Things will get a little bit brighter for musical theatre fans from 7pm on Friday (3 April 2020) when the 2000 adaptation of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat will be made available free of charge on YouTube.
Starring Donny Osmond, Maria Friedman, Richard Attenborough and Joan Collins, the production will be the first in a series of Andrew Lloyd Webber hits to be released for the first time on the newly launched YouTube.com/TheShowsMustGoOn.
Featuring songs including ‘Any Dream Will Do’ and ‘Close Every Door To Me’, that have gone on to become pop and musical theatre standards, the show’s starring role has become one of the most sought after in musical theatre. Jason Donovan, Joe McElderry, Lee Mead, Phillip Schofield and most recently, Jac Yarrow are among the stars who have previously donned Joseph’s colourful coat.
The second production scheduled for release on Good Friday (10 April) is the arena version of Jesus Christ Superstar featuring Ben Forster, Tim Minchin, Melanie C and Chris Moyles.
Aimed at giving locked-down theatre fans access to a West End or Broadway experience in their own homes, the new channel which is being launched by Universal Pictures Home Video Entertainment’s Content Group, is the latest in an increasing number of industry-linked initiatives to be launched as the global crisis takes hold.
A new show will be released online every week from 7 pm British Standard Time for a limited 48-hour period. With no charge or sign-up fee payable, theatre fans who are able are being asked to make a donation to charitable organisations offering help and support to people in the industry facing hardship as the theatre closedown continues. The charities listed on The Shows Must Go On channel include Acting For Others, Broadway Cares and the Actors Benevolent Fund.
Alongside the full-length shows, clips of famous performances and behind-scenes footage will also be uploaded regularly to the channel.
Angela Thomas
SHARE THIS POST:
Comments are closed.