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Great Musicals Available to Stream Right Now in Australia

Stay Safe, Stay Home, Enjoy Some Musicals

After almost two years of on-again-off-again COVID-19 imposed lockdown, my desire to see much more musical theatre has been reaching its limits. I could, for example, travel to QPAC this week to see An American in Paris. However, with significantly rising numbers of coronavirus cases and the peak number of cases still a few weeks off, at least, I’m going to bunker down in the safety of my home and ride this out for as long as possible. 

Fortunately, as we have seen in the last couple of years off the back of this pandemic, more Broadway and West End producers have been open to making recorded versions of their shows available officially and legally via specific streaming platforms. Therefore, while the experience may not be anywhere near the same as sitting in a theatre and being fully immersed in the occasion, you can still scratch your musical theatre urges with some big-name (and smaller) productions from the comfort of your couch.

While by no means an exhaustive list, here are some of the platforms I have used in the last year to enjoy some musical theatre!

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Apple TV+

Tony LePage, Caesar Samayoa and Paul Whitty in “Come From Away,” on Apple TV+

In times like this, where you could be understandably stressed, a real uplifting and motivational tale about surpassing cultural differences, norms, and mental barriers sounds like the perfect cure. Launched in September 2021, subscribers of Apple’s Apple+ Streaming service have access to a full-cast performance of Come From Away.

Adapting real-world events during one of the United States’ darkest days, Come From Away tells the story of 7,000 people stranded in the small town of Gander, Newfoundland after all flights into the US are grounded on September 11, 2001. As the people of Newfoundland graciously welcome the “come from aways” into their community in the aftermath, the passengers and locals alike process what’s happened while finding love, laughter and new hope in the unlikely and lasting bonds that they forge.

Recorded from a live performance on Broadway in the Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, Come From Away‘s streamed version was performed in front of an audience that included 9/11 survivors and frontline workers. I had the opportunity to watch the Australian production last year as Queensland received a reprieve from COVID-19 cases. You can read my full review of the show HERE.

Great Musicals Available to Stream Right Now in Australia 2

Of course, if you are a fan of musicals or live performance in general, there are several other shows you may want to keep an eye out on going forward. The first I can highly recommend is Central Park, a musical comedy cartoon from the creative minds of Loren Bouchard (Bob’s Burgers), Josh Gad (Frozen) and Nora Smith (Bob’s Burgers).

“Central Park” is an animated musical comedy about the Tillermans, a family that lives in Central Park. Owen, the park manager, and Paige, his journalist wife, raise their kids Molly and Cole in the world’s most famous park, while fending off hotel heiress Bitsy Brandenham and her long suffering assistant Helen, who would love nothing more than to turn the park into condos.

Across its two (currently) seasons, dozens of songs have been featured from the likes of Cyndi Lauper, Alan Menken, Glenn Slater, Darren Criss, Utkarsh Ambudkar, Aimee Mann, Fiona Apple and Meghan Trainor, among others.

Other shows with a musical or live performance twist to them include Mariah Carey’s Magical Christmas Special and Snoopy Presents: For Auld Lang Syne.

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Disney+

Lin-Manuel Miranda is Alexander Hamilton and Leslie Odom, Jr. is Aaron Burr in HAMILTON, the filmed version of the original Broadway production.

The home of the iconic mouse already has a range of musical cartoons and films in their library, from classics like The Lion King, Snow White and (my personal favourite) The Hunchback of Notre Dame, to films of recent years including Moana, Frozen and Into the Woods. For that reason alone, dozens if not hundreds of hours of musical enjoyment awaits subscribers to the service.

Although none of Disney’s Broadway musical productions have ever made it to the platform, which I guess is understandable given the crowds they draw to this day, the one hit for the platform in mid-2020 during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic was Hamilton the Musical. Yes, that musical that was nearly impossible to get tickets to on Broadway just jumped onto a streaming platform well before many would expect.

Featuring the show’s original Broadway cast, this production tells the story of America then, told by America now. With a score which offers modern music styles such as hip-hop, jazz and R&B; it tells the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton in one of the most unique ways to date. While this may not sound like a musical for those outside of the United States… the musical theatre fans I know who have seen it have raved about it, and the cast recording points to it being a marvellous story even if you aren’t aware of the history behind it!

Hamilton the Musical features music, lyrics and books written by Lin-Manuel Miranda and direction by Thomas Kail. The recorded production stars Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson; Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler; Jonathan Groff as King George; Christopher Jackson as George Washington; Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds; Lin-Manuel Miranda as Alexander Hamilton; Leslie Odom, Jr. as Aaron Burr; Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison; Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton; and Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton.

While I doubt the recording will ever offer the same experience you can get watching it live in a theatre, to this day it remains a highlight of the Disney+ catalogue, and something you will likely find yourself watching again and again.

For the younger audiences, shows like High School Musical are featured on Disney+. While it is not a musical, I can highly recommend checking out Monsters at Work from Pixar, a sequel to the 2001 animated film Monsters Inc.

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Netflix

As the online streaming juggernaut, there are a lot of musicals you can catch on Netflix, from films such as 2012’s Les Misérables, to all-ages friendly hits such as Glee to newish animated musical hits like 2021’s musical comedy Vivo. While some offerings may come down to the viewers region or just where your “virtual location” is, some of the musicals available exclusively on Netflix include:

  • The Prom (Feat. Meryl Streep, James Corden, Nicole Kidman, Kerry Washington, Andrew Rannells, Keegan-Michael Key and more)
  • Shrek the Musical (US Access Only)
  • Diana the Musical (Recipient of negative reviews but actually a rather fun romp)
  • Dolly Parton’s Christmas on the Square (Let’s be honest, anything with one of the world’s greatest humans is worth a watch)
  • Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

and these are just a few of the musical classics you can find. Just search ‘musical’ and follow the trail to a wide range of offerings.

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Looking Elsewhere

If you are looking for something a bit less mainstream or want free options, there are various ways you can get your musical and performing arts fix for free.

Firstly, consider checking out what your local or state performing arts centre has to offer. A fair few venues have teams dedicated to creating content for those not able to make it to the venue (think rural), and have been more active in doing this since COVID-19. Depending on how long the current situation lasts, it is probable that livestreamed events will become more prominent in the coming weeks and months.

Secondly, Youtube is a great source of entertainment, with some smaller performing arts companies putting whole productions online either for a limited time or indefinitely. I can wholeheartedly recommend Team Starkid, who have uploaded many of their musical productions since A Very Potter Musical in 2009 for free.

For gamers, I highly recommend checking out The Trail to Oregon!, an original full-length musical based on the classic 1970s game The Oregon Trail. Alternatively, check out the Hatchetfield Series currently consisting of The Guy Who Didn’t Like Musicals and Black Friday for a darker, yet incredibly clever and comedic experience.

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Sam
Sam
Founder of The Otaku's Study. I have been exploring this labyrinth of fandom these last fifteen years, and still nowhere close to the exit yet. Probably searching for a long time to come.

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