NIKKI INDELICATO
Special to The Leader
While the lights of Broadway might be dimmed for the time being, the theater community has been shining brighter than ever.
Throughout this tough time, actors all over the world have seen their jobs be put on hold after all the closures of their theaters.
Many actors and people in the theater community have been joining together through this pandemic to bring the music and magic of live theater to the hearts of the folks at home.
Andrew Lloyd Webber, one of Broadway’s most well-known composers, has created a YouTube channel where he publishes one of his musicals weekly so that families can enjoy them from the comfort of their homes.
According to an article by Dan Meyer for Playbill, “The new YouTube channel The Shows Must Go On will air full-length recordings of Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals for free.”
The streams from these videos will help some organizations through this pandemic and encourage viewers to donate money to help those in the community who are on very limited incomes.
Along with Webber publishing his musicals on YouTube, PBS is also taking the same steps and streaming their “Great Performances” show for free.
An article by Lindsey Sullivan for Broadway.com said, “The PBS channel WNET, locally known as Thirteen, is offering viewers free access to five theatrical must-sees on Great Performances through May 27.”
This is just another way the Broadway community is trying to reach out and bring some light to people’s lives in such a sad time for the world.
Other actors and fellow theatergoers are also taking this initiative and have been doing live streams via Instagram and YouTube to raise money for The Actor’s Fund, Broadway Cares, Acting for Others and other charities.
Just recently, the cast of Terrence McNally’s, “Lips Together, Teeth Apart” did a live stream from their homes, reading the play aloud.
The cast consists of some well-known names, such as Jesse Tyler Ferguson and Zachary Quinto.
This was a special event that raised over $75,000 for the Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS’ COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund.
Playbill streamed a live-recorded version on April 10 of the musical “Bandstand,” which graced the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre in 2017.
Viewers who wanted to watch the musical would pay $6.99 and be able to stream it for the next three days with all proceeds going to The Actors Fund.
On April 13, Broadway Cares hosted a live stream of the Celebrating 25 Magical Years of Disney on Broadway Concert in efforts to raise money for the Broadway community.
All of the Broadway theaters will be lighting their lights and shining their marquees for all the essential workers who have been fighting at the front lines through this pandemic.
In a time where people could feel lonely and isolated, the Broadway community is reminding us that we are all going through this and we will get through this together.