Going to see a Broadway musical — performed live by artists at the pinnacle of their careers — can be an electrifying and memorable experience. But the coronavirus pandemic has kept productions shuttered for more than a year and, even though most are slated to reopen next month, some theater lovers may be too anxious or cash-strapped to travel to New York and fill their seats.
Fortunately, Hollywood’s got them covered until they’re ready to return for live, in-person entertainment. Here are a few of the star-studded, heartfelt, song and dance-filled screen offerings that are sure to entertain viewers at home and in cinemas in the next few months.
Come From Away will begin streaming Sept. 10 on Apple TV+. Director Christopher Ashley filmed a special May 2021 staging of the show in front of an audience that included survivors of the Sept. 11, 2001 terror attacks on New York and Washington, D.C., as well as frontline workers, according to TVLine. Based on real-life events, the Tony-winning musical is about thousands of people who ended up in Canada when flights into the United States were grounded on 9/11. It features original book, music and lyrics by Irene Sankoff and David Hein, and stars Petrina Bromley, Jenn Colella, De’lon Grant, Joel Hatch, Tony Lepage, Caesar Samayoa, Q. Smith, Astrid Van Wieren, Emily Walton, Jim Walton, Sharon Wheatley and Paul Whitty.
Everybody’s Talking About Jamie will start streaming on Amazon Prime Video on Sept. 17. It was directed by Jonathan Butterell, written by Tom McRae and stars Max Harwood, Sarah Lancashire, Lauren Patel, Shobna Gulati, Ralph Ineson, Adeel Akhtar, Samuel Bottomley, Sharon Horgan and Richard E. Grant. The coming-of-age tale is based on the West End stage hit of the same name and the 2011 documentary, Jamie: Drag Queen at 16.
Dear Evan Hansen is scheduled to open in theaters on Sept. 24 after its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival on Sept. 9. Helmed by The Perks of Being a Wallflower author and director Stephen Chbosky, the screen adaptation of the Tony-winning musical is about a lonely teen who unexpectedly gains attention after a misunderstanding leads people to believe he was much closer than he was to a classmate who commits suicide. Ben Platt reprises his Tony-winning portrayal of the title character. The movie — which Steven Levenson penned based on the show he wrote with his musical partners Benj Pasek and Justin Paul — co-stars Kaitlyn Dever, Amandla Stenberg, Danny Pino, Julianne Moore and Amy Adams.
Tick, Tick… Boom! will be available Nov. 19 on Netflix. This is the feature directorial debut for Tony-, Grammy- Emmy- and Pulitzer Prize-winning composer, lyricist and actor Lin-Manuel Miranda (Hamilton.) It was based on a screenplay by Steven Levenson (Dear Evan Hansen) and inspired by the stage show created by the late Jonathan Larson (Rent.) Andrew Garfield, Vanessa Hudgens, Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesus, Joshua Henry, Bradley Whitford and Judith Light star in the film, which is set in 1990 New York and follows an aspiring composer who wonders if it is time to give up on his dreams of a career in the theater.
West Side Story is to open in theaters Dec. 10. Oscar-winning director Steven Spielberg (Schindler’s List) chose this as his first movie musical. It is Disney’s remake of the 1961 cinematic classic about star-crossed lovers Tony and Maria (Ansel Elgort and Rachel Zegler,) who are living in culturally divided 1950s New York. The ensemble also includes Ariana DeBose, David Alvarez, Mike Faist, Josh Andres Rivera, Ana Isabelle, Corey Stoll and Brian d’Arcy James. Rita Moreno — who starred in the original film — plays a supporting role in this and also serves as an executive producer on the project. The movies have their roots in the William Shakespeare tragedy, Romeo & Juliet, and the 1957 Broadway stage musical, which features a book by Arthur Laurents, music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim.