from first row mezz. Lots of close-ups. Second act has some scenes where it's just the whole stage, because of ushers watching. A
Hairspray 12/13/05 ~ Chicago, Tour Keala Settle, Dale Calandra (u/s Edna,) Jim J. Bullock, Melissa Larsen (u/s Penny,) Aaron Tveit, Charlotte Crossley, Susan Henley, Alan Mingo Jr. Tara Macri, Bryan Crawford (u/s Corny.) Nicely filmed. Crystal clear audio and video. A-
Hairspray 11/25/06 ~ Broadway Shannon Durig, Blake Hammond, Aaron Tveit, Diana DeGarmo, Kevin Meaney, Stephen DeRosa, Darlene Love. Beautifully shot from the first row of the mezzanine with amazing closeups, and incredible clarity. This is easily the best video of Hairspray I have seen. I don't usually like to editorialize, but this cast is fantastic. Diana DeGarmo (of American Idol) SHINES as Penny-she is hilarious to watch and a pleasure to listen to. DVD has a nice menu with thumbnail images and scene selection. A
Hairspray 10/16/07 ~ London Michael Ball (Edna), Leanne Jones, Mel Smith, Ben James-Ellis, Tracie Bennett, Elinor Collett, Johnnie Fiori, Adrian Hansel, Rachel Wooding. Beautifully captured, and featuring one of the best casts I have seen (easily besting the original Broadway cast!) A
Hairspray 12/16/07 ~ Broadway
Shannon Durig (Tracy), Lance Bass (Corny), Ashley Parker Angel (Link), George Wendt (Edna), Tom Rooney (Wilbur), Ashley Spencer (Amber) Gretchen Bieber (u/s Velma), Tevin Campbell (Seaweed), Terita Redd (u/s Motormouth), Naturi Naughton (Inez), Kevin Meaney (MAF), Susan Mosher (FAF), Hayley Podschun (u/s Penny.) Nicely shot with great close-ups and crystal clear. Occasional heads in the shot during the full stage shots. DVD has been enhanced with an opening menu with scene selections for all the musical numbers. A-
Hairspray 1/3/09 ~ Broadway Marissa Jaret Winoker (Tracy), Harvey Fierstein (Edna), Clarke Thorell (Corny Collins), Constantine Rousouli (Link),Kate Loprest (Amber), Niki Scalera (Penny), Tevin Campbell (Seaweed), Charlotte Crossley (Motormouth Maybelle),Ken Marks (Wilbur). This was filmed at the next to the last Broadway performance, and features the return of Marissa, Harvey and Clarke reprising the roles they originated. (It’s interesting to note that Harvey has lost weight since the original, and Marissa has gained weight!) Many blackouts throughout, but they each last for only about 20 seconds or less. This is the only known video with the closing cast. The DVD has a main menu and thumbnail images and chapter stops for all the musical numbers. B+
Hairspray “Subs Practice Video” 2002 ~ Broadway Harvey Fierstein, Marrisa Jaret Winokur and the rest of the Original Broadway cast. Interesting video which was made specifically for any substitute or new cast members to practice the show, by recreating the “Conductor/Pit environment” at home or in the studio. Filmed during an actual performance (you can see the audience behind John Miller, the show’s Conductor.) This video is basically a stationary shot of the conductor counting off cues and leading the orchestra. What you hear is almost a Karaoke version of the music with the vocals heard faintly in the backround. You can also see the legs of the performers when they appear on the part of the stage that is built out in front of the orchestra pit. Just the musical numbers and any other music incidentals. It’s fun to see John Miller being silly and having fun with the cast. A really interesting and rare look at what happens in the orchestra pit during a show. A
*Hairspray Ultimate OBC Edit ~ Broadway A compilation of the best shots from the OBC video recordings of the show
The Harder They Come 2008 ~ London Rolan Bell, Jacqui Dubois, Derek Elroy, Victor Romero Evans, Joanna Francis, Matthew J Henry, Marlon King, Susan Lawson-Reynolds, Joy Mack, Marcus Powell, Joe Speare, Chris Tummings. “Telling the story of Ivan, a country boy who dreams of becoming a reggae star, The Harder They Come features classic reggae tracks including You Can Get It If You Really Want, Rivers Of Babylon and The Harder They Come. Ivan’s journey to make it in music is not an easy one, and the scene drives him to a fast and furious life as an outlaw, but he would rather die than kill his dream.” Based on the 1972 film of the same name. This is an archive video of the show meant for cast and crew. Filmed from the back of the house on a tripod, using a stationary full stage shot, with sound patched in directly from the soundboard. Crystal clear. A
Hedwig And The Angry Inch 1/99 ~ New York John Cameron Mitchell, Miriam Shor, Cheater. Producers video, pro shot using multiple cameras. A-
High Fidelity 12/16/06 ~ Broadway Will Chase, Jenn Colella, Christian Anderson, Jeb Brown, Andrew C. Hall, Matt Caplan, Rachel Stern. FINALLY a copy of this short lived (10 official performances) Broadway musical surfaces! It looks like this might have been the filmers first attempt at capturing a show, because it's not too good. Filmed from high in the balcony. Mostly a full shot with occasional obstructions and much spotlight washout, but you still can get a good sense of the show. It's too bad this show wasn't given a better chance, as it has some nice music and a very talented cast. C
High School Musical 1/28/07 ~ Atlanta, GA (Stage Manager’s Copy) John Jeffery Martin (Troy), Arielle Jacobs (Gabriella), Shakeim Evans (Chad), Shaullanda Lacombe (Taylor), Bobby List (Ryan), Olivia Oguma (Kelsi). Recorded at the opening night show. Interesting video, recorded through the house camera, and including all of the cues being called by the stage manager. You can still see and hear the show, but with just this added backstage peek.
High School Musical 9/12/07 ~ Chicago, IL John Jeffrey Martin, Arielle Jacobs, Renee Marino as (u/s) Sharpay, Bobby List, Shakiem Evans, Shaullanda LaCombe, Ellen Harvey, Ron Bohmer
How to Succeed In Business Without Really Trying 1995 ~ Broadway Matthew Broderick, Megan Mullaly Nicely filmed. A-
The Hunchback of Notre Dame / Glöckner von Notre Dam, Der 06/2003 ACT 1 ONLY PROSHOT!!! Berlin Aaron Paul, Norbert Lamla, Anne Christin Elverum, Chris Murray, Brad Spencer, Jeff Shankley, Martina Pettersson, Wolfgang de Marco
Hercules, The Muse-ical Date Unknown ~ Disney Cruise Line Very entertaining. Full scale, Broadway style show based on Disney's animated feature. This disc includes two filming's of the same show, both filmed from a tripod. One is a mostly full stage shot, and the other is more focused on close-ups. I assume this footage was to be edited together to form a pro-shot video for the Disney Archives. Some very slight generational loss. A-
*The Homecoming 2/20/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Raul Esparza, Michael McKean, Ian McShane, Eve Best, James Frain, Gareth Saxe. “The plot involves Teddy bringing home his wife, Ruth, for the first time from the United States to the
working-class North London environment where he grew up and which she finds more familiar than their arid academic world in America. Much sexual tension occurs as his wife teases Teddy's brothers and father and the men taunt one another in a game of one- upmanship.” Nicely filmed from the balcony. A
I Do! I Do! 1982 ~ Pro Shot Lee Remick, Hal Linden. Pro shot for video. A
In The Heights 2/14/08 ~ Broadway Andrea Burns (Daniela), Janet Dacal (Carla), Robin De Jesus (Sonny), Carlos Gomez (Kevin), Mandy Gonzales (Nina), Christopher Jackson (Benny), Priscilla Lopez (Camilla), Olga Merediz (Abuela Claudia), Lin-Manuel Miranda (Usnavi), Karen Olivo (Vanessa), Seth Stewart (Graffity Pete.) “In the Heights, the hip-hop and salsa-infused musical about denizens of the uptown Manhattan 'hood of Washington Heights, tells a tale of a tight-knit but changing Latino community at the top of Manhattan.” Filmed on the first night of previews. Well filmed from the balcony, with occasional heads appearing in the bottom of the shot. A bit shaky at times, but overall pretty good, with great close ups. Letterboxed. The DVD has been enhanced with an animated opening menu and animated thumbnail images for all the songs. A-
In The Heights 3/5/08 ~ Broadway Javier Munoz (u/s Usnavi), Andrea Burns, Robin De Jesus, Carlos Gomez, Mandy Gonzales, Christopher Jackson, Priscilla Lopez, Olga Merediz, Karen Olivo. Beautifully filmed from the balcony. Crystal clear with great close-ups. A
In the Heights May 18 2008 ~ Broadway Lin-Manuel Miranda (Usnavi), Mandy Gonzalez (Nina), Christopher Jackson (Benny), Olga Merediz (Abuela Claudia), Krysta Rodriguez (u/s Vanessa), Andrea Burns (Daniela), Robin De Jesus (Sonny), Priscilla Lopez (Camila), Carlos Gomez (Kevin), Stephanie Klemons (u/s Carla), Seth Stewart (Graffiti Pete), Eliseo Roman (Piragua Guy)
In The Heights: Chasing Broadway’s Dream 5/27/09 ~ PBS-TV “In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams chronicles the personal stories of composer/lyricist Lin-Manuel Miranda and the cast of In the Heights in the months leading up to opening night. Making it in New York City is tough. Few get the chance to live out their dreams, and the cast and crew of In the Heights know this all too well. This young, diverse group of relatively unknown artists and performers have dreamed of making it on Broadway, but are well aware that a new original musical set outside a bodega in the Latino neighborhood of Washington Heights is a highly risky proposition. It took eight years in all, but they succeeded beyond their wildest expectations, winning four Tony Awards along the way, including Best Musical and Best Score for a Musical." In addition to thrilling extended performance sequences of the original cast of In the Heights onstage at the Richard Rodgers Theatre on Broadway, this Great Performances program offers an intimate look at the production backstage and off-stage.” About 1 hour. Letterboxed. A
Into The Woods 1990 ~ PBS Bernadette Peters, Joanna Gleason, Chip Zein. Pro shot for video. A
Into The Woods 4/13/02 ~ Broadway Revival Vanessa Williams, Laura Benanti, John McMartin, Stephen DeRosa, Kerry O’Malley, Adam Wylie, Molly Ephraim, Gregg Edelman. A-
Jekyll & Hyde 2001 ~ TV David Hasselhoff, Coleen Sexton, Andrea Rivette, George Merritt, Barrie Ingham. Televised version of the Broadway musical. Pro-shot. A
Jekyll & Hyde 2001 ~ TV Robert Evan, Coleen Sexton, Andrea Rivette, George Merritt, Barrie Ingham. Pro-shot rehearsal filming with Robert Evan in the lead role rather than David Hasselhoff. Shot for shot, this video matches the Hasselhoff version, described above which was televised...this rehearsal was never televised. A-
Jekyll & Hyde - 2003 - Fuengirola, Spain Tour – PROSHOT Paco Arrojo (Jekyll/Hyde), Lorena Calero (Lucy), Maria Jose Oquendo (Emma), Enrique Sequero (John). Multi-camera proshot.
Jekyll & Hyde 2004 ~ UK Tour, Press Reels Paul Nicholas (Jekyll/Hyde), Louise Dearman (Lucy), Shona Lindsay (Lisa). About 15 minutes of professionally filmed material from the 2004/2005 UK tour. A
Jekyll & Hyde 2007 - Freilichtspiel Tecklenburg, Germany - PROSHOT Patrick Stanke (Jekyll/Hyde), Karin Seyfried (Lisa), Simone Geyer (Lucy), Udo Eickelmann (Utterson), Ansgar Schäfer (Sir Danvers), Jan-Christian Kemna (Stride), Bettina Meske (Lady Beaconsfield/Nellie), Carsten Klages (Basingstoke), Marc Schlapp (Lord Savage), Michael Wallfass (Glossop), Wolfgang Höltzel (Proops), Joel Kirby (Spider). Filmed outdoors as day turnsto night. Great cast, great production.
Jekyll & Hyde January 2008 – Dresden, Germany - PROSHOT Chris Murray as Jekyll&Hyde, Ilonka Vöckel as Emma Carew, Susanna Panzner as LucyHarris, Hans-Jürgen Wiese as Utterson, Hilmar Meier as Sir Danvers
Jekyll & Hyde 2002 ~ Germany Thomas Borchert, Eva Maria Marold (Lucy), Maya Hakvoort (Lisa Carew) Completely different version than what we are used to here in the US. Sung in German. B+
Jersey Boys 11/19/05 ~ Broadway
John Lloyd Young, Christian Hoff, Daniel Reichard, J. Robert Spencer, Peter Gregus, Mark Lotito. Very nicely filmed, although occasional heads at bottom of screen during wide shots. First generation from the master. Includes scanned Playbill information, and from NY1; a pre-Broadway piece, an opening night party story, a review, and an interview with John Lloyd Young. A-
Jersey Boys 2/12/09 ~ ? Joseph Leo Bwarie, Erik Bates, Natan Scerich (U/S Nick), Josh Franklin. The video is slightly shaky and there is some spotlight washout, but other than that this is a great video. A-
Jesus Christ Superstar 7/23/03 ~ Los Angeles, CA Walter Winston O'Neill, Eden Espinoza (Mary Magdalene,) Christopher Hall, Eric Anderson, Paul Klees, Ben Fisher, Levi Walker. A production of Performance Riverside. Great interpretation of the show. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. A
Jesus Christ Superstar 2/29/08 ~ Moscow, Russia Michail Panferov (Jesus), Anton Derov (Judas), Irina Klimova (Mary),Oleg Kuznetsov, Alexander Bobrovsky, Leonid Senchenko, Vyacheslav Butenko, Michael Schultz, Andrei Smirnov, Yuri Cherkasov. Presented by the Moscow Theatre Of Mossovet. Filmed using several handheld camcorders and edited together. This performance features very clever and innovated staging. Changes to the show include different orchestrations and alterations to song structure and running order. Amazing sets and innovative direction - you have never seen Superstar performed like this before! In Russian. (PAL ONLY). A
Jesus Christ Superstar 2007 ~ Moscow Theatre of Mossovet, Russia Michail Panferov (Jesus), Valeriy Yaremenko (Judas), Lada Maris (Maria), Alexander Bobrovskiy (Pilate)
Jesus Christ Superstar 2/29/08 ~ Moscow Theatre of Mossovet, Russia Michail Panferov (Jesus), Anton Derov (Judas), Irina Klimova (Mary), Oleg Kuznetsov, Alexander Bobrovsky, Leonid Senchenko, Vyacheslav Butenko, Michael Schultz, Andrei Smirnov, Yuri Cherkasov. Directed by Sergei Prokhanov. Changes to the show include different orchestrations and alterations to song structure and running order. Amazing sets and innovative direction - you have never seen Superstar performed like this before!
John Kraaijkamp Musicals Awards *Pro-Shot* 2000 Featuring musical numbers from Kristina från Duvemåla, medley – with music from West Side Story, Evita, Cabaret, Sweet Charity & Cats, Dutch Musical Medley - En nu naar bed, Tsjechov, De stunt, Cyrano and Joe, Fame, Piaf, Rent, 42nd Street, Phantom of the Opera, Miss Saigon, Elisabeth & Les Miserables.
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 1973 ~ London
Gary Bond, Peter Reeves, Gavin Reed, Gordon Waller. RARE! Pro-shot for TV featuring the original Young Vic cast of the show in its earliest incarnation. What's interesting is how little the show has changed since this early draft, the only notable omission here being the prologue. The major difference is a male narrator (Peter Reeves), and listeners will be hard- pressed to miss a few Jesus Christ Superstar riffs tossed in to draw a parallel between Joseph's visit to Pharaoh and Jesus' to Pilate. Complete with opening credits. A
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2/16/02 ~ Los Angeles, CA Eden Espinoza (The Narrator,) Roger Befeler, John LaLonde, Jennifer Rias, John Hrbacek, Matt Logan, David Beaver, Robert Vance, Ryan Ball, Trevor Brackney. A presentation of Performance Riverside. Filmed using one camera on a tripod. A
Joseph And The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat 2/16/09 ~ UK Tour Anthony Hansen, Tara Bethan, Henry Metcalfe, Wayne Smith, Sam Cassidy, Camilla Rowland, Lee Mathieson, Chris Dilley. Nicely filmed and crystal clear, but one short blackout (about 20 seconds) during “Joseph’s Coat”. Very nice production that finally tried a new interpretation with new staging. A
Julie and Dick in Covent Garden 1974 - TV-Rip - PROSHOT Julie Andrews and Dick van Dyke tv special with Carl Reiner from 1974 Includes Step in Time, Ghost of Drury Lane, Cinderella – English panto (includes Always Chasing Rainbows), War Tale, We'll Meet again, Chinese physician story, Proving that Covent Garden needs American musicals, Tea for Two
The King And I 6/92 ~ Wichita, KS Kristen Chenoweth, Richard White, Linda Michelle, Nexdra Dixon, Etta Wang. Early Kristen Chenoweth appearance as Tuptim, when she was billed as Kristi D. Chenoweth. Nicely filmed, semi-pro shot, using one camera on a tri-pod. A-
Kiss Me, Kate August 2002 ~ London Brent Barrett, Rachel York, Nancy Anderson, Michael Berresse, Teddy Kemper, Jack Chissick. Professionally filmed for PBS Television. A
Kiss Of The Spider Woman 11/5/92 ~ Shaftsbury Theatre, London Chita Rivera, Brent Carver, Anthony Crivello. Nice video from the Pre-Broadway run, filmed by camcorder; excellent picture and sound. B-
Kuss der Spinnenfrau (Kiss of Spiderwoman) 2003/2004 - Theater an der Rott - Eggenfelden – PROSHOT (Molina) Matthias Dressel, (Valentin) Sascha Krebs, (Aurora) Astrid Vosberg, (Martha) Simone Kercher
The Last Five Years 2008 ~ Kammeroper Wien, Vienna
Rob Fowler, Caroline Frank. A production of the Vienna Chamber Opera. Pro-shot, and crystal clear. Great production. In English. (PAL ONLY). A
Legally Blonde 9/5/07 ~ Broadway Laura Bell Bundy, Noah Weisberg (u/s), Kevin Pariseau, Cara Cooper, Lindsay Nicole Chambers, Jason Gillman. Begins at Elle's entrance. A few coverups in the first 10 minutes or so, and heads occasionally in the way. But mostly well shot, with some nice closeups and crystal clear. A
Legally Blonde 10/13/07 ~ MTV Laura Bell Bundy, Christian Borle, Orfeh, Michael Rupert, Kate Shindle, Nikki Snelson, Richard H. Blake. In an unprecedented move, MTV recorded Legally Blonde while it still is in it's Broadway engagement...never before has a show been filmed and televised while still playing. Also included; backstage access to the cast and other behind the scenes moments. Includes original commercials from it's initial airing. A
Legally Blonde 10/25/07 ~ Broadway Becky Gulsvig (u/s Elle), Andy Karl (u/s Emmett), Richard Blake, Kate Shindle, Michael Rupert, Orfeh, Haven Burton
Legally Blonde 2/3/08 ~Broadway Haven Burton (u/s Elle), Christian Borle, Orfeh, Michael Rupert, Richard H. Blake, Kate Shindle, Nikki Snelson, Tracy Jai Edwards, Becky Gulsvig (u/s Margot), Asmeret Ghebremichael, Natalie Joy Johnson, Andy Karl
*Legally Blonde: The Musical 3/16/08 ~ Broadway Laura Bell Bundy, Christian Borle, Orfeh, Richard H. Blake, Gaelen Gilliland (u/s Vivienne), Michael Rupert, Tracy Jai Edwards, Haven Burton, Asmeret Ghebremichael, Nikki Snelson, Stephanie Fittro, Natalie Joy Johnson. Well filmed. A-
Legally Blonde 7/26/08 ~ Broadway Bailey Hanks, Christian Borle, Amber Efe (u/s Paulette), Michael Rupert, Richard H. Blake, Kate Shindle, Nicolette Hart. Featuring the winner of MTV's “Search for Elle Woods” series, Bailey Hanks as Elle. The show also features Autumn Hurlbert and Lauren Zakrin in the ensemble (both runner’s up in the MTV casting show. Autumn is Bailey’s understudy.) Beautifully captured and crystal clear with terrific close-ups. Filmed just three days after Bailey took over the role; it’s interesting to note the scanned Playbill indicates the role of Elle will be played by “MTV Reality Show Winner”, since the programs were probably printed before they announced Bailey had won. A
Lennon 8/6/05 ~ Broadway Will Chase, Chad Kimball, Terrence Mann, Julia Murney, Marcy Harriell, Mandy Gonzalez, Michael Potts, Chuck Cooper, Julie Danao-Salki. First minute or two is sound only, then
improves greatly. Nicely filmed. Some slight generational loss. DVD also includes scanned Playbill information, as well as 5 clips from NY1 including pre-Broadway coverage, opening night coverage and a review. A-
Lennon 8/21/05 ~ Broadway Will Chase, Chuck Cooper, Julie Danao, Terrance Mann, Michael Potts. A few cover ups, and occasional heads at the bottom of screen-nothing too bad though. A-
Leslie Kritzer IS Patti LuPone At Les Mouches 10/4/06 ~ Joe’s Pub, New York Drama Desk nominee Leslie Kritzer (The Great American Trailer Park Musical, Funny Girl, Hairspray, Legally Blonde) embodies Patti LuPone, performing the exact song set, arrangements and script of the legendary smash club act LuPone did at midnight on Saturdays during her run on Broadway in Evita at the no longer existent Chelsea club, Les Mouches. LuPone’s original Les Mouches musical director/arranger David Lewis is back to lead the band and the thrilling evening is directed and produced by Ben Rimalower. New York Times review: “Leslie Kritzer doesn’t just shine in her talk-of-the-town new show— she explodes like a supernova. Of course, the star power she displays is not entirely her own: Kritzer is channeling a supersized performance by Patti LuPone, whose status as our era’s top musical-theater diva is cemented by this irreverent homage. Every Saturday for 30 weeks in 1980, while starring in the original Broadway cast of Evita, LuPone performed a midnight show at the Chelsea gay disco Les Mouches; with help from LuPone’s original musical director and pianist, David Lewis (who repeats those duties at Joe’s Pub, leading a five-piece band), Kritzer re-creates this legendary nightclub act with a riveting mix of worship, parody and sheer nerve. LuPone’s persona is elemental—earthy humor, fiery emotion and watery sentiment joined to the hurricane wind of her vocals—but since she tended to camp herself up to begin with, the humor in Kritzer’s show comes easily. Outfitted in a hilariously garish white tuxedo, the young singer has fun slurring unintelligibly through her opening number, “I’m a Latin from Manhattan.” (Following LuPone, she replaces the final comic cry of “Velveeta!” with the arguably even cheesier “Evita!”) But her breathtaking renditions of such LuPone standards as “Meadowlark,” “Rainbow High” and “Don’t Cry for Me Argentina” go well beyond kitsch. Ultimately, it is Kritzer’s prodigious range and stamina, not just LuPone’s, that drive her audience wild. This is no mere star reproduction, but a star-making performance all its own.” Filmed using one camera on a tripod very close to the stage. (To see the original show, see Patti LuPone At Les Mouches.) A
Les Misérables 1988 ~ London Martin Smith (Valjean), Clive Carter (Javert), Kathleen Rowe McAllen (Fantine), Jayne Draper (Eponine), Maurice Clark (Marius u/s) Full stage proshot, not bad for it's age some generation loss and the darker scenes are almost black. The rarer of the two London full stage proshots.
Les Misérables 1992 (exact date not known) - Koninklijk Theater Carré, Amsterdam, - PROSHOT Jean Valjean - Henk Poort, Fantine - Pia Douwes, Javert - Ernst Daniël Smid, Thénardier - Filip Bolluyt, Mme Thénardier - Simone Kleinsma, Eponine - Vera Mann, Marius - Danny de Munk, Cosette - Joke de Kruijf, Enjolras - Uwe Kröger, Grantaire - Peter de Smet, Factory Girl - Maya Hakvoort
Les Misérables 1996 - Duisberg – PROSHOT Jerzy Jeszke, Harty Rudolz, Sanni Luis, Cornelia Drese, Martin Berger, Felix Martin, Anne Welte, Tom Zahner, Willi Welp, Jens Janke, Frank Logemann, Kristin Hölck, Evelyn Werner, Andre Bauer, Tracy Plester
Les Misérables 1989 - Sydney Normie Rowe, John Diedrich, Debbie Byrne, Marina Prior, Peter Cousens, Laura Hamilton, Anthony Warlow, Bill Zappa, Robyn Arthur
Les Misérables 11/28/99– Duisberg – Final Performance - PROSHOT Charles Fornara, Hardy Rudolz, Maya Hakvoort, Michael Lewis Les Miserables 7/02 ~ London Hans-Peter Janssens, Jerome Pradon, Carmen Cusack, Caroline Sheen, Jody Crosier, Mandy Holliday. Nicley filmed. Some audio issues for the last 10 minutes of Act I. Some generational loss. B
Les Misérables 6/27/04 - Tag der offnen tür Berlin - Germany – PROSHOT Uwe Kroger and the rest of the Les mis Berlin 2004 Cast Runs about 60 minutes. Although the cast wear their Les Miz costumes sing several songs from the show there are also some sketches and songs from other musicals.
Les Miserables 2/17/07 ~ Broadway, Revival Alexander Gemignani, Norm Lewis, Daphne Rubin-Vega , Gary Beach, Jenny Galloway, Celia Kennan-Bolger, Ali Ewoldt, Adam Jacobs, Drew Sarich (Enjolras u/s) Beautifully filmed from the front right mezzanine. This is probably the nicest and clearest video of the show with the revival cast-almost looks broadcast quality. DVD has been nicely constructed with an animated opening menu and scene selections with thumbnails. A
Les Miserables 6/1/07 ~ Broadway, Revival Alexander Gemignani, Ben Davis, Gary Beach, Lea Salonga, Ann Harada, Max von Essen, Adam Jacobs, Ali Ewoldt, Mandy Bruno, Doug Kreeger. Great video; filmed from right side of mezzanine. Act II starts 2 minutes into the show. Lots of great close ups, some spotlight washout in the full shots. Includes scanned Playbill information. A-
Les Miserables 8/24/07 ~ Broadway, Revival Drew Sarich (Valjean), Robert Hunt (Javert), Nikki Renee Daniels (u/s Fantine), Adam Jacobs (Marius), Megan McGinnis (Eponine), Ali Ewoldt (Cosette), Chip Zien (Thenardier), Becca Ayers (u/s Madame Thenardier), Brian D'Addario (Gavroche), Max von Essen (Enjolras), Michael Minarik (Grantaire). Beautifully filmed, with great close ups. Amazing clarity. Occasional heads appear in the shot, but nothing too bad. DVD has been enhanced to included an opening menu and animated thumbnails for all the major numbers. A
Les Miserables 5/17/08 ~ Philadelphia, PA Hugh Panaro (Valjean), Paul Schoeffler (Javert), Jessica Bogart (Fantine), Laura Gwynne Yaros (Young Cosette), Dawn Spence (Mme Thenardier), Scott Greer (Thenardier), Dante Mignucci (Gavroche), Christina DeCicco (Eponine), Jeffrey Coon (Enjolras), Josh Young (Marius), Julie Craig (Cosette.) A production of the Walnut Street Theatre, America’s oldest continuous running theatre. This is the final production of their 199th season. Different interpretation that we are used to… no turntable, no big barricade, but they do a good job with what they have. Act 1 is great, Act 2 has a few heads in the way due to people switching seats during intermission. A-
Les Misérables 8/26/08 ~ Rotterdam, Dutch Revival Rene Van Kooten (Jean Valjean), Wim van den Driessche (Javert), Nurlaila Karum (Fantine), Jamai Loman (Marius), Suzan Seegers (Cosette), Celine Purcell (Eponine), Freek Bartels (Enjolras), Gerben Grimmius (u/s Thenardier)
Les Miserables 9/08 ~ London Drew Sarich (Jean Valjean), Richard Woodford (u/s Javert), Allyson Brown, Jackie Marks, Jimmy Johnstone, Jon Robyns, Nancy Sullivan, Leanne Dobinson, David Thaxton. Very nicely filmed and crystal clear. A
Lestat 12/28/05 ~ San Francisco, CA, Pre-Broadway Hugh Panaro, Carolee Carmello, Drew Sarich (u/s), Jim Stanek, Roderick Hill, Michael Genet, Allison Fischer. San Francisco Pre-Broadway debut. Amazing quality digital video recorded from rear balcony. Great zooms, following action, no black-outs and little head-obstruction. 2 DVDs divided by Act with great interactive scene-selection menus. A-
Lestat 4/1/06 ~ Broadway Hugh Panaro, Carolee Carmello, Drew Sarich, Jim Stanek, Roderick Hill, Allison Fischer, Steve Wilson (u/s Marquis). Lots of cover ups for the first 10 minutes, then video improves greatly. A-
Lestat 5/4/06 ~ Broadway Hugh Panaro, Carolee Carmello, Allison Fischer, Michael Genet, Drew Sarich. Beautifully shot from the balcony with some great close ups. This is probably the best video of the show I have seen. A
Lestat 5/27/06 ~ Broadway Drew Sarich (Lestat u/s), Carolee Carmello, Roderick Hill, Sean MacLaughlin (Armand u/s), Michael Gent, Chris Peluso (Louis u/s), Allison Fischer. Camera follows action across stage, zooms (many) where appropriate. Shot with good working knowledge of the show. Some spotlight washout, and occasional heads appear on the bottom of the screen. This is one of only two full performances given by Drew Sarich as Lestat, and the only known video. A-
The Light In The Piazza 4/21/05 ~ Broadway Kelli O'Hara, Victoria Clark, Mathew Morrison. Nicely filmed and very clear. Complete show. A
The Light In The Piazza 6/15/06 ~ PBS-TV Victoria Clark, Katie Clarke, Aaron Lazar, Michael Berresse, Sarah Uriarte Berry, Chris Sarandon. Broadcast live from the Vivian Beaumont Theatre at Lincoln Center. Letter boxed. A
The Lion King 7/13-8/31/97 ~ Minneapolis, World Premiere, John Vickery (Scar), Samuel E. Wright (Mufasa), Tsiddi Le Loka (Raffiki), Geoff Hoyle (Zazu), Jason Raize (Simba), Heather Headley (Nala), Scott Irby-Rannair (Young Simba), Kajuana Shuford (Young Nala), act one is from right orchestra, act two is from left orchestra, some spotlight wash out, hard to rate, B
The Lion King 1/5/06 ~ San Diego, Tour Gugwana Dlamini, Rufus Bonds, Marvette Williams, Derek Hasenstab, Robbie Swift, Khaleel Mandel Carter, Kenisha Simone Harris, Damian Baldet, Phil Fiorini, Wallace Smith, Ta'Rea Campbell. Filmed from the balcony. Lots of “stage searching”, but what is captured is nice and clear. B+
The Lion King (Il Re Della Foresta) Date Unknown ~ Italy Andre de la Roche, Alessia Passari, Michelle Dalpozzo, Michelle Goberti, Cinzia Magri, Davide Magnini. Pro shot for TV! A different interpretation, but clearly influenced by the Broadway production. More dance, almost no dialogue, and even includes songs from Tarzan. In English. A
The Little Mermaid ( de kleine zeemeermin) – NOT Disney version Dutch PROSHOT
The Little Mermaid 9/1/07 ~ Denver, CO, Pre-Broadway Sierra Boggess, Sherie Rene Scott, Norm Lewis, Tituss Burgess, Sean Palmer, Eddie Korbich, Tyler Maynard, Cody Hanford, Johnathan Freeman. This video features the other actor playing Flounder. Very nicely filmed with great close-ups. A
The Little Mermaid 1/30/08 ~ Broadway Sierra Boggess, Sherie Rene Scott, Bret Shuford (u/s Prince Eric), Norm Lewis, Titus Burgess, Eddie Korbich, Trevor Braun, Tyler Maynard. Great capture with great close-ups. The first 11 minutes after the overture are mostly blackouts due to late comers, after that no real problems. Also includes Part of Your World performance and interview on The View. A-
The Little Mermaid 3/29/08 ~ Broadway Betsy Morgan(u/s Ariel), Cicily Daniels (u/s Ursula), Sean Palmer (Prince Eric), Norm Lewis (King Triton), Tituss Burgess (Sebastian), Eddie Korbich(Scuttle), Jonathan Freeman (Grimsby), Derrick Baskin (Jetsam), Tyler Maynard (Flotsam), Trevor Braun (Flounder.) Many blackouts for the first 15 minutes of the show. The filmer was caught by an usher in the first act and had to shut the camera off for about four minutes right after Scuttle checks if Prince Eric has a pulse in his feet, then resumes in the middle of "She's in Love." What is captured is very good, and it’s interesting to see the understudies in the roles. B
A Little Night Music 1995 ~ London Dame Judi Dench, Joanna Riding, Siân Phillips, Issy Van Randwyk, Patricia Hodge, Claire Cox. Not the complete show, but approximately 40 minutes of highlights of this legendary, beautiful production from the National Theatre in London. (This is one of the most visually stunning shows I have ever seen-I wish it were the entire show!) Filmed from the balcony. Some generational loss. A-
Little Shop of Horrors 6/5/03 ~ Miracle Theatre in Coral Gables, FL Alice Ripley, Hunter Foster, Reg Rogers, Lee Wilkof, Billy Porter, Dioni Michelle Collins, Moeisha McGill, Haneefah Wood. Nice picture and sound; occasional spotlight washout and picture cover-up until “Skid Row”; very cool to see the different actors and sets and Audrey plant; historical! 1st generation from the master. (Dentist is HILARIOUS in this cast!) A-
Little Shop of Horrors 9/21/03 ~ Broadway Hunter Foster, Kerry Butler, Douglas Sills, Rob Bartlett, Carla J. Hargrove, Trisha Jeffrey, DeQuina Moore. Shot from 3rd row mezz, beautiful video with lots of close-ups. Digital video. A-
Little Shop Of Horrors 5/4/09 ~ Liverpool, UK Tour Clare Buckfield, Damian Humbley, Sylvester McCoy, Alex Ferns, Donna Hines, Nadia Di Mambro, Lara Martin. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. Great production which is bigger than the original Off-Broadway version, but not as big as the Broadway version. Widescreen. A
Lord Of The Rings, The Musical 2007 ~ Toronto, Canada Brent Carver, James Loye, Michael Therriault, Evan Guliung, Peter Howe, Carly Street, Dion Johnson. World premier presentation of the show. Mostly a full stage shot, filmed from the balcony. Highlights only-not the complete show, but almost all of the second act. B
Lord Of The Rings, The Musical 2007 ~ Toronto, Canada Brent Carver, James Loye, Michael Therriault, Evan Guliung, Peter Howe, Carly Street, Dion Johnson. Press Reels
Mame, “Almost Lost Footage” 1966 ~ Broadway Angela Lansbury, Bea Arthur, Jane Connell, Charles Braswell, Frank Michaels, George Coe. EXTREMELLY RARE! About a half hour of silent footage of the ORIGINAL cast of Mame from 1966! The is an amazing find and has the only known footage of Bea Arthur in the role of Vera Charles! It's pretty good for being about 41 years old, not perfect, but surprisingly good. It was filmed in color. Someone along the years has dubbed music from the show under the silent footage, and have tried their best to sync it up with the action onstage. It's about a half hour of musical highlights, and includes the following musical numbers: "It's Today", "The Man In The Moon", "Mame" (almost the complete number!), "Bosom Buddies", "That's How Young I Feel", "If He Walked Into My Life." What an amazing find!!! (This was found on my copy of “Angela Lansbury: A Celebration” so both shows are on this disc.) B-
Mame 2003 ~ Charlotte, North Carolina Loretta Swit. Great video of the Tour. A-
Mamma Mia 1/26/06 ~ Broadway Lauren Mufson, Carey Anderson, Judy McLane, Olga Merediz, John Dossett, David Beach, Andy Kelso. Crystal clear audio and video. Occasional heads on bottom of screen-but nothing too bad. Also includes scanned Playbill information. A-
Mamma Mia 8/29/06 ~ Las Vegas, NV Kelly Ann Daniells, Elizabeth Share, Joel Rene, Vicki Van Tassel, Robin Baxter, Patrick Sarb. Filmed at the Mandalay Bay Theatre at the Mandalay Bay Hotel in Las Vegas. Some occasional blackouts during the first few minutes, and then improves greatly. This is probably the best version of the show I have seen. Beautifully filmed and amazingly clear. A
Mamma Mia Date Unknown ~ Spain, Teatro Lope de Vega - PROSHOT Original Madrid Cast: Nina (Donna), Marta Valverde (Tanya), Paula Sebastian (Rosie), Alberto Vazquez (Sam), Nando Gonzalez (Harry), Bruno Squarcia (Bill), Mariona Castillo (Sophie), Mamen Marquez (Lisa), Monica Vives (Ali), Leandro Rivera (Sky), Jaime Zartarain (Eddie), David Ávila (Curry)
A Man For All Seasons 12/10/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Frank Langella (Sir Thomas More), Peter Bradbury (Matthew), Jeremy Strong (Richard Rich), Michel Gill (Duke of Norfolk), Mary Ann Plunkett (Alice More), Hannah Cabell (Margaret More), Dakin Mathews (u/s Cardinal Wolsey), Zach Grenier (Thomas Cromwell), Triney Sandoval (Eustace Chapuys), Michael Esper (William Roper), Patrick Page (Henry VIII), Patricia Hodges (Catherine Anger), Charles Borland (The Jailer), George Morfogen (Thomas Cranmer). Beautifully filmed from the balcony and crystal clear A
Man of La Mancha 11/24/02 ~ Broadway Revival Brian Stokes Mitchell, Mary Elizabeth Mastrontonio, Ernie Sabella
Beautiful video from second row center mezz, so no heads in the way. No obstructions at all. Lots of close-ups, very steady. Wonderful production. Digital, 1st generation. from the master. A
Martin Guerre 1/5/97 January 1997 – London Iain Glen, Rebecca Lock, Jérôme Pradon, Matt Rawle, Michael Mattus,Susan Jane Tanner, MartinTurner. Excellent clear steady camera workwith an unobstucted view.
Martin Guerre 4/24/97 ~ London Iain Glen, Rebecca Lock, Jerome Pradon, Matt Rawle, Michael Mattus, Susan Jane Tanner, MartinTurner. Some generational loss. B-
Martin Guerre 2000 ~ Los Angeles Hugh Panaro Act 1, Joe Paparella Act 2, John Herrera. Filmed from the balcony. B
The Marvelous Wonderettes 12/8/06 ~ North Hollywood, CA Bets Malone, Kirsten Benton-Chandler, Kim Huber, Julie Dixon Jackson. Same great show as described above, with slightly better production values in the form of nicer sets. Filmed using one camera on a tripod at the El Portal Theatre. DVD has been enhanced with an opening menu and chapter stops at all the songs. Check out their website for a sampling of the music and more info: www.marvelouswonderettes.com A
Mary Poppins 11/2/06 ~ London Rebecca Lock (u/s Mary), Gavin Creel, Aden Gillett, Eliza Lumley, Sarah Flind, Louise Gold, Diane Langton, Robert Madge, Sarah Mansfield. Occasional blackouts and heads at the bottom of the screen, but nothing too bad. A-
Mary Poppins 3/6/09 ~ Manchester, UK Tour Lisa O'Hare, Daniel Crossley, Martin Ball, Louise Bowden, Deryn Edwards, Tania Mathurin, Niamh Coombes, Anthony Jenkins, Valda Aviks. Beautifully filmed from the balcony and crystal clear. A
Metropolis 1989 ~ London Lindsay Danvers, Brian Blessed, Graham Bickley. Pro Shot but shows generation loss and some tracking issues. Still OK picture and sound. C+
Memphis 12/18/09 ~ Broadway Chad Kimball, Montego Glover, Derrick Baskin, J. Bernard Calloway, Michael McGrath, Cass Morgan, Rhett George (u/s), Jennifer Allen, Brad Bass, Tracee Beazer, Kevin Covert. Nicely filmed from the balcony. Crystal clear. A
Miami Nights
9/02 ~ Düsseldorf, Germany Uses pop songs from the '80s. Dialog is in German, but songs are in English. Professionally filmed for video. Cropped at top, sides and bottom of screen. A
Miss Saigon 2000 ~ Manila Lea Solonga, Will Chase, Leo Valdez, Robert Sena, Ronn Smith, Lisa Capps. In English. RARE-PRO SHOT video! Slightly different sets, costumes and direction than the Broadway version. Says "For preview purposes only. Not for commercial use" during the entire video along the bottom of the screen. Occasional "glitches" in the second act, and missing the last 5 minutes of the show. But since it is pro shot, this is a true gem! B+
Miss Saigon 1/7/01 ~ Broadway Lea Salonga, Ruthie Henshall, Will Chase, Joseph Anthony Foronda (u/s) Digital, 2nd generation from the master. Some scenes obstructed, good video otherwise. B
Miss Saigon 4/16/05 ~ Fullerton, CA Kristine Remigio, Franc-Anton Harwart. A presentation of the Fullerton Civic Light Opera. Beautiful production, and winner of four 2005 Ovation awards, including Best Lead Actor, Best Lead Actress and Best Musical. Filmed from one camera on a tripod in the back of the house, with sound patched in directly from the sound board. Pristine quality! A
Miss Saigon 2006 ~ UK Tour Ima Castro, Jon Jon Briones, Ramin Karimloo, John Partridge, Lara Pulver, Christian Rey Marbella, Christine Sambeli-Marquez. This production has a different interpretation than we are used to seeing, using different sets and staging, but very nicely done. In the infamous scene where the helicopter evacuates the Americans, here they use a new digital animation projection, rather than a “real” helicopter which works just as nicely. Recorded through the theatre’s house camera, so it’s a stationary full stage shot with sound patched in from the sound system. Some generational loss and spotlight washout. (PAL ONLY). B
Miss Saigon 4/99 ~ The Netherlands Pro shot for video! Some generational loss, but nothing too bad. Looks like it was filmed on the closing night of the show because there are speeches and flowers after the show, as well as an announcement that the next show at the theatre would be Elisabeth. In Dutch. B+
Movin' Out 10/17/03 ~ Broadway Michael Cavanagh, and the complete original Broadway cast.
Mozart (in Concert) 2006 - Wien – PROSHOT Rasmus Borkowski (Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart), Andre Bauer (Leopold Mozart), Carolin Vasicek (Nannerl Mozart), Uwe Kroger (Hieronymus Colloredo), Jana Stelley (Constanze
Weber), Carin Filipcic (Baronin von Waldstatten), Harald Tauber (Schikaneder), Dennis Kozeluh (Garf Arco)
My Fair Lady 10/12/05 ~ Manchester, UK Tour (PRO-SHOT) Amy Nuttall (Eliza), Christopher Cazenove (Professor Higgins), Russ Abbot, Honor Blackman, Stephen Moore, Stephen Carlisle, Romy Baskerville. Directed by Trevor Nunn, choreographed by Matthew Bourne, produced by Cameron Mackintosh. Amazing find! Filmed for the production company’s own archives at the Palace Theatre in Manchester England, using 6 cameras. Looks like it was filmed for TV. Letterboxed. (Restricted and limited availability.) A
Nero 7/12/08 ~ Poughkeepsie, NY Idina Menzel, Michael Arden, Jeffrey Carlson, Lea Michele, Laila Robbins, David Patrick Kelly, Paolo Montalban. Written by the team that wrote Spring Awakening; Steven Sater and Duncan Sheik. “A black comic tale of the bad-body Emperor who fiddles as all faith in his country burns. The chaotic, depraved political and personal world of Nero's Rome comes to life in this feast of language, imagery, and music. It's a challenging mix of language, imagery and music that combines classical themes --decadent Romans in Felliniesque costumes and makeup-- with contemporary political farce. Sater's language is worthy of the bard himself.” Presented by The Powerhouse Theatre at Vassar College. Performed “concert style”, with the actors in street clothes and referring to scripts. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. Includes scanned program information. A
A New Brain Date Unknown ~ Lincoln Center Kristen Chenowith. Shot from balcony. Some cover-ups. Some spotlight washout and generational loss. C+
Next To Normal 3/1/08 ~ Off-Broadway Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry),Jennifer Damiano (Natalie), Brian d'Arcy James (Dan), Alice Ripley (Diana), Asa Somers (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine), Aaron Tveit (Gabe.) Much better than the other version of the show. Filmer does a great job of following the action, and great close-ups. A few heads to start, and then the video defiantly improves greatly. A
Next To Normal 3/13/08 ~ Off-Broadway Brian d'Arcy James (Dan), Alice Ripley (Diana), Asa Somers (Dr. Madden/Dr. Fine), Adam Chanler-Berat (Henry), Jennifer Damiano (Natalie), Aaron Tveit (Gabe.) Nicely filmed, with great close-ups. Occasional heads in the frame during the wider shots. By the time this video was filmed the show had changed slightly; most notably the changes made to the song “Just Another Day.” Overall a nice video. A
Next To Normal 3/28/09 ~ Broadway Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Aaron Tveit, Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson. Well filmed from the balcony, but the filmer is sitting behind a pole which is in the shot. He does a good job filming around it-but it’s there. There’s also a short blackout of
about a minute at the beginning of the second act. DVD has been enhanced with an opening menu with chapter stops for all the songs. A-
Next To Normal 4/4/09 ~ Broadway Alice Ripley, J. Robert Spencer, Jenn Damiano, Aaron Tveit, Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson A-
Next to Normal 6/14/09 ~ Broadway Alice Ripley, J Robert Spencer, Kyle Dean Massey, Jennifer Damiano, Adam Chanler-Berat, Louis Hobson. Nice Capture of Kyle Dean Massey as Gabe and Alice Ripley after winning the Tony. Highlights including Just Another Day, Everything Else, Who's Crazy, My Psychopharmacologist and I, You Miss A Lot/ Maybe It's a Sign Scene/ I miss the Mountains, It's Gonna Be Good, MacGuvery of Pot Scene, Superboy and Invisible Girl, I'm Alive, Wish I Were Here, Hey #1, Aftershocks, Hey #2, Why Stay?, A Promise, I"m alive Reprise, The Break, Hey #3. A-
Nine 3/30/03 ~ Broadway Antonio Banderas, Chita Rivera, Laura Benanti, Mary Stuart Masterson, Jane Krakowski Shot from 4th row center mezz. Digital, 1st generation. A
*No, No, Nannette 5/11/08 ~ Encores! Rosie O’Donnell, Beth Leavel, Sandy Duncan, Charles Kimbrough, Michael Berresse, Shonn Wiley, Mara Davi, Jennifer Cody, Nancy Anderson. A production of Encores! at City Center. Staged concert version, so the actors are carrying the scripts. Beautifully filmed from the balcony and crystal clear. A
November 12/28/07 ~ Broadway Nathan Lane, Laurie Metcalf, Dylan Baker, Michael Nichols, Ethan Phillips. “November, a political play by David Mamet, who wrote the screenplay for Wag the Dog, is set in the month notable for elections as well as presidential pardons of Thanksgiving turkeys.” Directed by Joe Mantello. Very nicely filmed and crystal clear. Disc also includes scanned Playbill information, footage from the first reading, Opening night coverage and a NY1 review. A
The Odd Couple 10/25/05 ~ Broadway Revival Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Brad Garrett, Rob Bartlet, Olivia d'Abo, Jessica Stone. Beautifully filmed video, nice and clear with great closeups. Also includes scanned Playbill information, as well as NY1's opening night coverage and review of the show. A
Oliver! 1984 ~ Broadway revival Patti LuPone, Ron Moody, Branden Donner. Occasional head at the bottom of the screen, and a bit on the dark side-but overall not too bad at all considering it's age. B-
Oliver! 8/96 ~ Valletta, Malta Harry Borg, Claudette Pace, Dean Zammit, Jon Rosser, Daniel Lake. Performed at the Mediterranean Conference Centre. Multi camera filmed. Some generational loss. B
Oliver! 1996 ~ London Jim Dale, Ruthie Henshall. Tape is a little on the dark side, but that is probably due to dark stage lighting. C+
*Once Upon A Mattress 1957 ~ Broadway Cast Carol Burnett. Black and White, filmed for TV. Slight bent wavy lines across the top don't detract from this rare gem! B
Once Upon A Mattress 12/12/72 ~ Pro Shot for TV Carol Burnett, Jack Gilford, Bernadette Peters, Ken Berry, Jane White, Wally Cox. Aired December 12, 1972 on CBS. Great picture and sound. Bonus includes special appearance of Bernadette on the NBC Carol Burnette show, “Carol And Company” from11/24/90. B+
Once Upon A Mattress 12/18/96 ~ Broadway ORC Sarah Jessica Parker, Jane Krakowski, Heath Lamberts, Mary Lou Rosato, David Aaron Baker, Lewis Cleale, David Hibbard, Tom Alan Robbins Shot from what seems like right mezzanine. Mostly a stationary shot with some good zooms but no real close-ups. Some washout from spotlights. Some slight head obstruction. Good sound. Nice clear picture shot with a steady hand. Far left side of the stage is cut off at times. Overall a good video. B
Our Sons Julie Andrews, Ann Margaret, Hugh Grant --TV Movie-VOBs One of the first "AIDS movies" with Julie and Ann playing the moms of gay sons (Hugh Grant is one of them). Julie plays an "enlightened" upper class woman who is trying to get Ann Margaret's "redneck" character (she plays trailer-park mom to perfection -- that wig!) to see her dying son (whom she kicked out the house when he was 17 because he was gay) This movie was made when AIDS was still a death sentence so it feels slightly dated..
The Pajama Game 2/18/06 ~ Broadway Revival Harry Connick JR, Kelli O'Hara, Michael McKean, Peter Benson, Joyce Chittick, Megan Lawrence, Michael McCormick, Richard Poe, Roz Ryan. Cover-ups (sound only) for the first 3 to 4 minutes during the overture and then a perfect video. Includes scanned Playbill information, as well as NY1's opening night coverage, review and interview with Harry Connick JR and Kelli O'Hara. A
Pal Joey 11/16/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Christian Hoff, Stockard Channing, Martha Plimpton, Robert Clohessy, Jenny Fellner, Daniel
Marcus, Steven Skybell. A nice capture of one of Christian Hoff’s few performances (he only performed the role 7 times before being replaced by Matthew Risch.) Occasional head in front of the filmer gets in the way with a little spotlight washout and a few blackouts, but overall well filmed. Beautiful 16:9 picture. A
Pal Joey 11/19/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Christian Hoff, Stockard Channing, Martha Plimpton, Robert Clohessy, Jenny Fellner, Daniel Marcus, Steven Skybell. A nice capture of one of Christian Hoff’s few performances (he only performed the role 7 times before being replaced by Matthew Risch.) Occasional head in front of the filmer gets in the way, but overall well filmed, with a nice mix of close-ups and full stage shots. A
*Pal Joey 12/10/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Matthew Risch (Joey Evans), Stockard Channing (Vera Simpson), Martha Plimpton (Gladys Bumps), Robert Clohessy (Mike), Jenny Fellner (Linda English), Nadine Isenegger (Val), Daniel Marcus (Ludlow Lowell), Steven Skybell (Ernest), Timothy J. Alex (Seaver Swift), Brian Barry (Hank Armour). “Pal Joey is the story of a Chicago nightclub entertainer in the late 1930s. He's uses everybody to get what he wants, especially women. He's probably not as good as he thinks he is, but he manages to get by. It was first a book by John O'Hara, then a 1940 musical by Richard Rodgers with lyrics by Lorenz Hart. It was made into a movie in 1957 and now it's in its fifth Broadway revival.” Very nicely filmed from the balcony and crystal clear. A
Parade 11/1/09 ~ Los Angeles, CA T.R. Knight (Leo Frank), Lara Pulver (Lucille Frank), Rose Sezniak (Mary Phagan), Christian Hoff (Hugh Dorsey), Michael Berresse (Governor Slaton), P.J. Griffith (Tom Watson), Curt Hansen (Frankie Epps), Davis Gaines (Judge Roan), Brad Anderson (Luther Rosser), David St. Louis (Newt Lee), Deidrie Henry (Minnie McKnight), Charlotte d'Amboise (Mrs. Phagan). One short blackout in the first act, occasional spotlight washout, and some heads in the bottom of the frame, but nothing too bad. A-
Passion 2004 - Dutch Tour PROSHOT Pia Douwes( Clara), Stanley Burleson (Giorgio), Vera Mann (Fosca)
Passion 03/31/2005 ~ Live from Lincoln Center Broadcast Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Michael Cerveris. Excellent quality video taped from digital television of the PBS broadcast of the concert of the Sondheim/Lapine musical. Letterboxed. A
Patience, Or Bunthorne’s Bride 9/27/05 ~ New York Michael Ball, Timothy Nolen, Jennifer Roderer, Kathleen Magee. New York City Opera production of this Gilbert and Sullivan operetta. Very nicely filmed, crystal clear. A
Peter Pan
1960 ~ NBC-TV Mary Martin, Cyril Ritchard, Margalo Gillmore, Sondra Lee. This is from the 1960 re- broadcast, this time in full color. DVD Rip A
Phantom 1994 ~ North Shore Music Theatre-Beverly, MA Kristin Chenoweth, Ron Baker, Marc Kudisch. Semi Pro Shot. (This is NOT the Andrew Lloyd Webber version) B
The Phantom Of The Opera 1990 ~ Los Angeles, CA Michael Crawford, Dale Kristien, Norman Large, Mary D’Arcy. Very nicely filmed, but some generational loss. B-
The Phantom of the Opera 8/29/93 ~ Los Angeles, CA Davis Gaines. Again, filmed from the house camera. Excellent video and sound. Final LA performance. Features cast speeches and surprise appearance by Andrew Lloyd Weber. B-
The Phantom Of The Opera 2/26/05 ~ London John Owen-Jones, Rachel Barrell, Oliver Thornton, Richard Hazell, Sam Hiller, Sally Harrison, Heather Jackson. John Owen-Jones' final performance as the Phantom. Filmed from third row orchestra with incredible close-ups and clarity...some heads in the shot as a result but they almost never get in the way. Blackout during Overture. DVD has been constructed with an opening animated menu and scene selection thumbnails. Because of the proximity to the stage and the amazing close-ups, I have never seen the show like this before. Very nice video. A
The Phantom Of The Opera Tokyo Toho Imperial Theatre, 1988 Masaka Ichimura, Ryoko Nomura, Yuichiro Yamaguchi. Video transfer, but amazing quality for such an old video – vivid colours, sharp, zooms. A-. Worth it for Yamaguchi's amazing Raoul.
The Phantom Of The Opera 2/25/06 ~ London Matt Cammelle (u/s), Rachel Barrell, David Shannon, James Barron, Sam Hiller, Wendy Ferguson, Annette Yeo. This is one of the best versions of the show I have seen. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. DVD has been enhanced to include an opening menu and chapter stops for all the songs. A
The Phantom Of The Opera 4/6/06 ~ Dallas, TX Gary Mauer, Elizabeth Southard (u/s), Jim Weitzer, John Jellison, D.C. Anderson, Kim Stengel, Patti Davidson-Gorbea, John Whitney, Kate Wray. Digital, 2 camera video edited together with sound fed in from an MD recorder, curtain calls, and full cast credits. As close to a pro-shot as you will get, as the filmers coordinated shots in scenes with actors in separate locations; one half-minute cover-up during Masquerade that could not be avoided
by either filmer; great picture, great sound, great video. Probably the best version of the show I have seen. A
The Phantom Of The Opera 8/2/07 ~ Washington DC, Tour John Cudia, Marni Raab, Greg Mills, D. C. Anderson, Bruce Winant, Laureen Vigil (u/s), Rebecca Judd, John Whitney, Polly Baird. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear, although a bit shaky to start. One of the best versions of the show I have seen-at times looks like broadcast quality. A
The Phantom Of The Opera 9/08 ~ London Ramin Karimloo (Phantom), Gina Beck (Christine), Simon Bailey (Raoul) ,Kate Radmilovic (Carlotta), Rohan Tickell (Ubaldo Piangi), Barry James (Firmin), Gareth Snook (Andre), Heather Jackson (Madame Giry), Tori Jones(Meg). Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. One of the nicest recording of the show I have seen. A
The Phantom Of The Opera December 2005 - Essen, Germany Thomas Borchert, Sandra Danyella (u/s), Nikolaj Alexander Brucker, Laurie AnnMcGowan & Gabriele Ramm
The Phantom of the Opera (Das Phantom der Oper) March 2004 - Stuttgart Roy Weissensteiner (2nd u/s), Maike Switzer, Carsten Axel LepperMonitor video, incredible color and exposure, soundboard audio although certain parts are hard to hear.
The Phantom of the Opera 7/15/06 Essen Uwe Kröger (Phantom); Beatrix Reiterer (Christine); Lucius Wolter (Raoul); Ernst van Looy (Firmin); Fernand Delosch (André); Laurie Ann McGowan (Carlotta); Daniel Brenna (Piangi); Gabriele Ramm (Mme Giry); Annabel Knight (Meg)
*The Phantom Of The Opera, Rehearsal Date Unknown ~ New York Michael Crawford, Sarah Brighton, Harold Prince, and the rest of the Original Broadway Cast. RARE and interesting piece of theatrical history. About 40 minutes of rehearsal studio footage. B
Pippin (Bob Fosse’s Master) 1981 Ben Vereen, William Katt, Chita Rivera, Martha Raye. RARE! This video is very similar to the video that is commercially available. But when you compare them side by side (which I did) you notice subtle differences. This is a copy of Bob Fosse’s own video which he edited and returned back to the producers. It is a bit longer than the commercial video and Fosse chose many, many different angles, and different takes. This was his suggestion for how the show should be edited, but most of his suggestions were ignored. The show itself was not staged by Fosse, but by his associate, Kathryn Doby, based on his original Broadway staging. It is rumored that Fosse was not happy with the video that was released, preferring this edit
better, and very unhappy that his suggestions were not utilized. Has counter numbers along the bottom of the screen. Some generational loss. B
Pippin, Actor's Fund Benefit Concert 11/29/04 ~ New York Michael Arden, Rosie O'Donnell, Billy Porter, Kate Shindle, Ben Vereen, Terrance Mann, Charles Busch, John Tartaglio, and many others! A-
The Pirate Queen 4/13/07 ~ Broadway Stephanie J. Block, Hadley Fraser, Jeff McCarthy, Linda Balgord, William Youmans, Marcus Chait. Wonderful crystal clear capture and top notch amazing performances. Much improved from Chicago version. Includes performance on The View. Beautifully shot and crystal clear-at times looks like broadcast quality. A
Press Reel Compilation Press reels/B-roll gootage of songs from Wicked (OBC), Les Miserables (1997 Broadway 10th Anniversary Cast), Phantom of the Opera (Franc D’ambrosio, Tracy Shayne)
The Producers (Enhanced DVD) 2/20/01 ~ Chicago preview Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Ron Orbach, Cady Huffman GREAT video. A-
The Producers 4/21/01 ~ Broadway Nathan Lane, Matthew Broderick, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Ron Orbach, Cady Huffman. Newly surface video of the original Broadway production. Nicely filmed from the balcony, but some generational loss. (Looks like it was originally recorded to VHS tape.) Balcony railing is visible in the wider shots. Disc also includes 3 TV reviews of the show and the number they performed on the Tonys. B
The Producers 3/22/02 ~ Broadway Henry Goodman, Steven Weber, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Brad Oscar, Cady Huffman. Filmed from 2nd row mezz center. Missing a few seconds during Keep It Gay. Digital video. A-
The Producers 12/19/02 ~ Broadway Brad Oscar, Roger Bart, Gary Beach, Brad Musgrove, Cady Huffman, John Tracey Egan
The Producers 5/24/05 ~ Broadway Richard Kind, Roger Bart. Missing the overture. Occasional head in the way. A
Putting it Together Pro-shot Carol Burnett, Ruthie Henshell, George Hearns. A
Rabbit Hole
2/25/06 ~ Broadway Cynthia Nixon, Mary Catherine Garrison, John Slattery, Tyne Daly, John Gallagher Jr. Missing the first few seconds of the show. "Commissioned by South Coast Repertory and first presented at its Pacific Playwrights Festival reading series in 2005, the play focuses on a couple, Becca and Howie, trying to cope with a terrible loss while Becca’s well-meaning mom and off-kilter sister attempt to lift their spirits, each in her own inimitable way." Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. Includes scanned Playbill information, as well as NY1's opening night coverage, a review of the show, and an interview with Cynthia Nixon. A
Ragtime 12/29/97 ~ Broadway Brian Stokes Mitchell, Marin Mazzie, Audra McDonald, Judy Kaye, Peter Friedman. Newly surfaced video, converted to DVD from the original master. The best version of the original Broadway cast I have seen. Beautifully filmed from the balcony, but balcony railing visible in some of the shots. Some slight generational loss, but nothing too bad. Recorded during previews. Disc also includes TV commercials for the show, and a TV review by Jeffrey Lyons. A-
Ragtime-The Concert 3/27/02 Date Unknown ~ Cardiff Wales Maria Friedman (Mother), Dave Willetts (Father), Matthew White (Younger Brother), Graham Bickley (Tateh). Staged concert version professionally filmed for British TV. Great show! A
Rebecca 10/5/07 - Vienna, Wietske van Tongeren (2 DVD) Uwe Kröger, Susan Rigvava-Dumas, Carstel Lepper, Marika Lichter, Kerstin Ibald, Marcel Meyer, Norberto Bertassi
Rebecca Highlights DVD
Reefer Madness 10/27/01 ~ New York Christian Campbell, Gregg Edelman, Michele Pawk, Robert Torti, Kristen Bell, John Kassir, Erin Matthews. From the NY closing week. Digital shot 1st generation. with some great close ups. Only one out there. A
*Rent 4/29/96 ~ Opening Night ~ Broadway OBC-Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Idina Menzel, Fredi Walker, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs. Great first act, but some black lines for about 30 min. in second act. B-
Rent Reunion Concert 6/4/01 ~ New York OBC 5th Anniversary at Studio 54. Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Idina Menzel, Fredi Walker, Jesse L. Martin, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Taye Diggs, etc. B
Rent 10
4/24/06 ~ New York Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Taye Diggs, Idina Menzel, Gilles Chiasson, Wilson Jermaine Heredia, Rodney Hicks, Kristen Lee Kelly, Jesse L. Martin, Aiko Nakasone, Timothy Britten Parker, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Gwen Stewart, Byron Utley, and Fredi Walker-Browne. The original Broadway cast of Rent reunites for Rent 10, a one night-only, benefit concert version of the show to mark the 10th anniversary of Jonathan Larson's landmark musical. Includes intro speeches by Allan Gordon, Mayor Bloomberg, Senator Schumer. Beautifully shot, amazingly clear video. An enthusiastic audience and a few flubs by the cast makes this video even more fun. A
Rent 8/4/07 Highlights Adam Pascal (Roger), Anthony Rapp (Mark), Tamyra Grey (Mimi), Troy Horne (Collins), Justin Johnston (Angel), D'Monroe (Benny),Kelly Karbacz (u/s Maureen), Merle Dandridge (Joanne), Dana Dawson (u/s Mrs. C), Marcus Paul James (Mr. Jefferson/Soloist), Mayumi Ando (Alexi) Maia Nkenge Wilson (Mrs. Jefferson/Soloist), Telly Leung (Steve), Shaun Earl (Paul), Owen Johnston II (u/s Gordon),
Rent 5/31/08 ~ Broadway Will Chase (Roger), Adam Kantor (Mark), Eden Espinosa (Maureen), Tamyra Gray (Mimi), Michael McElroy (Collins), Rodney Hicks (Benny), Merle Dandrige (Joanne), Shaun Earl (Angel u/s). Starts out a little rough and jumpy and then improves. Heads in the frame for the wide shots. Filmer focuses a lot of attention on Eden Espinosa-so any time she’s onstage she’s pretty much all you see. B
Rent 1/10/09 ~ Cleveland, OH The Broadway Tour: Adam Pascal, Anthony Rapp, Gwen Stewart, Michael McElroy, Haneefah Wood, Justin Johnston, Lexi Lawson, Nicolette Hart, Jacques C. Smith. Amazing energy and performances, many new touches to this tour. Beautifully captured and cast. Also includes One Song Glory and Out Tonight from the evening show
Rent 3/14/09 - US Tour Adam Pascal (Roger),Anthony Rapp (Mark),Michael McElroy (Collins), Jacques C. Smith (Benny), Haneefah Wood (Joanne), Justin Johnston (Angel), Lexi Lawson (Mimi), Nicolette Hart (Maureen), Caren Tackett (Mark's Mom), John Watson (SOLoist #2), Trisha Jeffrey* (SOLoist #1 u/s), Adam Halpin (Gordon), Telly Leung (Steve), Andy Senor (Paul), Yuka Takara (Alexi)
Rock Of Ages 4/12/09 ~ Broadway Constantine Maroulis, Amy Spanger, James Carpinello, Tad Wilson as (u/s) Dennis/Record Company Man, Mitchell Jarvis, Michele Mais, Lauren Molina, Paul Schoeffler, Wesley Taylor. Has about 8 minutes of total blackouts, mostly towards the beginning of the first act. Well filmed. Some heads in the bottom of the shot occasionally. A-
Rocky Horror Show 11/18/01 ~ Broadway
Terrence Mann, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Jarrod Emick, Kristen Lee Kelly, Sebastian Bach, Liz Larsen, John Jeffrey Martin (u/s), Jason Wooten, Gilbert Gottfried, Matthew Morrison, Kevin Cahoon, James Stovall, Rosa Curry, Daniel C. Levine, Yassmin Alers
Romance, Romance 1993 ~ A&E TV John Herrera (Alfred/Sam), Susan Moniz (Josefine/Monica), Deborah Graham (Her/Barb) & John DeLuca (Him/Lenny) Proshot Shown on A&E as part of the “Clairol on Broadway” Series and subsequently released on video. Filmed at the Cherry County Playhouse - features the direction, choreography and design of the Broadway production that was nominated for 5 Tony Awards in 1988. Plus two of the original Broadway cast members! This intimate Broadway musical juxtaposes two sets of lovers from different countries and different eras to illustrate in witty song and potent dialogue how the rewards (and problems) of romance remain relatively unchanged over time. Act One, “The Little Comedy” is an operetta-like love story set in turn-of-the- century Vienna. Act Two, “The Summer Share,” puts the same performers in a contemporary setting facing an extra-marital romance set in a Hampton beach house. A-
Saturday Night Fever 1/1/00 ~ Broadway Richard Blake. Nicely filmed, but a bit grainy. Balcony railing is occasionally visible in the shot. B
Saturday Night Fever 2006 ~ UK Tour Sean Mulligan (Tony), Jayde Westaby (Stephanie), Rebecca Dent (Annette), Stephen Webb, (Bobby C), Steven Serlin, (Monty), Jamie Hughes Ward, (Joey). Recorded through the theatre’s house camera, so it’s a stationary full stage shot with sound patched in directly from the soundboard. Some generational loss and spotlight washout. B+
Saturday Night Fever January 2001 – Broadway Richard Blake, Alieen Quinn.
Saturday Night Fever UK Tour - 2006 - PROSHOT Sean Mulligan (Tony), Jayde Westaby (Stephanie), Rebecca Dent (Annette). Full stage view shot from the housecam. Some spotlight washout but perfect audio and widescreen.
The Scarlet Pimpernel 2003- Halle - PROSHOT Darius Merstein (Percival Blakeney), Ann Christin Elverum (Marguerite St. Just), Chris Murray (Citizen Chauvelin).
The Scarlet Pimpernel 2008 - Takarazuka Star Troupe, Japan - PROSHOT 2x DVD Aran Kei as Percy, Toono Asuka as Marguerite, Yuzuki Reon as Chauvelin,Tatsuki You as Dewhurst, Kazu Ryouka as Armand, Yumesaki Nene as Marie Grosholtz, Yuuho Satoru as Mercier, Tsurumi Mayuu as Coupeau, Ayami Haya as Ozzy, Amao Keika as Jessup, Yumeno Seika as Elton and Mahiro Shun as Farleigh
Saved 6/8/08 ~ Off-Broadway Julia Murney, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mary Faber, Daniel Zaitchik, Aaron Tveit, Van Hughes , John Dossett, Mary Faber, Juliana Ashley Hansen, Curtis Holbrook, Josh Breckenridge, Jason Michael, Snow, Morgan Weed. Produced at Playwrights Horizon. “Mary is a good Christian girl who goes to a good Christian high school where she has good Christian friends, mainly Hilary Faye, and a perfect Christian boyfriend, Dean. Her life seems perfect, until the day that she finds out that Dean may be gay. After "seeing" a vision of Jesus in a pool, she does everything in her power to help him turn straight, including offering up her virginity. But none of it helps because Dean's caught and sent to a "degayification" center and Mary ends up pregnant. It's during her time of need that she becomes real friends with the school's set of "misfits," including Cassandra, the school's only Jewish girl; Roland, Hilary Faye's wheelchair-bound brother, and Patrick, the skateboarder son of the school's principal, Pastor Skip; whilst Hilary Faye turns her into a social outcast.” Based on the 2004 film of the same name. Nicely filmed with great close-ups, but there is one cover-up which lasts about 10 minutes. A-
Seussical The Musical 9/30/00 ~ Boston, MA (Pre-Broadway) David Shiner, Kevin Chamberlin, Janine Lamanna, Michele Pawk, Andrew Keenan-Bolger. Filmed during the first preview performance in Boston, prior to moving to Broadway. About 88 minutes of highlights only-not the complete show. Includes scenes and songs not included in the finished product. B
Seussical The Musical 2/9/01 ~ Broadway Rosie O’Donnell, Kevin Chamberlin, Janine LaManna, Michele Pawk. Spotlight washout on full stage shots, small obstruction, glitch in 1st number in 2nd act. B
ShowBusiness: The Road To Broadway 2007 ~ Documentary "ShowBusiness: The Road to Broadway" follows the four high-profile productions that would eventually become Tony nominees for Best Musical of 2004: "Wicked," (currently the highest grossing musical of all time), the Rosie O'Donnell/Boy George musical brought from London, "Taboo," Tony Kushner's "Caroline, or Change," and a grown-up puppet show called "Avenue Q." Digging behind the scenes, from casting and out-of-town previews to the suspense-filled Tony Awards, "ShowBusiness" provides an engrossing look at the inner workings of Broadway musicals. Listening in to critics around the dinner table, interviews with the creators, footage of rehearsals and openings all combine to make this one of the most entertaining documentaries (and dramas) about the world of musical theater." Screener's copy, says "Property of Regent." A
Shrek, The Musical 8/14/08 ~ Seattle, WA Brian D'Arcy James(Shrek), Sutton Foster (Fiona), Christopher Sieber (Lord Farquaad), Chester Gregory(Donkey), John Tartaglia (Pinocchio), Kecia Lewis-Evans (Dragon). Full show, recorded from the audience on the first night of out-of-town previews. World- premiere presentation. A-
Shrek, The Musical 9/21/08 ~ Seattle, WA, Final Pre-Broadway Show Brian D'arcy James, Sutton Foster, Christopher Sieber, Chester Gregory, John Tartaglia, Kecia Lewis-Evans, Haven Burton. Filmed at the final pre-Broadway performance in Seattle. There have been many changes made since the opening performances of the try-outs, with more expected before the show officially opens on Broadway. Very nicely filmed and crystal clear. Occasional cover ups, but nothing too bad. A-
Shrek, The Musical 4/11/09 ~ Broadway Brian d'Arcy James, Haven Burton (u/s Fiona), Daniel Breaker, Christopher Seiber, Heather Jane Rolff, Justin Greer. This video features Haven Burton understudying the role of Fiona. Haven was in MTV’s “Legally Blonde: The Search For Elle Woods.” Very nicely filmed and crystal clear. A little shaky at times, but nothing too bad. Filmed in widescreen mode. DVD has been enhanced with main menu and chapter stops at all the musical numbers. A
Side Show 11/16/97 ~ Broadway Alice Ripley, Emily Skinner, Jeff McCarthy, Hugh Panaro, Norm Lewis, Ken Jennings. Excellent video; extremely well-filmed; no cover-ups or obstructions, with the exception of a bit of spotlight washout. Best copy of Side Show I have seen. Includes the BCEFA stage speech after the show. A
Slut: A Wholesome New Musical 11/1/05 ~ Off-Broadway Jenn Colella, Mary Farber, Andy Karl, David Josefsberg, Sara Chase U/S. Many cover-ups and some heads in the way...what is caught is crystal clear though. Act 2 is better than act 1. "He's young. He's straight. He's single. And he's probably not gonna call. Finally, a man - and a musical - with no cheesy lines or lame excuses. SLUT tells the story of Adam, a single dude on a lifelong quest for one-night stands, his best friend, the brilliant Doctor Dan, and the sexy rocker Delia who comes between them. Set in the East Village and around the world, this highly improbable, irreverent adventure comes with singing, dancing, screwing and raspberry margaritas." B+
Sondheim’s 75th Anniverary Concert Celebration 7/8/05 - Los Angeles, CA COMPLETE version of the show, expertly edited together. Incredible video of this one night only concert. Also includes bonus pictures of celebrity arrivals, backstage photos, and fan photos. Multi camera shoot. DVD has professional menus, thumbnail images and chapter stops at the beginning of the musical numbers. Not pro shot but looks it!
Sondheim Southbank Show (British TV) An oldie but goodie. He teaches a singing workshop on this show.
Stephen Sondheim: Tribute to Sondheim Concert Bernadette Peters, Debra Monk, Jason Alexander, Angela Lansbury, Harold Prince and the musical theatre students from Southern Methodist University perform in a concert and pay tribute to Sondheim (who also speaks)
Sondheim Various TV Clips (most taken around the time Passion was going up on Broadway) There’s a litte Larry King, CBS Sunday Morning Profile, Some CNN thingy and a couple of others. I did this compilation a long time ago for a fellow Sondheim freak and have forgotten what was on it. If I get around to popping in the dvd I may update this listing. For now you’ll have to trust me that there are some excellent interview goodies to be had on this fully indexed dvd
Sondheim: Inside The Actors Studio 11/11/94 ~ Bravo-TV “In his "Actors Studio" chat at the New School with James Lipton, the host of the series, Mr. Sondheim recalls how his "surrogate father," Oscar Hammerstein 2d, mercilessly criticized his first effort, written at the age of 15. Mr. Hammerstein sat him down for a lesson in the basics that has shaped his work ever since, especially the power of a single word and the ability of music to get that word to explode. Mr. Sondheim still considers a song to be "a one-act play." Taking questions from students at the Actors Studio in the final moments of the program, Mr. Sondheim gets uncharacteristically prickly when asked about a return to operetta forms in Broadway musicals. "I'm not an opera fan," he says coldly. "I don't like wall-to-wall music -- you just dribble." Without mentioning "Cats" or "Phantom of the Opera" or "Les Miserables," he says that "spectacle events" in the theater are "reaching a dead end." With guest artists Liz Callaway, Jim Walton and Paul Ford performing some of Sondheim’s songs. A
Song And Dance 1983 ~ Pro-video Sarah Brightman, Wayne Sleep. Music by Andrew Lloyd Weber. "In the first half of the program, a young woman, Emma has come to New York from England to pursue a career in hat design. We are taken a tour of her romantic experiences with her ups and downs highlighted in song. One man she is involved with is Joe, who becomes the focus of the program's second half. Instead of singing, however, Joe's part of the program is an extensive ballet, hence the title, Song & Dance." Pro-shot for video. Finally a pristine copy of the video! A
Songs For A New World, Concert 5/5/05 ~ New York Andrea Burns, Jessica Mdaskey, Brooks Ashmanskas, Jerry Dixon. The show's author, Jason Robert Brown serves as pianist, conductor and emcee. A
The Sound of Music 11/8/06 ~ London Connie Fisher, Christopher Dickins (u/s Captain von Trapp), Lesley Garrett, Sophie Bould, Ian Gelder, Neil McDermott, Margaret Preece, Lauren Ward. This is the production where they found their Maria (Connie Fisher) from the BBC reality show “How Do You Solve A Problem Like Maria?” Unfortunatly, lots of blackouts with about 25 minutes of various watchable footage from Act I . Act II is almost complete. Complete audio throughout. The video that is actually captured is very good. B-\
South Pacific 3/4/08 ~ Broadway, Revival
Kelli O’Hara, Paulo Szot, Loretta Ables Sayre, Danny Burnstein, Matthew Morrison, Matt Caplan, Nick Mayo, Li Jun Li. Beautifully filmed from the balcony, with great close-ups and clarity. Occasional blackouts and stage searching, but maybe 4 minutes total for the entire show. Surprisingly, this is the first revival of the show since it’s initial 5 year run in 1949. A
South Pacific 4/3/08 ~ Broadway, Revival Kelli O’Hara, Paulo Szot, Loretta Ables Sayre, Danny Burnstein, Matthew Morrison, Matt Caplan, Nick Mayo, Li Jun Li. Beautifully filmed, and the filmer does a great job of capturing the action. Nice balance of closeups and full stage shots. A
South Pacific Live in Concert at the Carnegie Hall 2005 PROSHOT Reba McEntire, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Alec Baldwin
Spamalot 3/12/05 ~ Broadway Tim Curry, David Hyde Pierce, Hank Azaria, Christopher Sieber. Includes scanned Playbill info. Excellent video capture. A
Spamalot 6/8/05 ~ Broadway Tim Curry, Christian Borle, David Hyde Pierce, Darlene Wilson (u/s lady of the lake) Drew McVety (replacement Sir Lancelot.) This video was filmed the day after the Tony Awards. Shot from the left mezzanine. Wonderful close-ups and the audience definitely lets you know that the cast had won the Tony the night before! Nice clear video, with some spotlight washout. A
Spamalot 1/18/08 ~ Broadway Clay Aiken, Christopher Seiber, Hannah Waddingham, Rick Holmes, BradOscar, Jonothan Hadary
Spamalot 3/08 – Broadway Clay Aiken, Hannah Waddingham, Rick Holmes, Brad Oscar, Jonothan Hadary, Bradley Dean, Tom Deckman
Spamalot 4/20/08 ~ Broadway Clay Aiken (Sir Robin), Jonathan Hadary (King Arthur), Hannah Waddinham (Lady of the Lake), Bradley Dean (Sir Dennis), Rick Holmes (Sir Lancelot), David Hibbard (Patsy), Tom Deckman (Prince Herbert), Brad Oscar (Sir Bedevere.) Some blackouts and heads in the shot throughout, but what is captured is good. Overall not too bad. B
Spamalot 1/4/09 ~ Broadway
Clay Aiken, Merle Dandridge, Michael Siberry, Rick Holmes, Bradley Dean, Tom Deckman. Nicely filmed. This video was filmed at Clay’s final performance, so the audience is full of “Claymates” and whenever Clay is on stage the person filming focus mostly on him. A Spring Awakening 7/19/08 ~ Broadway Matt Shingledecker (u/s Melchior), Alexandra Socha, Brian Charles Johnson (u/s Moritz), Skylar Astin, Jesse Swenson (u/s Otto), Blake Daniel, Matt Doyle, Phoebe Strole, Emma Hunton, Remy Zaken, Christine Estabrook, Glenn Fleshler. Some cover ups and black outs in the first act, but the second act improves greatly. A-
Spring Awakening 5/18/08 ~ Broadway Jonathan Groff, Lea Michele, Blake Bashoff, Skylar Astin, Christine Estabrook, Lilli Cooper, Blake Daniel, Glenn Fleshler, Emma Hunton, Brian Charles Johnson, Phoebe Strole, Matt Doyle, Remy Zaken. Filmed at the final performance of Jonathan Groff as Melchior and Lea Michele as Wendla, so the audience is very enthusiastic throughout. Well filmed and crystal clear. Occasional “stage searching,” but never too bad. Includes speeches after the show. A
Spring Awakening 8/2/08 ~ Broadway Kyle Riakbo- Melchior, Alexandra Socha- Wendla, Blake Bashoff- Moritz, Gabe Violett- Otto, Emma Hunton- Ilse, Blake Daniel- Ernst, Matt Doyle- Hanschen. Lots of great close ups. (A+)
Spring Awakening 8/15/08 ~ San Diego, Tour Kyle Riabko, Blake Bashoff, Christy Altomare, Julie Benko, Gabrielle Garza, Steffi D, Kimiko Glenn, Sarah Hunt, Anthony Lee Medina, Andy Mientus, Ben Moss, Angela Reed, Perry Sherman, Matt Shingledecker, Henry Stram. Filmed at the opening performance of the tour. Beautifully filmed and crystal clear. A
Spring Awakening 1/18/09 ~ Broadway Hunter Parrish, Alexandra Socha, Gerard Canonico, Amanda Castanos, Blake Daniel, Matt Doyle, Andrew Durand, Christine Estabrook, Glenn Fleshler, Emma Hunton, Emily Kinney, Caitlin Kinnunen, Gabriel Violett, Morgan Karr, Alice Lee, Eryn Murman, Zach Reiner-Harris. Closing Night. To say that this performance was amazing would be an understatement. The energy throughout the building was electric and could light up a place reminiscent to the Young Frankenstein set. A great night of theatre was this performance. Tears, love, and warmth were all in attendance. Starts during the Stork Scene. A few blackouts, but nothing horrible. A.
Spring Awakening 4/25/09 matinee ~ National Tour in Providence, RI Perry Sherman (u/s), Christy Altomare, Steffi D, Sarah Hunt, Matt Shingledecker, Andy Mientus, Krystina Alabado (u/s), Gabby Garza, Anthony Lee Medina, Ben Moss, Angela Reed, Henry Stram. Excellent video shot from the front center mezzanine. Absolutely no obstructions and no coverups.
Starlight Express, Workshop 1983 ~ London RARE FIND! This is a video of the first public presentation of Starlight Express before a small group of invited investors in the hopes of raising money. It was filmed using two cameras in what looks like a rehearsal space. One or two of the cast members are in makeup and some mock-up costumes, but the majority of them are in dance clothes. Among the cast members are Tracey Ullman playing Pearl, as well as Frances Ruffelle as Dinah. (In addition to Lon Satton – Poppa, Ray Shell – Rusty, Jeff Shankley – Greaseball, Danny John Jules - Rocky 1, Michael Staniforth – CB, who all went on to open the show a year later in London’s West End.) This is the complete show as it was presented at the time, and includes a few songs that were ultimately cut, and different variations on some of the songs that did make the show. At this point in the show’s life, it is rumored that Cameron Mackintosh was at odds with Andrew Lloyd Webber over the viability of the show. They just had a huge hit in Cats, and Mackintosh thought Starlight Express was a “ridiculous, un- stageable disaster” (his words.) Based on this video you can see why he had his reserves, as it had none of the effects that a show such as this needs. You can see Trevor Nunn pacing around occasionally, and it looks like he address the small audience before and after the presentation, but those speeches are not included. Overall-it is very good quality, but the sound is muffled a bit. There is one 10 minute section about a half hour into the video that has some tracking issues, but nothing too bad. Almost 2 hours in length. (Restricted and limited availability.) A-
Starlight Express 1/8/89 ~ Broadway Jane Krakowski, Michael Scott Gregory, Frank Mastrocola. RARE! Final Broadway performance. Missing the first 10 minutes. Filmed from the lighting booth. DVD copy direct from the master-looks like it was filmed yesterday! A-
Starlight Express 4/21/98 ~ Mexico Ricardo Santo, Maru Duenas, Carlos Gastelum, Jaime Rojas. Filmed from the back of the house on closing night. Video starts off with a little rehearsal footage. Some slight generational loss and occasional spotlight washout, but still one of the best videos of the show I have seen. In Spanish. A-
Starlight Express 1/8/01 ~ Bochum, Germany Rommel Singon, Rachel Wooding, Nigel Casey, Jodie Jackson, Lothair Eaton, Ken Nelson, Rachel Marshall, Emma Raciti. This is the production that has played at a theatre built specifically for this show for more than 20 years. Very nicely filmed with great close-ups, but some generational loss. Mostly in German with a few passages in English. B+
Starlight Express 9/13/03 ~ Philadelphia, PA Franklyn Warfield, Clarissa Grace, Drue Williams, Dustin Dubreuil, Katie O'Toole, Dennis LeGree. Pretty good video, some heads in the way early and a few blackouts, then the video improves greatly. A-
Starlight Express - Workshop Production - PROSHOT Lon Satton, Jeff Shankley, Ray Shell, Michael Staniforth, Tracy Ullman
The Story Of My Life 2/11/09 ~ Broadway Will Chase, Malcolm Gets, Alex Maizus, Austin McKinnis. Filmed during previews. This short lived musical lasted for just 5 official performances. “The Story Of My Life tells the story of two childhood friends and how their friendship profoundly defined their lives. Thomas Weaver is a best-selling award-winning author. Alvin Kelby was his best friend for 30 years. But time can test the bonds of friendship, and when it does, Thomas calls on his only resource he has-his stories of Alvin-to learn where things went wrong. A richly melodic musical, the show is a soaring tribute to the poser of friendship and the people who change our lives forever.” Filmed from the orchestra section, so there are heads at the bottom of the screen. Basically the filmer just put the camcorder on their armrest, so it’s a mostly stationary full stage shot, but it’s great it was filmed at all. Some spotlight washout. B
Sunset Boulevard 1995 - London - Proshot? Betty Buckley, Glyn Kerslake (u/s), Anita Louise Combe, Michael Bauer
Sunset Boulevard 12/3/97 ~ Niedernhausen, Germany Helen Schneider, Uwe Kroger, Norbert Lamia, Don Black, Christopher Hampton, Michael Bauer. Original German production. Nicely filmed, but some generational loss. In German. B
Sweeney Todd 1/1980 ~ Broadway Angela Lansbury, Len Cariou, Betsy Joslyn, Cris Groenendaal. EXCELLENT video, excellent audio. Superbly-shot video preserving Len Cariou’s glorious performance. Among one of the best-shot boots I’ve ever seen. (Note: this is a RARE BOOTLEG of the show-not the pro shot version.) A
Sweeney Todd 1981 ~ Broadway Dorothy Louden, George Hearn. Amazing clarity for being 25 years old! Includes TV commercial for the show. A-
Sweeney Todd 6/14/02 ~ Sondheim Celebration, Washington DC Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jane Pesci-Townsend (u/s for Christine Baranski), Walter Charles, Hugh Panaro,Celia Keenan-Bolger, Mark Price. B+
Sweeney Todd 3/6/04 ~ New York City Opera Elaine Paige, Timothy Nolan.
Sweeney Todd, Final Performance 9/3/06 ~ Broadway, Revival Michael Cerveris, Patti LuPone, Mark Jacoby, Manoel Felciano, Donna Lynne Champlin, John Arbo. Closing Night Performance, with a very enthusiastic audience. Beautifully filmed,
but slight graininess for some of the close ups. Includes curtain calls where the crew joins the cast for the final bows, and speeches by Cerveris and LuPone. DVD includes main menu, and chapter stops for the key musical numbers. A-
Sweeney Todd 2006 ~ UK Tour Jason Donovan, Harriet Thorpe, Oliver Beamish, Peter Head, Joanna Hickman, Gemma Page, James Spilling, Susannah van den Berg. This production is based on the 2005 Broadway revival directed by John Doyle, with the actor’s playing the instruments. Recorded through the theatre’s house camera, so it’s a stationary full stage shot with sound patched in directly from the soundboard. Some generational loss and spotlight washout. B+
Sweet Charity 1987 ~ US Tour Donna McKechnie, Ken Land, Lenora Nemetz, Stephanie Pope, Mark Jacoby, Michael Cone, Christine Colby, James Stovall. Described on many lists as Bob Fosse's version of the show it appears that this wonderful DVD is a semi pro-shot with soundboard audio.The video, although a little dark and occasionally 'soft' is very steady and filmed on a tripod. There is plenty of variety in the shots and it's quality is really quite remarkable given it's age. There is a date marker that occasionally pops up on the bottom of the screen.
*Sweet Charity 2/24/05 ~ Chicago Christina Applegate, Denis O'Hare, Paul Schoeffler, Ernie Sabella. Filmed prior to opening on Broadway. Video is a tad shaky, and there are some cover-ups throughout-but what is captured is very good. A-
Taboo London ~ Pro-Shot Euan Morton, Paul Baker, Lyn Paul, John Partridge, Boy George Mix from the first and the second London cast when Boy George took over the role of Leigh Bowery; taped live from the very small theatre where the show was at, and you can easily feel the atmosphere. A+
Take Me Out 3/26/03 ~ Broadway Daniel Sunjata, Denis O' Hare, Neal Huff, Frederick Weller, David Eigenberg Digital, excellent picture and sound quality. nice close-ups; 2nd generation from the master. A
Tanz der Vampire 10/2/97 ~ Vienna [Opening Night] Steve Barton (Krolock), Cornelia Zenz (Sarah), Aris Sas (Alfred), Gernot Kranner (Prof Abronsius), Eva Maria Marold (Magda), Nik (Herbert), James Sbano (Chagal) Some soft focus and cautious closeups, face details are sometimes washed out, but no generation loss and vivid colours. Filmed from a balcony
Tanz der Vampire Vienna – PROSHOT Steve Barton (Krolock)
Tarzan 3/30/06 ~ Broadway Josh Strickland, Jenn Gambatese, Merle Dandridge, Shuler Hensley, Chester Gregory II, Tim Jerome, Donna Keshawarz, Daniel Manche. Filmed during previews. Very nice video, a little dark at times however due to stage lighting. A-
Thoroughly Modern Millie 5/10/02 ~ Broadway Sutton Foster, Gavin Creel. Nicely filmed from the balcony, but an occasional head in the way. A-
Thoroughly Modern Millie 6/12/04 ~ Broadway Susan Egan Christian Borle. Great video! A
Thoroughly Modern Millie 2005 ~ British Tour Leslie Joseph, Grace Kennedy, Donna Steele. Recorded through the House camera. Much spotlight washout. B-
The Three Musketeers, One Musical For All! 1/95 ~ London RARE! Workshop of this new musical presentation with music and lyrics by George Stiles and Anthony Drewe (Honk, Peter Pan, Mary Poppins, Tutankhamun.) The workshop actually culminated interest with three London producers which then began unsuccessful negotiations for a West End premiere. As of 2001 there still have been efforts to mount a successful production in London and/or New York. Performed in a rehearsal studio in front of a small audience of prospective backers. Multiple camera's were used to capture this workshop, and the footage has been edited together. A- tick… tick… BOOM!, A Rock Monologue 11/25/91 ~ New York Jonathan Larson, with Roger Bart singing back-up. This piece is performed as a “Rock Monologue” with Larson at the keyboard, with a small band, and a young Roger Bart singing back-up. Performed at New York’s Village Gate. “After Larson's death in 1996, producer Victoria Leacock asked David Auburn (author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play Proof) to reconfigure the piece. He restructured the monologue into a three actor musical and the script and score were streamlined and edited. A significant result of this original production, when Larson performed the show as a solo piece, was that it attracted the attention of a young producer named Jeffery Duffy, who became a fan of Larson's work. In 1995, he saw the NYTW production of Larson's musical Rent and convinced his fellow producers to bring it to Broadway.” Interesting piece of Broadway history. This DVD contains about twenty minutes of matierial. This was filmed by producer Victoria Leacock herself for her own private collection, and is in pristine condition. A
Titanic November 1997 ~ Broadway Michael Cerveris, David Garrison, Larry Keith, Judith Blazer, Jody Gelb, Brian D´Arcy James,
John Cunningham. Looks to be Professionally shot. Excellent video! Has counter information along the bottom. Highlights only. Approximately 1 hour. A-
Titanic 1997 ~ Broadway Same cast as above. Heads at the bottom of screen, some spotlight washout. Also includes several reviews from local New York stations, and appearances on Rosie. C+
Titanic 2006 ~ Sydney, Australia Hayden Tee, Belinda Wollaston, Robert Gard, Joan Carden, Matthew Willis, Alexander Lewis. Original Australian cast at Sydney’s Theatre Royal. Filmed using one camera on a tripod with sound directly in from the sound board. Nice production, a bit different than the Broadway version, but just as great. A
Titanic, Making Of... 1997 ~ UPN9 NY Hosted by Pat Collins. About two hours long. Lots of behind the scenes info as well as history of the actual Titanic. A-
[title of show] 7/5/08 ~ Broadway Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Susan Blackwell, Heidi Blickenstaff, Larry Pressgrove. Recorded on the first night of previews. Well filmed from the balcony. One small jump in “Christine’s Message”, because the tape had to be changed; otherwise a great video. A-
[title of show] 7/6/08 ~ Broadway Jeff Bowen, Hunter Bell, Heidi Blickenstaff, Susan Blackwell. Lots of blackout for the first 8 minutes or so, then the video improves greatly. Well filmed and crystal clear. A-
Tommy 2002 ~ Amstetten, Austria Drew Sarich, Steven Seale, James Sbano, Florian Feik, Sigalit Feig, Brian Carmack, Sabine Meyer. Rare, bootlegged version of the show. Some slight generational loss. In English. A-
Tony Awards 2004, 2009 , 2010
The Unauthorized Autobiography of Samantha Brown May 5, 2009 eve ~ Orange County Workshop * Patti Murin, Jenni Barber, Nick Blaemire, Lisa Brescia, Stephen Bogdarus - last performance.
Urinetown 8/29/01 ~ Broadway John Cullum, Jeff McCarthy, Spencer Kayden, Hunter Foster, Jennifer Laura Thompson. Shot from fourth row center mezz. Lots of close-ups. Beautiful video, even has the conductor being led onstage at the beginning. A little on the dark side-but not too bad. B-
Urinetown 10/20/01 ~ Broadway
John Cullum, Jeff McCarthy, Spencer Kayden, Hunter Foster, Jennifer Laura Thompson. Great video capture. Slight generational loss. B
Victor/Victoria 1995 ~ Pro-Video Julie Andrews, Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri, Rachel York. “An out-of-work singer, Victoria Grant (Julie Andrews), meets a just-fired, flamboyant gay man in a diner in 1920's Paris. He convinces her to pretend to be a man who is a female impersonator in order to get a job. The act is a hit in a local nightclub, but things get complicated when a gangster and nightclub owner from Chicago, King Marchan (Michael Nouri) falls in-love with "her.” Pro shot version of the Broadway musical for TV. A
*Victor/Victoria 1995 ~ Broadway Liza Minnelli, Tony Roberts, Michael Nouri. This is a much better copy of the show than has been circulating, and it's the complete show-not missing the first 5 minutes like the others. Some slight generational loss, and occasional heads in the shot-but nothing too bad. B
The Wedding Singer 4/1/06 ~ Broadway Stephen Lynch, Laura Benati, Amy Spanger, Kevin Cahoon, Matthew Saldivar, Richard Blake, Felicia Finley, Rita Gardner. Filmed during previews. Shaky for the first 10 minutes or so. Beautiful, crystal clear video. A-
West Side Story Benefit Concert 11/13/02 ~ New York Kevin Spacey, Katie Curoc, Meryl Streep, Susan Sarandon, Kelsey Grammar, Kevin Kline, Robert DeNiro, Jimmy Fallon, Chris Kattan, Josh Groban, Chita Rivera, Rita Moreno, Bette Midler, Heather Headley, Whoopi Goldberg, Vince Gill, Amy Grant, Tony Danza, Rudy Gulianni, Jesse L. Martin, Beyonce Knowles. Suffers a bit from over copying. Pro shot video of Jay Monahan Center for Gastrointestinal Center tribute show. B
West Side Story 1994 Amstetten, Austria Pia Douwes
West Side Story 12/19/08 ~ Washington D.C., Pre-Broadway Matt Cavenaugh, Josefina Scaglione, Karen Olivo, Cody Green, Geroge Akram, Curtis Holbrook, Joey Haro. This new production is directed by librettist Arthur Laurents and features new bilingual staging, with some dialogue and songs sung in Spanish. The show is produced at Washington’s National Theatre, the host of the original pre-Broadway presentation back in 1957. Well filmed from the balcony with a nice mix of close-ups and full stage shots. Also included on the disc is the first 14 minutes of the show filmed at the following nights performance. The filmer stated that Sondheim was in attendance for this performance. A
West Side Story 2/23/09 ~ Broadway, Revival
Matt Cavanaugh, Josefina Scaglione, Karen Olivo, Cody Green, George Akram, Curtis Holbrook, Joey Haro. Filmed on the first night of previews, with some subtle changes made since the Washington D.C. tryout. Well filmed and crystal clear with a nice mix of close-ups and full stage shots. Disc also includes scanned Playbill information. A
We Will Rock You - The Queen Musical 2/11/03 ~ Dominion Theatre, London Tony Vincent, Nigel Planer, Alexander Hanson, Hannah Jane Fox, Sharon D Clark, Nigel Clauzel, Kelly Ellis. PRO-SHOT PRODUCER'S COPY! Pro shot, multi-camera producer's video of the entire show! Has counter numbers running throughout at the bottom. A
We Will Rock You 6/08 ~ Koln, Germany, European Tour Alex Melcher, Vera Bolten, James Sabano, Martin Berger, Brigitte Oelke, Michaela Kovarikova, David-Michael Johnson, Harald Tauber, Nicole Rößler. Professionally filmed using multiple cameras. Most of the dialogue is in German, and most of the songs are in English. Prior to the show there is an on-stage giveaway with cast member David-Michael Johnson handing out t-shirts to audience members. A
Which Witch 12/1/92 ~ London - PROSHOT Graham Bickley, Benedicte Adrian, Ingrid Bjornov. Final performance, pro-shot for video.
Whistle Down the Wind 1996 ~ Washington, D.C. Davis Gaines, Irene Malloy. A true rarity. One camera, professionally recorded video of the first version of the musical. Filmed during a rehearsal with no audience. Directed by Harold Prince. A
White Christmas 12/06 ~ UK Tour Lorna Luft (Martha), Ken Kercheval (General), Tim Flavin (Phil), Craig McLachlan (Bob), Emma Kate Nelson (Judy), Rachel Stanley (Betty). Recorded through the theatre’s house camera, so it’s a stationary full stage shot with sound patched in directly from the soundboard. Some generational loss and spotlight washout. B-
White Christmas 7/15/07 ~ Wichita, KS Charls Parker,John Bisom, John MacInnis, Lisa Rohinsky, Tiffany Ocvirk, Annie Funke, Anne Horak, Kim Huber. A production of the Music theatre Of Wichita. Filmed using one camera on a tripod, with sound patched directly in from the soundboard. Disc also includes TV commercials for the production. A
White Christmas 11/16/08 ~ Broadway Stephen Bogardus, Kerry O'Malley, Jeffry Denman, Meredith Patterson, Charles Dean, Susan Mansur, Melody Hollis Great fun show with wonderful talent. Beautifully captured in widescreen. This show features great choreography, dancing and wonderful translation to the stage. 2x DVD
Wicked 10/12/03 ~ Broadway Kristin Chenoweth, Idina Menzel, Norbert Leo Butz, Joel Grey, Carole Shelley. Shot from the rear mezz, no heads in the way, very nice video. Digital video, 1st generation from the master. A
Wicked 5/8/05 ~ Tour, Chicago Kendra Kassebaum, Stephanie J. Block, Derrick Williams, Carol Kane, Jenna Leigh Green, Timothy Britten Parker. About 15 minutes of blackouts in first act. Popular and Defying Gravity are not affected. Second act is better. Entire DVD has GREAT close-ups. B
Wicked 5/14/06 ~ Chicago, IL Carole Shelley, Kristy Cates, Stacie Morgan Lewis, Gene Weygandt, Heidi Kettenring, Kristoffer Cusick, Telly Leung, Timothy Britten Parker. Actors' Fund Benefit Performance. Filmed during Carole's brief stay with the Chicago cast. Very well filmed. Crystal clear! A
Wicked 7/29/06 ~ Broadway Eden Espinoza, Kate Reinders, David Garrison, Gaelen Gilliland, Jenna Leigh Green, Robert Sapp, Sean McCourt. It takes the filmer about 30 seconds to get settled, then quality improves to almost perfect. At times, this looks like it was pro-shot. Filmed from the orchestra section. Also includes nicely done menu with thumbnails and chapter stops at all the songs. A
Wicked 9/23/06 ~ Broadway Saycon Sengbloh (u/s Elphaba), Kate Reinders (Glinda), Derrick Williams (Fiyero), David Garrison (The Wizard), Carol Kane (Morrible), Jenna Leigh Green (Nessarose), Logan Lipton (Boq), Anthony Galde (u/s Dr. Dillamond) Very steady.
Wicked 9/27/06 ~ London Idina Menzel, Helen Dallimore, Adam Garcia, Nigel Planer, Miriam Margolyes, Martin Ball, Katie Rowley Jones, James Gillan. HIGHLIGHTS ONLY-not the complete show! Filmed on opening night. Unfortunately lots of cover ups and lots of heads in the way for the numbers in the first act, then improves a small bit during act 2. The video mainly focuses on Idina, and she is so much better here than she was in New York. DVD has been enhanced with thumbnail images and chapter stops. Total run time is about an hour. C
Wicked 11/8/06 ~ London Idina Menzel, Hellen Dallimore, Adam Garcia, Miriam Margolyes, Nigel Planer, James Gillan, Katie Rowley Jones. Fantastic quality video! Well filmed and crystal clear. Theres a cool effect during the opening which wasn't in the Broadway production, as well as a few other small changes. Idina is great here, much improved over her Broadway performance. A
Wicked
12/13/06 - Chicago Dee Roscioli :- Elphaba, Megan Sikora :- Glinda, Brad Bass :- Fiyero, Rondi Reed :- Mme. Morrible, Gene Weygandt :- The Wizard of Oz, Heidi Kettenring :- Nessarose, Adam Fleming :- Boq, William Youmans :- Dr. Dillamond
Wicked 1/20/07 ~ Broadway Julia Murney, Katie Adams, Sebastian Arcelus, David Garrison, Jayne Houdyshell, Logan Lipton. Beautifully filmed, and amazing clarity! At times, looks like broadcast quality. Julia is the best Elphaba, in my opinion, but she seems to be a bit under the weather here, and her voice is not as strong as it usually is. A
Wicked 5/22/07 ~ Broadway Julia Murney, Kendra Kassebaum. Nicely filmed and crystal clear. Only one short cover-up, and very rarely and occasionally there is a head in the shot, but nothing bad at all. Overall a great video. DVD has been nicely enhanced with an animated opening menu, and scene selection thumbnails for all of the musical numbers. A
Wicked 7/1/07 ~ Broadway Lisa Brescia (u/s Elphaba), Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda), Sebastian Arcelus (Fiyero), David Garrison (The Wizard Of Oz), Jayne Houdyshell (Madame Morrible), Cristy Candler (Nessarose), Logan Lipton (Boq). Very nicely filmed and crystal clear. A
Wicked 7/7/07 ~ Columbus, OH, Tour Coleen Sexton (u/s) Elphaba, Laura Woyasz (u/s) Glinda, Barbara Tirrell, Cliffton Hall, Deedee Magno Hall, Brad Weinstock, P.J. Benjamin, Tom Flynn. Well filmed. A
Wicked 10/7/07 ~ Broadway Julia Murney, Kendra Kassebaum, Lenny Wolpe, Kathy Santen (u/s Morrible), Sebastian Arcelus, Cristy Candler, Logan Lipton, Steven Skybell. Beautifully captured and wonderful close-ups. This night was the final show for both Julia Murney and Kendra Kassebaum. Includes curtain call speeches. A
Wicked 10/18/07 ~ London Kerry Ellis, Dianne Pilkington, Oliver Tompsett, Susie Blake, Nigel Planer, Katie Rowley Jones, James Gillan, Andy Mace. Wonderfully captured, great close ups and crystal clear. A
Wicked 12/2/07 ~ Los Angeles, CA Eden Espinosa, Melissa Fahn (u/s Glinda), Carol Kane, John Rubinstein, Kristoffer Cusick, Jenna Leigh Green, Adam Wylie, Timothy Britten Parker. One of the few times Melissa has gone on. A beautiful capture of this performance. A
Wicked 12/12 /07 ~ St. Louis, MO
Carmen Cusack (Elphaba), Katie Rose Clarke (G(a)linda), Cliffton Hall (Fiyero), Lee Wilkof (Wizard), Alma Cuervo (Morrible), DeeDee Magno Hall (Nessarose), Brad Weinstock (Boq), Tom Flynn (Dr. Dillamond) Gamma needs correcting as colours are off.
Wicked 1/18/08 ~ Los Angeles Cassie Levy (Elphaba), Megan Hilty (Glinda), Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero), JoAnne Worley (Morrible), John Rubenstein (Wizard), Marcie Dodd (Nessarose), Michael Drolet (Boq), Timothy Britten Parker (Dillamond), Peter John Chursin (Chistery), Matthew Stoc ke (Witch's father/Ozian official), Gina Starbuck (Witch's mother), Linda Kerns (Midwife) Fom mid-orchestra, lots of good close-ups, minimal washout and almost no obstruction. Missing the Train Station scene, "One Short Day" and "A Sentimental Man", due to ushers. Caissie and Megan were in great form, from the master. A
Wicked 2/10/08 ~ Cleveland, Ohio Donna Vivino (s/b Elphaba), Katie Rose Clarke (Glinda), Alma Cuervo (Madame Morrible), Lee Wilkof (The Wizard), Tom Flynn (Doctor Dillamond), Cliffton Hall (Fiyero), Deedee Magno Hall (Nessarose), Brad Weinstock (Boq), Amy Michelle Allen (Witches Mother), Kyle Hill (Chistery). Starts at the Lion Cub scene.
Wicked 2/22/08 ~ Broadway Nicole Parker, Alli Mauzey, Kyle Dean Massey (u/s Fiyero), Jayne Houdyshell, PJ Benjamin, Cristy Candler, Alex Brightman, Timothy Britten Parker. Wicked 3/13/08 ~ Broadway Stephanie J. Block (Elphaba), Annaleigh Ashford (Glinda), David Burnham (Fiyero), Miriam Margolyes (Madame Morrible), Lenny Wolpe (The Wizard), Cristy Candler (Nessarose), Ben Liebert (Boq), Steven Skybell (Doctor Dillamond)
Wicked 4/24/08 ~ Los Angeles Teal Wicks (u/s Elphaba), Megan Hilty, John Rubinstein, Jo Anne Worley, Kristoffer Cusick, Marcie Dodd, Michael Drolet, Timothy Britten Parker. Very nicely filmed, with great close- ups and incredible clarity. Interesting to see Jo Anne Worley as Madame Morrible. A
Wicked 4/27/08 ~ Chicago Dee Roscioli (Elphaba), Kate Fahrner (transition Glinda), Barbara Robertson (Morrible), Gene Weygandt (Wizard), Heidi Kettenring (Nessarose), Michael Seelbach (Fiyero), Kevin Samual Yee (u/s Boq). Great camera work that follows the action. Clear and vibrant with beautiful color.
Wicked 5/17/08 ~ Stuttgart, Germany Sabrina Weckerlin (u/s Elphaba), Jana Stelley (u/s Glinda), Mark Seibert, Barbara Raunegger, Carlo Lauber, Nicole Radeschnig, Stefan Stara. Missing the beginning of the show- the video begins at the end of the song “Something Bad”. Very nicely filmed from the
orchestra section and crystal clear. One head at the bottom of the screen in the wider shots. This is the only known video of the German production. Too bad the beginning is missing, because otherwise this is a perfect video. In German. A
Wicked 6/3/08 ~ Chicago, IL Lisa Brescia, Annaleigh Ashford, Barbara Robertson, Gene Weygandt, Kristoffer Cusick, Heidi Kettenring, Stanton Nash. Well filmed video with great close-ups and zooms. Other than a little occasional spotlight washout, this is one of the nicer video captures of the show. A
Wicked 6/17/08 ~ Broadway Kerry Ellis (Elphaba), Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda), David Burnham (Fiyero), Jayne Houdyshell (Madam Morrible), Lenny Wolpe (The Wizard Of Oz), Cristy Candler (Nessarose), Ben Liebert (Boq), Steven Skybell (Doctor Dillamond). This video features Kerry Ellis’ first Broadway performance as Elphaba and the return of Jayne Houdyshell as Madam Morrible. Nicely filmed from the balcony with a nice mix of full stage shots and close-ups. Beautiful clarity. A
Wicked 7/23/08 ~ Stuttgart (2 DVDs) Roberta Valentini, Lucy Scherer, Mark Seibert, Matthias Dressel, Barbara Raunegger, Maike Switzer, Marco Fahrland, Michael Guenther
Wicked 8/5/08 ~ Broadway Kerry Ellis, Kendra Kassebaum, Aaron Tveit, Jayne Houdyshell, P.J. Benjamin, Cristy Candler, Ben Liebert, Stephen Skybell
Wicked 8/24/08 ~ Chicago Lisa Brescia (Elphaba), Annaleigh Ashford (Glinda), Kristoffer Cusick (Fiyero), Stanton Nash (Boq), Heidi Kettenring (Nessarose), Rondi Reed (Mme. Morrible), Gene Weygandt (The Wizard), K. Todd Freeman (Dr. Dillamond). Lisa's final performance.
Wicked September 2008- London Alexia Khadime (Elphaba) , Dianne Pilkington (Glinda) , Oliver Tompsett (Fiyero), Harriet Thorpe (Madame Morrible), Desmond Barrit (The Wizard), Caroline Keiff (Nessarose) , Jeremy Legat (Boq), Andy Mace( Doctor D)
Wicked 10/31/08 ~ Broadway Kerry Ellis (Elphaba), Kendra Kassebaum (Glinda), Aaron Tveit (Fiyero), Jayne Houdyshell (Madame Morrible), P.J. Benjamin (The Wizard), Cristy Candler (Nessarose), Ben Liebert (Boq), Stephen Skybell (Doctor Dillamond). A
Wicked
12/28/08 ~ Stuttgart, Germany Maria Walter (Elphaba), Lucy Scherer (Glinda), Mathias Edenborn (Fiyero), Carlo Lauber (The Wizard/Der Zauberer), Barbara Raunegger (Mme. Morrible/Mme. Akaber), Barbara Schmid (Nessarose), Stefan Stara (Boq/Moq), Michael Günther (Dr. Dillamond/Dr. Dillamonth). Nicely filmed from the front row of the balcony-no obstructions but an occasional glimpse of the balcony railing. Some spotlight washout. In German. A-
Wicked 1/25/09 ~ Chicago (Final Chicago Performance) Dee Roscioli, Annaleigh Ashford, Barbara Robertson, Gene Weygandt, Kristoffer Cusick, Ted Ely, K. Todd Freeman, Heidi Kettenring. Beautfully captured.
Wicked 3/7/09 ~ Broadway Elphaba: Nicole Parker, Glinda: Alli Mauzey, Fiyero: Aaron Tveit, Wizard: Anthony Galde (u/s), Morrible: Jayne Houdyshell , Nessarose: Cristy Candler, Boq: Alex Brightman, Dillamond: Timothy Britten Parker. Another dvd of this fantastic cast. No major bloopers or flubs, just all around great performances from everyone. Includes curtain call. The first couple minutes of each act are blacked out, but it's full show from there. Very little obstruction overall; there's just one head/hand that pops into frame on the right once in a while. There's also very little washout, just a little in some of the wides. The sound is excellent as usual. A+
Wicked 3/29/09 (Evening) - 2nd National Tour Elphaba: Marcie Dodd, Glinda: Helene Yorke, Fiyero: Colin Donnell, Wizard: Tom McGowan, Morrible: Merilyn Caskey, Nessarose: Kristine Reese, Boq: Ted Ely, Dillamond: David DeVries. This is a full capture of the show. The first couple minutes of each act are blacked out, but those are the only ones that last more than a few seconds. Some of the blocking and set movement is different for this tour. The sound is excellent throughout.
Wicked, "The Edit" Various sources were used to compile this DVD (bootlegs, YouTube, press reels, commercial footage, The Tonys, etc) and it has to be seen to be believed! It is the entire first act, from start to finish, and features many different casts. This was painstakingly compiled by a fan, and uses the "best" available footage of the show edited together. As an example, 4 or 5 different actresses playing Galinda are seen during the opening number "No One Mourns The Wicked." The edits are seamless, and you have to admire the work that has gone into making this DVD. B
Wicked The Making Of
Wicked Tour, Behind The Scenes 2005 ~ TV Special Kendra Kessebaum, Stephanie J. Block, Derrick Williams, Stephen Schwartz, Winnie Holzman, David Garrison, more. 30 minute TV special about the making of the show and of the tour. A
Wicked London Promotional DVD
The Wild Party 6/8/00 ~ Broadway Toni Collette, Mandy Patimkin, Eartha Kitt. First 10 minutes of show only audio. B+
The Wild Party (Lippa’s) Press Reels 2000 ~ Manhattan Theatre Club, Off-Broadway Julia Murney, Brian d’Arcy James, Idina Menzel, Taye Diggs. Total run time is about an hour and a half. The first part of the video contains the finished Press Reels made available to the media, the second part is unfinished footage that was used to create the final press reel versions. (The second part is most of the show.) Very nice find! Some slight generational loss. A-
The Witches Of Eastwick 4/4/09 ~ Liverpool, UK Tour Marti Pellow, Ria Jones, Rebecca Thornhill, Poppy Tierny, Rachel Izen, James Graeme. Beautifully filmed from the balcony, with a great mix of close-ups and full stage shots. Crystal clear. Widescreen. A
The Wiz 1984 ~ Broadway, Revival Stephanie Mills. Outstanding video and sound with very little generational loss! A-
The Wizard of Oz 4/2/04 April 2004 - Perryville, MO PROSHOT Community Theatre’s performance of the show. Good cast, and picture. Filmed on a tripod.
The Wizard of Oz - July 2005 - Hillsboro, MO Jefferson College’s production. Shot from back row. You can see heads, but they aren’t in the way. Good special effects. Used movies screen for tornado and Wizard effect. Cast is young, but good, smooth scene transitions. Sound not the best. Few microphones were used. A-
The Wizard Of Oz Concert 1997 ~ VH1 TV Lucie Arnaz, Jackson Brown, Natalie Cole, Jewel, Nathan Lane, Joel Grey. Concert version professionally filmed for TV. Slight generational loss. B+
THE WOMEN – Stage on Screen (2002 PBS Broadcast) Cynthia Nixon (Mary), Lynn Collins (Miriam), Jennifer Coolidge (Edith), Hallie Kate Eisenberg (Little Mary), Lisa Emery (Nancy), Kristen Johnson (Sylvia), Rue McClanahan (Countess de Lage), Amy Ryan (Peggy), Jennifer Tilly (Crystal Allen), Mary Louise Wilson (Mrs.Morehead)
The Woman In White 2/25/05 ~ London Michael Ball, Maria Friedman, Jill Paice, Elinor Collett (U/S) Adrian der Gregorian (U/S.) Filmed from very high up in the balcony. Heads at the bottom of the screen. Would have liked to see more close-ups. B
The Woman in White 11/15/05 ~ Broadway Maria Friedman, Michael Ball. Cuts out before the end of Act One and the end of Act Two due to battery issues, but the rest of the footage makes up for it. Very nicely shot considering this production is very dark. Slightly shaky, but nothing major. A-
The Woman in White 1/28/06 ~ Broadway Maria Friedman, Daniel Marcus (u/s), Angela Christian, Adam Brazier, Jill Paice, Greg Mills (u/s), Walter Charles. Very nicely filmed, occasional spotlight washouts, but nothing too bad. Includes scanned Playbill information as well as NY1 and Breakfast with the Arts reviews and interviews. A-
Xanadu 11/10/07 ~ Broadway Kerry Butler, Cheyenne Jackson, Mary Testa, Jackie Hoffman, Tony Roberts, Andre Ward, Ryan Watkinson (u/s) Thalia, Anika Larsen, Kenita Miller. Beautifully filmed. The clarity is AMAZING. Audio is excellent. A few heads at the bottom of the screen in wide shots, but they don’t detract from the action on stage. First performance of the show after the strike, so a funny line change was put in the show. The DVD has been enhanced with animated menus and scene selections with chapter stops for all of the musical numbers. A
Xanadu 7/5/08 ~ Broadway Curtis Holbrook (Sonny), Patti Murin (u/s Kira), Tony Roberts, Jackie Hoffman, Mary Testa, Kenita Miller, Kate Loprest (u/s Euterpe), Andre Ward, Ryan Watkinson. Occasional “stage searching”, and heads appear in the shot throughout. But overall a very nice video with some great crystal clear close-ups. A-
Young Frankenstein 11/10/07 ~ Broadway Roger Bart, Megan Mullally, Sutton Foster, Shuler Hensley, Andrea Martin, Fred Applegate, Christopher Fitzgerald. Beautifully filmed and nice and clear. The changes from Seattle tighten up the show a bit. Also includes “Transylvania Mania,” “Roll in the Hay,” and “Together Again” as performed on The Today Show. A