Ana Capote

I was lucky enough to study Musical Theatre abroad at an international school but when I started, I wasn’t yet aware of the benefits that experience would give me.

Being surrounded by people from all around the globe, with different cultural backgrounds and diverse views upon the world we live in, woke me to a lot of different perspectives, as you could expect.

One discussion we had once in class, that was quite interesting, and that I was reminded because of Hamilton’s recording, was precisely whether recorded musicals and/or movie musicals make theatre more available to those who can't otherwise see it or does it make people go less to the theatre since they have access to it in their homes.

Of course, this debate would be different now due to Covid-19 and to the fact that theaters are closed. As someone who is passionate about theatre and lives in a country (Portugal) where there’s not much going on concerning that matter, I never thought that recorded musicals could generate so much controversy.

Obviously, bootlegs are a whole other story, but professionally recorded musicals like Hamilton and She Loves Me give the opportunity to someone who can’t travel or afford tickets to see theatre.

In Portugal, we are starting to have more musical theatre, original and translated, but it’s still on a small scale. In the past couple of years, for professional productions, we had Next To Normal, Avenue Q, Chicago and that’s about it.

In my life, I have been lucky to travel and experience live theatre abroad but this is not always an option. So hearing a release announcement of a professional stage recording is beyond exciting.

I wouldn’t think that, at least before Covid-19, the existence of a recording or a movie musical would have an impact on theatre audiences but some of my classmates didn’t share this opinion. The strongest argument for this, I believe, is money. For performers and theatre lovers, perhaps, having a recording of a show doesn’t mean they won’t go watch it live, but maybe for other people, this is not the case. This could have a financial impact that can lead to shows being canceled.

However, according to an article by Ashley Lee on Los Angeles Times: “ The 2015 livestream of ‘Daddy Long Legs,’ the first-ever off-Broadway production to be streamed live, was an elaborate marketing initiative, and a successful one: It was viewed in 135 countries by 150,055 people — the equivalent of more than 2½ years of sold-out houses in its 130-seat theater — and led to an increase in ticket and cast album sales.”

I’d like to believe that having a recorded version of a show won’t have a significant impact on theatre revenues. For me, live theatre has the ability to transport you into the story, seeing performers live and being present in a show that is unique per performance is something we can’t get on our sofas behind a Tv screen.

Every show is different, performers can sing and act their lines slightly different because actors feed and react from and to each other, and also from the audience’s energy and reactions as well. Personally, that’s what makes live theatre so exciting to watch and the reason why recorded musicals can’t substitute theatre.

“Live plays are unpredictable, they’re living things – and it’s the actors and designers that bring that play to life for us every night.” (The Excitement of Live Theatre, Barbara Peterson, 2020)

Of course, the plot is different now, due to the current world pandemic situation, when watching theatre online is, almost, the only option. With theaters closed, having a platform so theatergoers can buy tickets to watch it online, produces income to theatre professionals that are currently struggling without a job.

I wonder how this will have an impact once we defeat Covid-19. Will theaters start recording shows so that becomes a paid available option as well? Will people feel safe to return to the theatre? Or will the theatre industry restart as always once they can?

Are Recorded Musicals the "Death Sentence" of Theatre?

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