5 Andrew Lloyd Webber Stage Musicals You Can Stream Online

5 Andrew Lloyd Webber Stage Musicals You Can Stream Online

With his revamped production of Cinderella opening on Broadway later this week, it's time to look back at all of Andrew Llyod Webber's Broadway musicals that have been filmed on stage and can now be enjoyed by millions around the world.

Llyod Webber has written some of the most successful musical scores in history, with his Phantom reaching its 35th year on the Great White Way at the time of its closing next month.

While Webber was always a big fan of turning his stage musicals into feature films, the composer had his fair share of live stage captures thanks to multiple collaborations between his production company, The Really Useful Group, and Universal Studios (who own most of these captures).

We've gathered the top 5 Andrew Lloyd Webber musicals you can (and should) stream now:

 

  • 1. Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat


  • Andrew Lloyd Webber's first musical and collaboration with Tim Rice saw many professional productions over the years, but it was the London Palladium revival in 1991 with Jason Donovan and Linzi Hateley that reignited global interest in the piece.

    Webber's Really Useful Group filmed an extended version of the Palladium version on a soundstage in London years after the production closed and released the film on VHS and DVD. The capture became a huge success all over the world and made Joseph one of Webber's most recognizable titles.

    The film stars Donny Osmond as Joseph and Maria Friedman as the Narrator, in a production directed by David Mallet.

    Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat is streaming online and also available on DVD & Blu-Ray.

     

     

  • 2. Cats


  • If you've watched Tom Hopper's disappointing 2019 film you might easily cross off Cats from your watchlist - but Andrew Lloyd Webber's original stage musical is miles ahead of the troubled film adaptation.

    Filmed live at London's Adelphi Theatre in 1998, fans often call this capture the ultimate document of what the musical was originally meant to be - a spectacular musical ballet on a theater stage.

    While it is unclear why RUG did not film the show in its original London home (the show was still playing at the New London Theatre during filming), the production filmed is a near replica of the original with some added orchestrations.

    Webber assembled an all-star cast for the film, including Elaine Paige as Grizabella, John Mills as Gus, Susan Jane Tanner as Jellylorum, and Veerle Casteleyn as Jemima.

    Cats was released on VHS and DVD in 1998 and was one of the first commercial stage musicals to appear on home video while simultaneously playing in London.

    Years later, Universal released the musical on Blu-Ray, in a not-very-successful transfer (the show was taped and not filmed, which reduced the quality the master copy was able to offer).

    Cats is streaming online and available on DVD and Blu-Ray from Univeral Studios.

     

     

  • 3. The Phantom of the Opera


  • To celebrate its 25th anniversary, Cameron Mackintosh and Andrew Llyod Webber assembled the ultimate Phantom cast including Broadway favorites Ramin Karmiloo and Sierra Boggess to film a staged concert version of the musical at London's Royal Albert Hall.

    While the filmed production does not feature the original Broadway sets, the newly directed version stays true to the brilliant original and is probably as close as we will ever get to a professional capture of Webber's masterpiece.

    With fans now asking Webber to film the musical's final show to preserve the original production in all its glory, the 25th anniversary is a terrific record of what the original production managed to achieve, even without some of the lavish sets.

    The Phantom of the Opera, filmed live, is streaming online and available on DVD & Blu-Ray.

     

     

  • 4. Love Never Dies


  • After opening (and closing) multiple versions of the Phantom sequel in London, it was the Australian production of Love Never Dies that finally had Llyod Webber satisfied with what was presented on stage.

    The composer loved the fresh take on the material and decided Melbourne's Regent Theatre production will be the production he would want to present on Broadway.

    The huge loss of investment in London led most producers to flee the Broadway project, however, leaving Webber trying to ignite positive word of mouth for the musical by filming the Melbourne production instead.

    Thanks to Universal Studios' great relationship with Lloyd Webber's own production company, the musical was filmed live and released globally.

    While the show did end up having a successful US tour featuring the Australian version, it never reached Broadway.

    Love Never Dies is streaming online and available on DVD & Blu-Ray from Universal Studios.

     

     

  • 5. By Jeeves


  • A little-known Andrew Llyod Webber musical, By Jeeves is based on a collection of short stories by P.G. Wodehouse that premiered in London in 1975.

    Years after its original premiere Webber decided to revisit the musical, which resulted in a semi-successful engagement in London's West End in 1996.

    The intimate show was filmed in 2001 in Toronto months before the show debuted on Broadway with the film cast. The live capture stars Martin Jarvis as Jeeves and John Scherer as Bertie Wooster.

    Selections from By Jeeves can be streamed free through The Show Must Go On! Youtube channel. A DVD of the production is available as part of a DVD collection from Universal Studios.