Personally, I think the best solution is to do what Newsies and Allegiance did and put professionally recorded versions out after the show has closed (or, alternately, after the original cast has left) when people can't see it live anymore, eliminating the worry about people not paying for the live experience. The production makes money, those who can't see the show live are satisfied. It's a win-win.
Melody Dyk I was, unfortunately, unable to catch the show in Theaters but I fully intend to buy the digital version when that comes out. I actually collect DVDs/Blu rays of movie musicals and professionally filmed stage musicals, partly because I love them, and partly because I want to support them on principle. I only watch bootlegs when I have no other option.
I get why Broadway doesn't want bootlegs around. But I'm one of those people who doesn't have the free time or finances to go to New York even once, let alone enough times to see all the shows I love. I love theatre but have no access to it where I am. Does that mean I just have to go without? Maybe if they had special event screenings of musicals like they've recently done with Newsies in movie theaters.... but until that becomes mainstream, I'll be watching bootlegs.
I think all Broadway shows should be filmed professionally and about a year after the show closes, they should put them in movie theatres, like when Disney released Newsies to theatres
Then it doesn't stop people from spending money on tickets for live theatre, but when it does finally close, everyone who didn't get to see it live can still experience it
I love that idea, but like he said in the video, it costs money to do that. Think about a small musical that closes quickly, an example I can think of is First Date. This musical is not earth shattering, it probably wouldn't be considered high art, and it is unlikely it will ever be revived on Broadway. It also closed quickly, meaning that it is unlikely is recouped its investment, so there isn't any spare money floating around. There will never be an official DVD made of this show, but there is a widely available, decent quality bootleg of the original cast, that ensures that this show will find an ongoing audience, and will continue to have an impact. I watched this on youtube a year or two ago, enjoyed it, and bought a few of the songs from the album on iTunes, therefore providing revenue that the show otherwise would not have received. So while I 100% agree that professional recordings are amazing and examples like Newsies or the original cast of Into the Woods are incredible, it costs money to do that, so its extremely likely that only already successful shows that will get revivals and be reproduced around the world will actually get that treatment.
That's what they do in Japan. They also have a lot more musicals... okay, I've never actually seen any of the Prince of Tennis musicals, and they're probably all awful compared to Broadway, but the point is, there are like 20 of them, and they all had limited runs + DVD release, as opposed to open runs. I think that's a better business model.
Being from outside of NY and having only gone twice, I'll proudly admit that I'm a bootleg fan. It's general knowledge that what is recorded on film will never come close to seeing a show live, so most people who watch bootlegs of shows will see the show live regardless when they get the chance. And let's face it, a moderately-successful show run is only about 1-3 years tops. If you physically aren't able to make it to NYC by the time a show is over, you wouldn't be able to support the show by paying to watch it live regardless, bootleg or no bootleg. So what's the harm if there was never a loss of consumers to begin with? This isn't a new phenomenon. You can find bootlegged shows from the 80's, and attendance and business records have continued to remain stable, if not greater due to bootlegs being free publicity. I do have _some_ discretions though.... For one, I don't think it's right to sell or privately trade bootlegs. That is taking what the Broadway performers are being paid to do and monopolizing it for yourself. Either post the bootleg for everyone to see for free, or don't bother making a bootleg at all. Another thing would be to be mindful of the performers and the people sitting next to you while filming. Don't sit in the front rows. Cover any lights your camera makes with a piece of cloth. Be willing to sacrifice camera quality if it means not doing so will disrupt those around you. Stuff like that. Like I said, bootlegs aren't a new phenomenon. It's just that bootleggers have become a lot more obnoxious now since many of them nowadays don't follow common courtesy. There's a way to film a show and show respect to the audience and performers; it's real and it's been done before.
I agree. I have been in this situation: I just found out about a show, perhaps bought the soundtrack, just to learn that the show has already ended (Sideshow and Bonnie and Clyde). We live about 3 hours from Broadway, but we can't go without some planning. Having a "professional" copy of the show, for sale, would bring in a great deal of money for the show. I don't know all the copyright laws for this, couldn't it be in general performer contract that at some point the show will be filmed and those performers will be compensated.
Alana D i strongly agree that bootlegs are great. For the show and for the fans. I personally live in Spain so I find it very imposible going to Broadway and watch all the shows I wanna watch and bootlegs are the closest thing I have. On the strange case that Broadway shows come to Spain, when they do they translate the songs, which is just terrible. And the fact that I watch bootlegs doesn't make me wanna go less to the theater and watch the show live. It makes me wanna go even more.
Alana D I totally agree, because as a person living in central america, I certainly find it hard to make it to New York, so I turn to bootlegs. Also, even though I have watched a show thousands of times, when given the opportunity, I will pay as much money as it takes to go watch it live, because I want the full experience.
I live in New Zealand and i'm 17 years old. I have next to no way of going to see a broadway show (It is my dream to go and see one live one day of course) but the only way for me to see these shows is to watch bootlegs unless they have a movie version or recording.
I find a lot of the time people who are vehemently against bootlegs in all situations are people who have the luxury to see Broadway shows often. When people act so melodramatic about bootlegs, it can start to sound rather... privileged.
I get how bootlegs are risky to the bottom line but honestly a bootleg copy of the original Broadway cast production of Wicked led myself and three friends to become so captivated by the show that we drove 12 hours and set down a huge chunk of change to see it. I search for bootlegs because it reveals a shadow, a glimmer of that amazing show that I won't be able to see until it comes on tour. I also want to be able to witness the original cast in its glory. I wouldn't love Urinetown, Wicked, or Drowsy Chaperone if I hadn't first witnessed it through a grainy pixelated bootleg that got me hooked.
When BroadwayHD was ready to come out. I was looking forward and expecting to see titles "Wicked", "Phantom" & so many more. But sadly in reality that was not the case. BroadwayHD could have been an amazing experience for a lot of people. Now on to Bootlegs. My first Broadway show was The Phantom of the Opera, and it was expensive. A lot of people can't afford a trip to New York and or even the prices they charged for seats. It's too damn expensive. As a person who grew up around Broadway, I had dreams. I still to this day dream of seeing Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera, but I know that will never happen. I dream of seeing Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. The first taste of Wicked, was when they performed at the Tony's. A few months ago, someone uploaded the full length recording of Wicked, featuring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, and let me tell you it was extremely magical for me. Throughout the entire recording all I felt was joy. When Andrew Lloyd Webber came out with a recording of CATS on VHS. Seeing that amazing cast and being blown away by Elaine Paige. Her performance of Memory, still do this day touches me deeply. When Stephen Sondheim came out with Into the Woods. The performances of Bernadette Petters as the Witch, and the other professional recordings of the show. Sweeney Todd as well. Rent, with the new cast and the original. What I am getting at, those performing are being captured forever, touching everyone, changing people lives, making people dream. For people who can't afford to see musicals/plays, we will never experience those heart breaking, magic making, life changing performances. And knowing that those actors/actress who have been filmed performing. Those amazing performances are being captured in time for millions of us. By forcing or making Broadway exclusive only for the ones who can afford it, limits Broadway. We need to inspire the world, we need to inspire the youth, we need to inspire everyone.
I live in Mexico. I think it's an understatement to say that I wouldn't be able to attend a Broadway show. And yes, I've seen bootlegs. That doesn't mean I'm not going to watch a show if I ever have the chance to. So I don't think I quite understand why people say it affects the show if I'm not going to be watching it live either way, having a bootleg or not.
It's also hard for some people who live in NYC like myself. Broadway shows are expensive like hamilton tickets are over $ 1000 now. The thing is we have bills to pay, school, food and other materials and necessities. Bootlegs are the only alternatives that are available. Of course if i'm lucky enough to win tickets at a lottery, i would rather go with a good friend or family member see a show live than sitting on my couch watching a crappy video. They can't blame us. We live in the real world.
Shane McAndrew and what's her name Chelina? i believe the one who replaced who plays Carole King? My parents knew her before that and got to chill with her backstage afterwards that's besides the point, the point is she is an amazing singer.
So here's what I think about bootlegs. I am a firm supporter of bootlegs - I'd never see any shows otherwise. I think that bootlegs are a band-aid solution to a greater problem - availability of art. Now, when I say this, hear me out. People who generate and perform art have become elitist. Broadway theatre has segregated itself from society. Remember the 50's, when Broadway WAS entertainment - movie musicals were run-of-the-mill, showtunes were Top 40 radio, and culture - high culture of acting, singing, and dancing - permeated every outlet. Now what we see is that Broadway shows are the unattainable - the Holy Grail of culture for the rich and fortunate. Tickets are crazy expensive, it's rare to meet a true musical theatre fan, and movie musicals are once-every-two-years and it's a huge event when one comes out! Broadway elitism even is evident in the wild price range between a membership to Netflix and a Membership to BroadwayHD. But what happens when high culture isn't the cultural norm? We get what we have today - low-brow comedy, shoot-em-up action, autotuned vocals, cheap soap drama, and nonstop CGI as opposed to real intellectual characters, true drama, and meaningful culture. We get Nicki Minaj when we can't have Nikki M. James. I think BroadwayHD is good in its intent, but the problem is, it's so limited to things that are already largely public domain, such as Shakespeare. So what's the solution. I think that it should change to Lincoln Center Online. All these shows and all these musicals are available online to stream with a membership. Because what good are all those filmed musicals doing, sitting in a dusty archive where almost no one can get at them? Those are my thoughts. TLDR - Broadway has become too high and mighty, and bootlegs are the band-aid solution. We have to offer Broadway culture more openly to save the decline of culture.
I mean i agree. Lincoln center is for preservation but what's the point of not showing them to people. The point of recording broadway shows is for people who didn't have a chance to go to broadway and for new generations to see them and view them. By completely isolating those recordings, people will forget about shows and what sources do us the new theatre fans have???
I‘m very much with you on that one, but here in Germany, you can see Sweeney Todd for less than 8€ if you’re a student and less than 15€ else. It’s literally state-sponsored so that it’s attainable.
some of us are just too poor to fly to NYC from across the country (in my case) or overseas (in my friend's case) much less be able to afford show tickets. Bootlegs are all we have, and if our favorite shows were available for purchase on a professional legal recording I know I would happily pay for it. Unfortunately that's not the case :/
i never would have seen, Wicked, If/Then, Waitress, Hedwig, West End Phantom, Kiss of the Spider woman, Even August Osage County with Amy Morten! i live in Arizona, Bootlegs is all i have.
Same. I fell in love with Hedwig after seeing the bootleg of Darren Criss (whom I have been a huge fan of since 2010) in the role because I wasn't able to see it in person for multiple reasons. Watching that led me to watch bootlegs of every other performer in the Broadway version except Taye Diggs (including one from when JCM did the show on crutches), and later tracking down a DVD copy of the movie on Amazon and buying the NPH version of the soundtrack on iTunes. I'm willing to spend money on shows that I love. The problem is I rarely get the opportunity to, outside of buying the soundtracks.
My friend and I watched that like a year ago when the bootleg first came out. lol oops. Still planning to see it when it comes to Minneapolis next season tho. One of my friends and I promised each other we'd see it live together. Plus, I already own both a physical copy of the soundtrack and the giant coffee table book. So no one can claim I haven't given the show money in some way.
I live in Australia. I love musicals, and I see pretty much every musical that opens in my city, which luckily is a lot, but realistically it is 4-5 years after a show opens on broadway that they come here, and even then its only the big ones- Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots both opened here a few months ago (they won Best musical in 2011 and 2013 respectively). I watch every bootleg I can get my hands on, but that doesn't stop me from going to shows when I get the chance, it just makes me more interested! Plus, unless you are in New York the year a show opens, you'll never see the original cast, and bootlegs are a great chance to see them perform, with the original staging etc.
One of the things that frustrates me the most about this is the elitism that comes with it. I love Hamilton (not really a huge surprise there though) but I feel like it definitely has a feel of elitism to it. Lin Manuel Miranda has spoken out about bootlegs countless times because he feels like his art shouldn't be reduced down to a terrible iPhone recording, and I agree. A bootleg will never do a performance justice even if it is considered a 'good' one. However, what bugged me was when he made promises of a professional recording of the original cast being released in the near future. It was recorded last summer and no one has heard anything since of when it would actually be released. He has said that he wouldn't consider a film for at least another ten years or so. So what do people do? Sure, there's the Hamilton tour and sure there's the London production but they sell out immediately and usually at an expensive price. You could argue that there are legal performances from the Tony Awards but that's not the whole show and it's nowhere near as good as seeing the whole story. I understand that he wants to make sure that Hamilton stays exclusive and it keeps selling out every night but he cannot have it both ways. When you create one of the most popular musicals in years you can't expect that people will be happy to wait ten years to see a professional recording. You can't expect that they'll be satisfied with a documentary as opposed to the actual show. I visited New York last February and whilst I was there I entered the lottery every day along with everyone else in my family but we didn't get tickets. When I returned home I didn't watch the bootleg because I was promised a professional recording so I decided to wait. Now it is well over a year later and there is no sign of it ever being released and I've lost interest in Hamilton. Producers need to be wary of the fine line between filling the seats and losing their audience. Hamilton won't live on forever and he can't expect that his fans will stick around for ten years to see a film version that may never come. Surely the best way to capitalise on the success would be to release a version now? When you're filling the seats every night and have a queue round the block for the cancellation line, releasing a professional version will not be the death of your show. The way that I see it, it's just like a cast recording. If people love your show they will buy it. If people feel neutral about your show, they'll probably buy it just to check it out. You're not going to particularly lose out because there are billions of people around the world who were never going to see your show anyway so by releasing a recording of the show you are at least getting a revenue from some of them. The only people who watch bootlegs (well usually) are musical theatre fans. They are the people who would know the ins and outs of every performance. They are the people who love the feeling and experience of live theatre. You are not going to lose a ticket from these people because they know that seeing it live is always better than a bad recording from someone's phone where you can't hear the performers or the screen is always blurry. Releasing a professional recording just means that you'll get money from something that they did illegally before.
Emily Coates i do think that professionally recorded things are a great idea (like newsies and other shows,) but you also have to remember that show is still selling out. Tickets for hamilton still go for $500 at least. people are still breaking their necks for tickets so you can't be mad that the professional recording isn't out yet. if people could get a recording of the obc for $40, they wouldn't pay $500 to go see it.
I definitely understand and agree with people that believe bootlegs to be completely unacceptable, you are totally right when you say that theater thrives on exclusivity and that is why I definitely understand and don't argue with the position of those against bootlegs. HOWEVER, I have been a theater (specifically Broadway) lover for as long as I can remember, yet this year was the first I've EVER set foot in New York City and got the chance to see a LIVE Broadway show. Now, I live in Mexico and if it weren't for the concept of bootlegs, I literally wouldn't know ANY of the musicals I now know and love, or any of the Broadway performers I so admire. Also, if bootlegs didn't exist, we wouldn't be able to attest to some of the most amazing performances by Broadway legends that existed way before our time like Elaine Stritch or Angela Lansbury. So, regarding your last question: yes, there should be some kind of legal way to distribute taped Broadway shows that can benefit both parties.
So idea: One company (similar in a way to netflix), charges a low, flat rate to go and film shows in their original/ current state (Similar to an Original Broadway Cast Recording. Make it a special viewing night, (maybe just friends/ family?/ special donators?) good crowd for best audience reaction.). Have it uploaded a set time after the show closes (a few months or a year, so as to push people to see it live instead of waiting), or if it's a long-running show, once the rights to perform at theaters other than on Broadway are released, or at anniversary marks (5th, 10th, etc.)If a tour group sets out after the closing of a show, the release gets pushed until after the tour closes. Re-filmings can be done with changing leads or celebrity guests, but only with producer's say so. Excess unsold merch from after a run can be linked to and sold on website, as well as cast recordings, as they're best advertised there. It would need donations to startup, but could work? Thoughts?
It's not always Broadway either; a lot of shows that I've collected bootlegs of are inaccessible to me by simply being performed in other continents. Tanz der Vampire will never cross over to Broadway again (probably for the best, lbr), same with Elisabeth, or the Death Note musical. My hope is to see them one day, but realistically it probably won't happen. Bootlegs are all I have to go by for these amazing shows.
those of us who hunt down boots would see shows live if the option was there, the same goes for pro recordings so the financial argument doesn't wash. legal recording would allow the regular bootleg viewer to support and enjoy this art form we all love so much,but right now bootlegs for the most part are what we've got
Every bootleg I have ever watched, I have gone to see the show when it was in town. If I'm not willing to spend the money on the ticket, I won't watch the bootleg. However, the logistics of traveling to New York are costly (not just in money, but I'd have to take vacation time which is a premium for me since I live far from my family and most of my friends). But I'm the type of person who will listen to a cast recording on repeat for days (weeks) at a time. When the cinematic release of Newsies came out, I saw 3 out of the 4 showings. When Matilda came to town, I paid for 3.5 tickets so I could go with some of my friends/family. When Something Rotten came, I went by myself because seeing the play in person at all was better than not seeing it, even if I didn't know anyone else who was interested and lived within a 5 state radius. I'll watch the bootlegs, but you can be damn sure I'm gonna shell out the money for the seat when the show is on tour near me or if I happen to get to NYC.
It's not like you're recieving a full theatrical experience for free through bootlegs, either. Seeing a show live is sooo much more immersive and different, so while you get to "see" the entire show, it's not fair for bootlegs to be called out as fully filmed experiences being handed out, because you can't truly film a theatrical experience.
A few years go i came across a site that had bootlegs. As a theater kid who lives in Argentina this was like finding the Holy Grail for me. I could finally watch the shows i've heard wonders of, and listened to the cast recordings. It wasn't HD, yes, but it was the best i could have without money to travel to new york, or pay my stay, or pay a ticket. On this site i finally watched Aladdin. I was absolutely blown away. I watched five times. And you know what happened when i finally had the opportunity to go to NY and watch a musical (only one, cause we didn't have that kind of money)? I begged my sister to go watch Aladdin. Yes, the one bootleg i watched five times. Why? Cause the more i watched in a shitty quality the more i wanted to see it live, cause i freaking loved it and i wanted to finally live the whole experience. So we went. We bought the tickets, we watched it and i ended up loving it more than i did before. I even bought a freaking expensive t-shirt after, cause i wanted to remember everything. We entered the lotteries avaliable after, but we won none. So yeah, people who love musicals and can go watch them live will do it. People who can't will keep looking for bootlegs cause that's the only way we can. I'm a musical nerd, i sing and dance and act and my ultimate dream is to perform in Brodway. And i'll always be pro-bootlegs.
I love in italy so for me is kinda difficult be in nyc every day for watching a show.. i've been to london twice for some shows and i never record but i think that bootleg are useful to people like me! Here in italy we don't have that love for musical theatre.. there aren't many shows and most of the time they translate songs (EW) so bootleg save my love for musical theatre
Some people can't buy tickets to Broadway, but even if you find bootlegs, you probably still would never turn down a ticket. For example Hamilton. Those tickets are VERY expensive. If you go through the pain to find that bootleg, then you are probably a big fan and would take the option to see it live any day. nothing is taken away from Broadway shows besides where its viewed.
I live in a remote town in Australia with a family who are in an inescapable financial well. If bootlegs didn't exist, I would never have become as invested in musical theatre as I am now. I shamelessly watch bootlegs and though I understand the financial elements of the matter, if Hamilton came to Australia, you can sure as hell bet I'd sell everything I own to go see it, despite having listened to the cast recording dozens of times and seen the bootleg more times than I can count. Bootlegs might not be the greatest option, but for the less fortunate, they're all we've got.
There should be more dvd versions like the 25th anniversary performance dvds. My school is going to show it to the cast so that they can learn the plot and pacing as well as costume ideas.
I live in the countryside of Brazil (IN AMAZON RAINFORREST!), so bootlegs and musical movies are all I have. This year is the first time I can go to São Paulo - there's currently a superproduction of Les Mis and I, an actual Les Mis fan, will enjoy the play way more than my internet friend that lives there and have never seen the show.
+Diego Magana Wicked and Phantom aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The Majestic Theatre is actually classified as a national landmark now, so the building can't be renovated or remodeled, so all the sets and decor for Phantom can't be taken down. Phantom is basically up for good. As for Wicked, they grossed one billion dollars in record time. Only 2 other shows have ever made that much. They are both here to stay.
Okay... I'm the "newsies trash," and honestly, I don't know where I'd be without newsies bootlegs. Like, discovering that show through bootlegs quite literally saved and changed my life, and since first watching it I've seen the show twice (including taking a 15 hour trip to see my favorite actor on tour before it closed) and spent like $200 on merch at the shows, and I've preordered the professional recording... I wouldn't have it in my life without bootlegs, and I wouldn't have spent any money on it, so it's tough. I'm actually going to Broadway for the first time in my life to see Bandstand, primarily because Corey Cott stars in it.
Honestly, I from a small town and musicals don't come around often. It's always classics. I watch them, never record but I buy the soundtrack so they still get some money
I like bootlegs... I will still go and see the show whenever I can, no matter how many bootlegs of the same show with different casts I see, I still want to be there.
BroadwayHD needs to find out ways to look for getting the rights to use the filmed versions of CLOSED shows that the nypl has in the archives. That would get people to pay the 15. if youre trying to atttract a now contemporary audience with only a few contemporary things, its not gonna work.
I’m so divided on this topic, I can see both sides so clearly. I’ll only watch a bootleg if there’s no way in any universe that I could see that production live, and even then I feel a bit guilty, but it brings me so much joy to watch them. I’m very, very undecided.
Speaking personally, I would absolutely go to see a live performance over a bootleg given the chance, but as an MT student, bootlegs have been immensely helpful for me and my class to learn as we go. We don't have professional choreographers and directing is done by either our tutors or ourselves, and knowing that we have a point of reference takes a lot of weight on our shoulders. Granted, having access to an official recording of a Broadway performance would be amazing, it isn't always an option, so we have to take what we can get.
I seen a Hamilton bootleg but it's with the original cast and i can't see Hamilton until the 2018-2019 tour. I sometimes feel wrong watching them but I support them. I don't watch it all the time but I might of watch the Hamilton bootleg 3 times to see if they work. I would never share them tho.
As someone lucky enough to be close to NYC to go see a live Broadway show when I want I have been asked many many times by friends who can't due to location or finances why once a production closes are the professional recordings that ARE made of so many shows (as mentioned at the NYC library) not available for streaming online SOMEWHERE for a fee?! As an example I LOVED Grey Gardens with Christine Ebersole. It's done. It's not coming back. I know the production was professionally recorded and I rave to friends about it. Why can't I even pay $9.95 and stream it to show them? Sure it may be sitting in the NYC library and I may find clips on UA-cam but there is a audience willing to pay to watch these at home when you can't buy tickets anymore. Never understood in 2017 why this stuff is so hard to watch. That feeds bootlegs.
I live in St Louis for most of the year, and we have Fox theater, but I've never been there. In the summer I live in Memphis, and that's where I have done all of my actual theater musicals. The only musical I've seen in real life was the touring cast of Chitty that we just barely stumbled on in our trip to the UK. I was honored because my dream role has been Truly and I absolutely adore Carrie Fletcher, but bootlegs are nice to see. Sometimes it's nice to see the actual characters that match the voices I've heard so many times.
Yeah, this is a complicated issue to me as well! I don't personally have any guilt in watching bootlegs, because I can honestly say that there has never once been a case where I've seen a bootleg of a show and it HASN'T only made me want to see it live all the more. Since bootlegs can often take a bit of searching to find, I only really seek out the ones I'm already very interested in, and even the relatively very good quality ones still only make me that much more determined to see the show live. Because I've sat in the front row watching Spring Awakening and Next to Normal and Gypsy, and all these incredible shows, and nothing will *eeever* compare to the magic of actually feeling that energy coming off the stage. Maybe people who have never been able to see an incredible live theater production might think the bootleg would suffice, but for me, I become obsessed with a show through the bootleg and all I can think about is how incredible it would be to experience that performance live right in front of me like I did with the aforementioned shows. On the other hand, when people start going off on Lin-Manuel Miranda as if he's just soooo unfair for asking people not to spread bootlegs, I'm like.... no show creator is ever actually going to condone bootlegs?? It's their work, and bootlegs ARE in fact illegal, and I do understand from a creative standpoint why they would like people to experience the story first live the way it was intended to be experienced? So I guess my view on it is... I personally am super grateful for bootlegs, but also understand theater creators not wanting to see them, and if nothing else I have no problem keeping them under the radar a bit so that we fans can enjoy them but the creators don't have to be blasted with videos/gifs/etc. of their shows being illegally recorded whenever they go on social media. I know that probably sounds hypocritical, but it's just a complicated conversation for me, because, yeah, I friggin appreciate bootlegs so much :) But again, that's because they ALWAYS make me want to see the shows live all the more, and I'm also not about to chastise people creators like LMM for not supporting something that's technically illegal!
Bootlegs, as far as I can see, have zero negative impact on box office of shows. If anything it's the opposite. Bootlegs are either ways for fans to relive the production they saw, see a production that is closed already, or flames the fire of their passion and obsession with a show that they will absolutely see live for money if given the chance, or will make fans more inclined to go out of their way to pay for it. I don't think anyone sees bootlegs (many of which are no where near professional quality enough to make it seem like you really saw the show) as a replacement for seeing it live, whether with the production that was bootlegged or a another cast or a tour or a local production - you're bound to buy a ticket somewhere for the show. And the biggest argument for them is for history! Bootleg videos do what should have been happening all these years - documenting and archiving the amazing work done on Broadway (and beyond), and the artistry of it that goes beyond what can be communicated in a cast recording. The laws against it are ridiculous and they should be changed so that recording shows professionally can be easier. But filming a show professionally is expensive even if you take away the legal issues. So I think the broadway community should embrace bootlegs, especially for shows that have closed. The worst thing is when there was a brilliant production and there is no video of it available, or no good one, then it is lost except for the memory of the relatively few people who got to see it (and the even fewer who get approved to watch the archival video at Lincoln Center Library).
I love bootlegs they're a huge guilty pleasure of mine. And no NOTHING comes close to seeing a live broadway (or touring) show live. However, if I see a bootleg pop up on UA-cam I'm gonna for sure watch it. Hell yeah. There's tons of OBC soundtracks on my phone of shows that I've never seen because they've all closed.... 9 To 5, Aida, Drowsy Chaperone, Sister Act, Little Mermaid, Footloose, Spring Awakening, Promises Promises and SO MANY MORE! So is getting to see it on a blurry dodgy phone camera with eh quality great? No but it's as close as I'm gonna get to it. And other times I'll watch one of a show I don't know much about and fall in love. And if I'm in a production of a musical I'm gonna wanna do some research of what it looked like on broadway so yeah that too. I'm way too scared to film anything on stage so I'll never make one in my life but watching them is amazing.
Sorry, just gotta pause. You mentioned that the Newsies Fans that film the shows are probably the "bottom line" for their sales. "The Bottom Line". Not sure if you meant it, but nice pun :D
If the production is still running in New York, I am lucky enough to live right next to NYC and can/will go see it. But if the show has since closed, and I wasn't able to see it, and a decent filmed version is available, I will watch it without hesitation.
I watch bootlegs because I can't see shows due to financial issues and distance country wise. It's the only way I can see the shows and they still make my cry and they give me goosebumps.
Digital theatre is the site that is doing the same as BroadwayHD but doing it properly. There's not loads of titles and they only add a few a year. But you pay for each title individually, no subscription. And they're all live theatre performances.
I've always wished they would film popular Broadway plays/musical productions in their theatre settings so that they can be viewed in IMAX theaters, much like they've done for some operas, so the works could reach a much wider audience and reach more people who've never seen a play or musical before. That way 90% of the country who doesn't live in NYC or have the luxury of being able to go there to see a play, or who can't afford to buy a ticket for an NYC production or other productions around the country, could finally have access to seeing these professional productions that we all hear raved about but know we'll never get the opportunity to see because of location, distance, and cost. I just imagine going to an IMAX and the show beginning and there I am looking at a stage just like I would be at an actual performance. No close up shots, cut-aways, or different camera angles, but just the production as you would experience it being at an actual live performance. I'd be a way for people, no matter what part of the country they live in, to finally be able to see a Hamilton, or Wicked, or whatever the current buzz is that's blowing Broadway away, and get to see it for a reasonable price. It would widen the audiences, revive an interest in theatre, not to mention bring more money in for the productions.
I live in Colorado. I'm lucky to have the DCPA nearby to see shows. But I don't cause I can't afford it. I only see shows "regularly" if I'm in one of the theatre electives and we get tickets to a matinee of Christmas Carol or Secret Garden. I see my friends go and see Waitress FOUR TIMES on tour in town while the only way I might see the Dirty Dancing "musical" and some smaller shows is if I save the money myself or I get a groupon. Lucky me that my mom got a groupon for my family to go see Newsies a couple years ago. That's the only "real" musical I've ever seen and it was discount tickets and it was up in the balcony and in the very back where I could barely see their little bodies. Bootlegs are the only thing I've got.
We down in the UK have just had the Wind in the Willows musical in the west end (which I saw on closing night and LOVED) which is being filmed for broadwayhd although I'm going with the option to purchase the show on its own instead of paying a subscription to the service
I realize that the exclusivity of theater drives sales, but I cannot understand why a show recording would not be made and sold at some point. I live in the middle of nowhere with no way of viewing a show without buying an expensive plane ticket plus the likely expensive show ticket. I look to In The Heights, for example. It's an amazing show that's closed now, but no recordings have been officially released. Of course people are going to find the bootleg! Why not keep the revenue flowing and release an official copy since the only way to view it is through a bootleg. I know nearly all the people who watched that bootleg would gladly pay to see a good recording. I'll just never understand why productions don't take advantage of this.
I've watched the video just now and I'm coming late in the game, but I live in Brazil. There's no way for a middle class Brazillian that lives here to watch Broadway shows every season, we can't even watch the ones they remake in São Paulo every season if we live in other cities. So bootlegs are a way of not only having access to theses shows, sometimes watching them with subtitles, and even getting people into musical theater, so when they do get to go to NY they're probably buying a ticket to see a show. I wish I could see more official recordings, but that too would be of newer shoes only.
People who are going to watch bootlegs are probably looking to watch shows that are not on BroadwayHD. They want to see Hamilton or Wicked, not Gypsy or Shakespeare. BroadwayHD isn't going to be successful in the long run, because they will not be able/willing to release such shows, and viewers aren't going to want what BHD has to offer.
I'm from Brazil - and not São Paulo or Rio, the big, sometimes-we-do-have-musicals cities. Going to the US or UK is not really an easy thing to do, and it costs a lot; the few professional recordings that could, in theory, be bought, have to come from abroad, and the shipping and taxes are much more than what a broke college student can afford. So, in order to watch musicals, I either hunt down the few DVD's for sale in my country, the couple of titles that Netflix sometimes has, or go for the bootlegs. A Netflix-style place for Broadway musicals would be amazing, as long as it had Netflix-like prices. As far as the profits go... Yeah, it's kinda crappy to watch something that cost a lot to make, no to mention all the time and work put into, for free. But in my case, and that of most people like me, who live far away from NY or London, we're not giving up on watching the real thing and, as such, not paying what we would. Without the bootlegs, we simply wouldn't watch it. There's no money being taken away, because there never was a way to give it in the first place. And, if there was an affordable professional recording - or, for that matter, a live performance near us -, why the hell would we watch terrible cellphone recordings? They're usually not very good, you sometimes have to guess half the lines, the image can be overexposed and making the actors virtually unrecognizable. It's just that there's only that, or not watching musical theater at all. So, long story short, I don't think bootlegs are a bad thing. They're pretty much a sign that Broadway, for all its beauty and worries in themes and productions, is still very difficult to access, and way too restrict. Yes, 100 years ago having a performance in a specific place, that's well known and well thought of, was enough. It isn't anymore. The world is a big place, but this form of art is very restrict and hard to come by, unless you're lucky enough to live near it. So, until the days of inclusive streaming ways, or at least a hell of a lot more distribution of the DVD's, bootlegs mut stay.
The National Theater puts out some great recordings of their Shakespeare shows and show them in movies theaters. I'd love to see Broadway recordings that looks as good as those. But maybe the recordings could only be released when the show closes? Like Netflix puts new seasons only when the season is over
One of the biggest obstacles to wider distribution of Broadway videos lays squarely with the producers and the unions: everyone is so very afraid that they'll lose even one penny - even after a show has closed! - that they refuse to allow this kind of option. I admit to a small collection of these, but only of shows that I know have already closed and will not go on tour - it's the only way I can see these. Yep, bootlegs are a problem. But the producers and the unions arent helping any.
I hate the argument "People would choose a bootleg over a live performance" The thing is, the people watching bootlegs would give anything to see the show live, and they can't because they're either too poor or too far away to see one live. If they had that money or lived that close they'd probably go see shows all the time!
I don't watch full-length bootlegs of Broadway shows. Sometimes I will watch bootlegs of individual songs, but rarely if ever a full show. I just generally prefer to either watch a professional, legal recording, or actually see the show live, which I consider a valid option since, while I currently lack the resources to attend Broadway, there are many local theater troupes that could perform these shows, even if it is a less reliable option.
I only ever watch theatre if: 1) The show closed and I'd never be able to see it 2) The show won't tour/won't come in my area The only bootlegs I've watched so far are Fun Home and Waitress
You see, I'm from Spain, so musicals that arrive here have to be translated first and may take at best half a year, but at least they arrive (but only those that they actually bother translating, not many). However, this is only the case of Madrid and Barcelona, where they get to see a few musicals per city, some even of Spanish origin. But I'm from a little island reaaally far from the mainland so we are used to having just one musical land here every two or three years (no kidding) and they are of course the classics translated, such as Les Mis or The Sound of Music. So imagine how many YEARS I'd have to wait to see live musicals like The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton,.... So yeah, bootlegs kind of saved me. Spain is not really that interested in musical theatre
The reason that I see most often on the professional forums is that professionally filming a Broadway show is nearly impossible due to contractual obligations. Literally every single person in the cast, orchestra, stage crew, and creative team has to sign a contract and agree to compensation. The fact that it has been done shows that it can be done. The fact that it is not done very often shows how very difficult it is to negotiate all those contracts. Until Broadway producers learn how to navigate that minefield, I'm afraid bootlegs will continue to be with us. I would love to say the market for pro shot shows would be huge, but in reality it would be tiny compared to the market for blockbuster movies. The Broadway Cast Recording is a niche market that barely turns a profit. While theater nerds everywhere would love OBC films or videos of their favorite shows, the sad reality is that the number of theater nerds is minuscule compared to those who would rather see movies with car chases, explosions, and lots of murder and mayhem.
I love the Les Mis and Phantom anniversary DVDs but I can’t watch them. They’re uninteresting to watch on TV. I do, however think the way they filmed the Original Broadway Production it Passion was best, because it changed some stuff (like angles, etc) to make it more interesting for the screen. I know that made no sense but whatever.
While I am not saying that I own bootlegs (that would be wrong), I will say that if I did, I make sure that any show I buy is no longer running. So if I want to watch Christina Applegate as "Sweet Charity" or David Hyde Pierce in "Curtains" I can do so with a clear piece of mind.
The biggest issue BroadwayHD faces is ownership of film rights. Many popular Broadway shows sell film rights separately from stage rights. If you want to film a stage production and legally publish it online then you will have to pay royalties to whomever owns the film rights to the play or musical. Wanna film a revival of Annie? Then pay off Sony Studios. Wanna film a production of Music Man or Sound of Music? Gotta pay the movie studios. Oh, and you will need a separate contract with the unions for filming and distributing a recording of a live performance (Equity and possibly the musicians union too).
To be honest, I really wish filming a show was as ubiquitous and cost effective as releasing a cast recording. Maybe a possible solution could be, with the success of the She Loves Me livestream, for BroadwayHD to offer discounted prices to shows that allow them to livestream a performance? (I really don't know how realistic this is, but it's an idea)
I love the theatre, but I'm a low wage earner in Kansas. I patronize local theatres when I can afford to, but have no access to any newer or less popular productions without bootlegs. It's somewhat ironic that performance art is portrayed in works such as Rent as an accessible art form for the masses, including the impoverished in alphabet city but the cost and location of new productions place them firmly out of reach for a majority of Americans. I support bootlegs to an extent because a lot of us don't have much of a choice. I'm not going to fly across the country and buy a ticket to a show, but I am willing to watch a much lower quality version of it from home and even talk about it with friends. The most broadway can hope for in terms of income from a consumer like me is for me to recommend a show to a friend or acquaintance who can actually buy a ticket, so I guess the people involved in the show gain slightly more from me watching a bootlegged play than they would from me not watching performances.
I understand why avoiding bootlegs is a good thing in a heavily capitalistic world. However, bootlegs are how a lot of closed kids or secret musical theatre nerds got access to musicals back about a decade ago. On a side note, Falsettoes on PBS, was put on Broadway HD, and I watched it there.
i dont have time to give my full opinion on this bc i could say a lot but can i just say. if it is a show like newsies or tuck everlasting, both long since off broadway, newsies having changes depending on the varying cast members, tuck having only run for a short time, bootlegs can be useful. its not harming anyone since its not even on broadway anymore. and if someone is willing to pay the often times ridiculous costs of seeing a show, particularly on broadway, its unlikely theyre going to choose a blurry low quality video over the live experience
I feel like bootlegs are a necessary evil. For a theatre kid in rural illinois, stage productions are far and few between. My favorite staging of a musical ever is the 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd, and I never would have seen the production in it's entirety if it weren't for the closing night bootleg on UA-cam.
I live on the UK and will probably never get a chance to see a show on Broadway, unless they make it over to the west end, so I'll admit to clicking on the occasional bootleg for the opportunity to catch the shows to fill the void! Right or wrong? Not for me to answer but distributing them does add to a shows fanbase, so they can't be all bad, right?!
Like most people on here without bootlegs I wouldn't see the shows that I would want to see and might never get the chance to see them,I also know that it's never the same as seeing it live but seeing it even in bad quality is better than just wondering what the show would be like and listening to the show doesn't always gives the full impact of the show and I live in England and although the west end is such a great place to go and I love every time I go there some American shows I want to see might not come over so bootlegs are the only way am going to see them.
I have never seen a single broadway show. I just plain cant afford it as well as the fact that I'm really the only member of my family interested. So I LIVE on cast albums and the OCCASIONAL bootlegs. I feel bad, but sometimes you really want to see a show and I don't really have another option. For me, I'm very aware how important the exclusivity of Broadway is, but sometimes it really suck that I will never be able, at least until I can afford it, to know the full story of Hamilton or Wicked, because there are talking bits missing.
I use BroadwayHD because I primarily study Shakespeare, and the only reliably good films of Shakespeare are the BBC ones, and those were taken off amazon prime and are only on broadwayHD for steaming now. Simply because Shakespeare was written for the stage not the camera, but BBC still does a decent job. That's my main reason for using BroadwayHD
I love bootlegs. I watch them because I live all the way in California and can't afford to go to NYC or even see a show on Broadway. Trust me if I could I would see a show.
I love bootlegs because I can't afford going to see a broadway musical. I can't even afford seeing an off broadway play. I could never have seen Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, or Heathers without the bootlegs.
i know it's an old video but i really wanna weigh my two cents oon the issue- i do not live in or near america. I do not have enough money to fly to america. The only way i cn expiriance broadway at the moment are bootlegs. Filming a show on a stationary-one camera-on-a-tripod is not expansive ( i know that becasue we recorded my highschool play in a pretty good quality and we paid maybe 50 bucks on it. if you sell the tapes in 5 bucks, you'll make a big revenue. if it's a small, short-running show i think that by releasing the tape after the show is over you can actually get MORE revenue! and you eliminate any problems with bootlegs because who wold even wanna record it if with 5 dollars you can get a good quality? i have no ide a if anything i wrote made sense because i am so tired but... yeah
I looked on the site before signing up and it looked like a decent amount of stuff... Until I logged in with a UK account and I can get about 6 things. I have been put off quite a bit by that!
I'm a proud bootleg watcher and I'm tired of people condemning bootlegs. Being an actor and theatre fan that grew up in a rural southern state, I didn't have the money or the location to go see a Broadway show. Bootlegs are ways for kids like I was to see their favorite Broadway shows. Crushing someone's dreams like that with arguments like "it's harmful to the actors" is awful. I hate it even more when actors condemn bootlegs, because either they grew up in New York and had parents that could take them to see shows regularly (but that's just the rich broadway baby people), or they were in the shoes of the bootleg watchers not that long ago. Bootlegs shouldn't be insulted or reprimanded, they should be celebrated. With bootlegs, theatre fans all over the world can experience the magic of theatre even if they're too poor or too far away to go see them themselves. Bootlegs are a portal to theatre, and nobody should ever close that portal.
There argument that broadway thrives on exclusivity is illogical when no other form of entertainment does. People can see sports events on TV, yet they still pay tickets to see it live. They can listen to music for free all day, yet still buy tickets for concerts. Do people avoid art museums and ignore the louvre because they already know what the Mona Lisa looks like? Comedians release stand-up DVDs, yet they still tour to sold out shows. Why is it so difficult for Broadway to understand that people place a high value on the unique ability to see something live? When something is made freely available and shown countless times, it doesn't make people less likely to see the live event. It gives the live event more value because it offers a unique opportunity that people repeatedly pay for the chance to experience.
Late to the party, only found your channel yesterday, but have already gone through MANY of your videos. On principal, I don't agree with bootlegs. Bootlegs is too close to piracy and my previous and my husband's current industry (video games) has rampant piracy that can cause many problems (different genre of entertainment, not gonna go into it). However, I am a huge proponent of trying to do official recordings of more Broadway shows. I grew up watching the Peters' Into the Woods and to this day it is still my favorite musical. I would never have gotten the chance to really enjoy this without the video recording. I've never gotten to see it live once and may never in my life, but I can quote the whole show for you because of the video. Another favorite of mine is Chess, fairly lesser-known by all accounts, but thanks to the In Concert version with Josh Groban, Adam Pascal, and Idina Menzel, I get to enjoy it and can also quote the whole show. Similarly to Into the Woods, I likely will never get the chance to see this one live. Whether it's a professional recording of the proper show (as with Into the Woods) or an In Concert version (Chess and Les Miserables just to name two), it gives a chance for everyone to see this in a method that has potential to give royalties to those who helped to make it. In my dreams, I live in a world where Aida, Wicked, and The Lion King got official video recordings that I could watch anytime. I was lucky enough to get to see each of those live (Aida OBC, Wicked tour (twice), and The Lion King on Broadway a few years after opening night) but I would give anything to be able to sit back and enjoy the simplistic yet imaginative sets of Aida (ESPECIALLY the backdrop "pool" set preceding My Strongest Suit), the whimsical and entrancing puppets/costumes of The Lion King, or the absolutely jaw-dropping moment Elphaba takes to the skies. Those visuals remain with me even nearly two decades after seeing some of them... but the chance to relive them again and again and again... that would be perfection.
so like if theres a show that just got on Broadway they should properly record it and after everyone in the obc is gone they can put it on BroadwayHD. idk thats what i think they should do
i live only two hours away from NYC by train and have gone all my life. but some times you just cant see a certain show because of your age or just being able to get around to it. Then and only do i watch bootlegs because then and only then will i watch a bootleg. i dont see like listening to the cast recording before i see a show so i only watch a bootleg if i never saw it on broadway and its very unlikely for there to be a revival in the next 15 years. i also think a bootleg should only be posted online after the show has closed
I understand the principle that broadway bootlegs are wrong. Show creators and the whole production team and cast of a show invest so much into making it successful, so they of course deserve the revenue generated. However, theatre is so elitist. The major shows are concentrated in small areas across the globe (Broadway and the West End) and ticket prices are ridiculously high. Bootlegs make theatre readily available to a wider audience which I think is why theatre is making a come back in pop culture, especially amongst younger audiences (think Hamilton and how huge its teenage fanbase is). I'd have never been such a huge fan of theatre without bootlegs. One of my favourite shows of all time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, came into my life through a bootleg and I cannot live without it. Bootlegs aren't ideal, but without them, theatre would be so much less ingrained in popular culture as it is today.
Personally, I think the best solution is to do what Newsies and Allegiance did and put professionally recorded versions out after the show has closed (or, alternately, after the original cast has left) when people can't see it live anymore, eliminating the worry about people not paying for the live experience. The production makes money, those who can't see the show live are satisfied. It's a win-win.
Melody Dyk I was, unfortunately, unable to catch the show in Theaters but I fully intend to buy the digital version when that comes out. I actually collect DVDs/Blu rays of movie musicals and professionally filmed stage musicals, partly because I love them, and partly because I want to support them on principle. I only watch bootlegs when I have no other option.
I get why Broadway doesn't want bootlegs around. But I'm one of those people who doesn't have the free time or finances to go to New York even once, let alone enough times to see all the shows I love. I love theatre but have no access to it where I am. Does that mean I just have to go without? Maybe if they had special event screenings of musicals like they've recently done with Newsies in movie theaters.... but until that becomes mainstream, I'll be watching bootlegs.
I think all Broadway shows should be filmed professionally and about a year after the show closes, they should put them in movie theatres, like when Disney released Newsies to theatres
Then it doesn't stop people from spending money on tickets for live theatre, but when it does finally close, everyone who didn't get to see it live can still experience it
MnMsandOreos YOU GENIUS
burningphoenix36 I like to think so ;)
I love that idea, but like he said in the video, it costs money to do that. Think about a small musical that closes quickly, an example I can think of is First Date. This musical is not earth shattering, it probably wouldn't be considered high art, and it is unlikely it will ever be revived on Broadway. It also closed quickly, meaning that it is unlikely is recouped its investment, so there isn't any spare money floating around. There will never be an official DVD made of this show, but there is a widely available, decent quality bootleg of the original cast, that ensures that this show will find an ongoing audience, and will continue to have an impact. I watched this on youtube a year or two ago, enjoyed it, and bought a few of the songs from the album on iTunes, therefore providing revenue that the show otherwise would not have received.
So while I 100% agree that professional recordings are amazing and examples like Newsies or the original cast of Into the Woods are incredible, it costs money to do that, so its extremely likely that only already successful shows that will get revivals and be reproduced around the world will actually get that treatment.
That's what they do in Japan. They also have a lot more musicals... okay, I've never actually seen any of the Prince of Tennis musicals, and they're probably all awful compared to Broadway, but the point is, there are like 20 of them, and they all had limited runs + DVD release, as opposed to open runs. I think that's a better business model.
I like bootlegs. I will never record a show myself though. If i stumble upon a bootleg, i will definitely see it.
Being from outside of NY and having only gone twice, I'll proudly admit that I'm a bootleg fan. It's general knowledge that what is recorded on film will never come close to seeing a show live, so most people who watch bootlegs of shows will see the show live regardless when they get the chance. And let's face it, a moderately-successful show run is only about 1-3 years tops. If you physically aren't able to make it to NYC by the time a show is over, you wouldn't be able to support the show by paying to watch it live regardless, bootleg or no bootleg. So what's the harm if there was never a loss of consumers to begin with?
This isn't a new phenomenon. You can find bootlegged shows from the 80's, and attendance and business records have continued to remain stable, if not greater due to bootlegs being free publicity. I do have _some_ discretions though....
For one, I don't think it's right to sell or privately trade bootlegs. That is taking what the Broadway performers are being paid to do and monopolizing it for yourself. Either post the bootleg for everyone to see for free, or don't bother making a bootleg at all.
Another thing would be to be mindful of the performers and the people sitting next to you while filming. Don't sit in the front rows. Cover any lights your camera makes with a piece of cloth. Be willing to sacrifice camera quality if it means not doing so will disrupt those around you. Stuff like that. Like I said, bootlegs aren't a new phenomenon. It's just that bootleggers have become a lot more obnoxious now since many of them nowadays don't follow common courtesy. There's a way to film a show and show respect to the audience and performers; it's real and it's been done before.
I agree. I have been in this situation: I just found out about a show, perhaps bought the soundtrack, just to learn that the show has already ended (Sideshow and Bonnie and Clyde). We live about 3 hours from Broadway, but we can't go without some planning. Having a "professional" copy of the show, for sale, would bring in a great deal of money for the show. I don't know all the copyright laws for this, couldn't it be in general performer contract that at some point the show will be filmed and those performers will be compensated.
Alana D i strongly agree that bootlegs are great. For the show and for the fans. I personally live in Spain so I find it very imposible going to Broadway and watch all the shows I wanna watch and bootlegs are the closest thing I have.
On the strange case that Broadway shows come to Spain, when they do they translate the songs, which is just terrible.
And the fact that I watch bootlegs doesn't make me wanna go less to the theater and watch the show live. It makes me wanna go even more.
Alana D I totally agree, because as a person living in central america, I certainly find it hard to make it to New York, so I turn to bootlegs. Also, even though I have watched a show thousands of times, when given the opportunity, I will pay as much money as it takes to go watch it live, because I want the full experience.
I live in New Zealand and i'm 17 years old. I have next to no way of going to see a broadway show (It is my dream to go and see one live one day of course) but the only way for me to see these shows is to watch bootlegs unless they have a movie version or recording.
I find a lot of the time people who are vehemently against bootlegs in all situations are people who have the luxury to see Broadway shows often. When people act so melodramatic about bootlegs, it can start to sound rather... privileged.
I get how bootlegs are risky to the bottom line but honestly a bootleg copy of the original Broadway cast production of Wicked led myself and three friends to become so captivated by the show that we drove 12 hours and set down a huge chunk of change to see it. I search for bootlegs because it reveals a shadow, a glimmer of that amazing show that I won't be able to see until it comes on tour. I also want to be able to witness the original cast in its glory. I wouldn't love Urinetown, Wicked, or Drowsy Chaperone if I hadn't first witnessed it through a grainy pixelated bootleg that got me hooked.
When BroadwayHD was ready to come out. I was looking forward and expecting to see titles "Wicked", "Phantom" & so many more. But sadly in reality that was not the case. BroadwayHD could have been an amazing experience for a lot of people.
Now on to Bootlegs. My first Broadway show was The Phantom of the Opera, and it was expensive. A lot of people can't afford a trip to New York and or even the prices they charged for seats. It's too damn expensive.
As a person who grew up around Broadway, I had dreams. I still to this day dream of seeing Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford in The Phantom of the Opera, but I know that will never happen. I dream of seeing Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth. The first taste of Wicked, was when they performed at the Tony's. A few months ago, someone uploaded the full length recording of Wicked, featuring Idina Menzel and Kristin Chenoweth, and let me tell you it was extremely magical for me. Throughout the entire recording all I felt was joy.
When Andrew Lloyd Webber came out with a recording of CATS on VHS. Seeing that amazing cast and being blown away by Elaine Paige. Her performance of Memory, still do this day touches me deeply.
When Stephen Sondheim came out with Into the Woods. The performances of Bernadette Petters as the Witch, and the other professional recordings of the show. Sweeney Todd as well.
Rent, with the new cast and the original.
What I am getting at, those performing are being captured forever, touching everyone, changing people lives, making people dream. For people who can't afford to see musicals/plays, we will never experience those heart breaking, magic making, life changing performances. And knowing that those actors/actress who have been filmed performing. Those amazing performances are being captured in time for millions of us.
By forcing or making Broadway exclusive only for the ones who can afford it, limits Broadway.
We need to inspire the world, we need to inspire the youth, we need to inspire everyone.
I live in Mexico. I think it's an understatement to say that I wouldn't be able to attend a Broadway show. And yes, I've seen bootlegs.
That doesn't mean I'm not going to watch a show if I ever have the chance to. So I don't think I quite understand why people say it affects the show if I'm not going to be watching it live either way, having a bootleg or not.
It's also hard for some people who live in NYC like myself. Broadway shows are expensive like hamilton tickets are over $ 1000 now. The thing is we have bills to pay, school, food and other materials and necessities. Bootlegs are the only alternatives that are available. Of course if i'm lucky enough to win tickets at a lottery, i would rather go with a good friend or family member see a show live than sitting on my couch watching a crappy video. They can't blame us. We live in the real world.
"Carrie The Musical" survived thanks to Bootlegs.
Shane McAndrew and what's her name Chelina? i believe the one who replaced who plays Carole King? My parents knew her before that and got to chill with her backstage afterwards that's besides the point, the point is she is an amazing singer.
So here's what I think about bootlegs.
I am a firm supporter of bootlegs - I'd never see any shows otherwise. I think that bootlegs are a band-aid solution to a greater problem - availability of art.
Now, when I say this, hear me out. People who generate and perform art have become elitist. Broadway theatre has segregated itself from society.
Remember the 50's, when Broadway WAS entertainment - movie musicals were run-of-the-mill, showtunes were Top 40 radio, and culture - high culture of acting, singing, and dancing - permeated every outlet.
Now what we see is that Broadway shows are the unattainable - the Holy Grail of culture for the rich and fortunate. Tickets are crazy expensive, it's rare to meet a true musical theatre fan, and movie musicals are once-every-two-years and it's a huge event when one comes out! Broadway elitism even is evident in the wild price range between a membership to Netflix and a Membership to BroadwayHD.
But what happens when high culture isn't the cultural norm? We get what we have today - low-brow comedy, shoot-em-up action, autotuned vocals, cheap soap drama, and nonstop CGI as opposed to real intellectual characters, true drama, and meaningful culture. We get Nicki Minaj when we can't have Nikki M. James.
I think BroadwayHD is good in its intent, but the problem is, it's so limited to things that are already largely public domain, such as Shakespeare.
So what's the solution. I think that it should change to Lincoln Center Online. All these shows and all these musicals are available online to stream with a membership. Because what good are all those filmed musicals doing, sitting in a dusty archive where almost no one can get at them?
Those are my thoughts. TLDR - Broadway has become too high and mighty, and bootlegs are the band-aid solution. We have to offer Broadway culture more openly to save the decline of culture.
@ Musketeet: Yeah, if you love the sound of fingernails on chalkboards.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Nicki Minaj (a rapper) to a broadway actress. Js
I mean i agree. Lincoln center is for preservation but what's the point of not showing them to people. The point of recording broadway shows is for people who didn't have a chance to go to broadway and for new generations to see them and view them. By completely isolating those recordings, people will forget about shows and what sources do us the new theatre fans have???
I‘m very much with you on that one, but here in Germany, you can see Sweeney Todd for less than 8€ if you’re a student and less than 15€ else. It’s literally state-sponsored so that it’s attainable.
some of us are just too poor to fly to NYC from across the country (in my case) or overseas (in my friend's case) much less be able to afford show tickets. Bootlegs are all we have, and if our favorite shows were available for purchase on a professional legal recording I know I would happily pay for it. Unfortunately that's not the case :/
i never would have seen, Wicked, If/Then, Waitress, Hedwig, West End Phantom, Kiss of the Spider woman, Even August Osage County with Amy Morten! i live in Arizona, Bootlegs is all i have.
Same. I fell in love with Hedwig after seeing the bootleg of Darren Criss (whom I have been a huge fan of since 2010) in the role because I wasn't able to see it in person for multiple reasons. Watching that led me to watch bootlegs of every other performer in the Broadway version except Taye Diggs (including one from when JCM did the show on crutches), and later tracking down a DVD copy of the movie on Amazon and buying the NPH version of the soundtrack on iTunes. I'm willing to spend money on shows that I love. The problem is I rarely get the opportunity to, outside of buying the soundtracks.
Hamilton was my latest find. Shhhhhh..... lol
My friend and I watched that like a year ago when the bootleg first came out. lol oops. Still planning to see it when it comes to Minneapolis next season tho. One of my friends and I promised each other we'd see it live together. Plus, I already own both a physical copy of the soundtrack and the giant coffee table book. So no one can claim I haven't given the show money in some way.
Joseph Lewis Quinn, where where where did you find Hamilton??
on youtube. lol also stagedork.com
I live in Australia. I love musicals, and I see pretty much every musical that opens in my city, which luckily is a lot, but realistically it is 4-5 years after a show opens on broadway that they come here, and even then its only the big ones- Book of Mormon and Kinky Boots both opened here a few months ago (they won Best musical in 2011 and 2013 respectively). I watch every bootleg I can get my hands on, but that doesn't stop me from going to shows when I get the chance, it just makes me more interested!
Plus, unless you are in New York the year a show opens, you'll never see the original cast, and bootlegs are a great chance to see them perform, with the original staging etc.
One of the things that frustrates me the most about this is the elitism that comes with it. I love Hamilton (not really a huge surprise there though) but I feel like it definitely has a feel of elitism to it. Lin Manuel Miranda has spoken out about bootlegs countless times because he feels like his art shouldn't be reduced down to a terrible iPhone recording, and I agree. A bootleg will never do a performance justice even if it is considered a 'good' one.
However, what bugged me was when he made promises of a professional recording of the original cast being released in the near future. It was recorded last summer and no one has heard anything since of when it would actually be released. He has said that he wouldn't consider a film for at least another ten years or so. So what do people do? Sure, there's the Hamilton tour and sure there's the London production but they sell out immediately and usually at an expensive price. You could argue that there are legal performances from the Tony Awards but that's not the whole show and it's nowhere near as good as seeing the whole story.
I understand that he wants to make sure that Hamilton stays exclusive and it keeps selling out every night but he cannot have it both ways. When you create one of the most popular musicals in years you can't expect that people will be happy to wait ten years to see a professional recording. You can't expect that they'll be satisfied with a documentary as opposed to the actual show. I visited New York last February and whilst I was there I entered the lottery every day along with everyone else in my family but we didn't get tickets. When I returned home I didn't watch the bootleg because I was promised a professional recording so I decided to wait. Now it is well over a year later and there is no sign of it ever being released and I've lost interest in Hamilton.
Producers need to be wary of the fine line between filling the seats and losing their audience. Hamilton won't live on forever and he can't expect that his fans will stick around for ten years to see a film version that may never come. Surely the best way to capitalise on the success would be to release a version now? When you're filling the seats every night and have a queue round the block for the cancellation line, releasing a professional version will not be the death of your show.
The way that I see it, it's just like a cast recording. If people love your show they will buy it. If people feel neutral about your show, they'll probably buy it just to check it out. You're not going to particularly lose out because there are billions of people around the world who were never going to see your show anyway so by releasing a recording of the show you are at least getting a revenue from some of them. The only people who watch bootlegs (well usually) are musical theatre fans. They are the people who would know the ins and outs of every performance. They are the people who love the feeling and experience of live theatre. You are not going to lose a ticket from these people because they know that seeing it live is always better than a bad recording from someone's phone where you can't hear the performers or the screen is always blurry. Releasing a professional recording just means that you'll get money from something that they did illegally before.
Emily Coates i do think that professionally recorded things are a great idea (like newsies and other shows,) but you also have to remember that show is still selling out. Tickets for hamilton still go for $500 at least. people are still breaking their necks for tickets so you can't be mad that the professional recording isn't out yet. if people could get a recording of the obc for $40, they wouldn't pay $500 to go see it.
It comes out in 2020/21 oops
hey, guess what? it's way too late but at least it's here now on disney +
I definitely understand and agree with people that believe bootlegs to be completely unacceptable, you are totally right when you say that theater thrives on exclusivity and that is why I definitely understand and don't argue with the position of those against bootlegs. HOWEVER, I have been a theater (specifically Broadway) lover for as long as I can remember, yet this year was the first I've EVER set foot in New York City and got the chance to see a LIVE Broadway show. Now, I live in Mexico and if it weren't for the concept of bootlegs, I literally wouldn't know ANY of the musicals I now know and love, or any of the Broadway performers I so admire. Also, if bootlegs didn't exist, we wouldn't be able to attest to some of the most amazing performances by Broadway legends that existed way before our time like Elaine Stritch or Angela Lansbury. So, regarding your last question: yes, there should be some kind of legal way to distribute taped Broadway shows that can benefit both parties.
So idea: One company (similar in a way to netflix), charges a low, flat rate to go and film shows in their original/ current state (Similar to an Original Broadway Cast Recording. Make it a special viewing night, (maybe just friends/ family?/ special donators?) good crowd for best audience reaction.). Have it uploaded a set time after the show closes (a few months or a year, so as to push people to see it live instead of waiting), or if it's a long-running show, once the rights to perform at theaters other than on Broadway are released, or at anniversary marks (5th, 10th, etc.)If a tour group sets out after the closing of a show, the release gets pushed until after the tour closes. Re-filmings can be done with changing leads or celebrity guests, but only with producer's say so. Excess unsold merch from after a run can be linked to and sold on website, as well as cast recordings, as they're best advertised there. It would need donations to startup, but could work? Thoughts?
It's not always Broadway either; a lot of shows that I've collected bootlegs of are inaccessible to me by simply being performed in other continents. Tanz der Vampire will never cross over to Broadway again (probably for the best, lbr), same with Elisabeth, or the Death Note musical. My hope is to see them one day, but realistically it probably won't happen. Bootlegs are all I have to go by for these amazing shows.
those of us who hunt down boots would see shows live if the option was there, the same goes for pro recordings so the financial argument doesn't wash. legal recording would allow the regular bootleg viewer to support and enjoy this art form we all love so much,but right now bootlegs for the most part are what we've got
Seeing a bootleg is like looking at a time capsule of something I never got to see.
Every bootleg I have ever watched, I have gone to see the show when it was in town. If I'm not willing to spend the money on the ticket, I won't watch the bootleg. However, the logistics of traveling to New York are costly (not just in money, but I'd have to take vacation time which is a premium for me since I live far from my family and most of my friends). But I'm the type of person who will listen to a cast recording on repeat for days (weeks) at a time. When the cinematic release of Newsies came out, I saw 3 out of the 4 showings. When Matilda came to town, I paid for 3.5 tickets so I could go with some of my friends/family. When Something Rotten came, I went by myself because seeing the play in person at all was better than not seeing it, even if I didn't know anyone else who was interested and lived within a 5 state radius.
I'll watch the bootlegs, but you can be damn sure I'm gonna shell out the money for the seat when the show is on tour near me or if I happen to get to NYC.
If you watched a bootleg of Kinky Boots, would it be a Kinky Bootleg?
Violet Cherries well done. :)
Violet Cherries lol
Quentin Crisp himself couldn't have said it better.
It's odd that they don't just film their last show. I've seen musicals from Japan charge $60 for a DVD with backstage interviews and all.
Every time a show is closing it is filmed in hd and is posted on a Broadway Netflix
It's not like you're recieving a full theatrical experience for free through bootlegs, either. Seeing a show live is sooo much more immersive and different, so while you get to "see" the entire show, it's not fair for bootlegs to be called out as fully filmed experiences being handed out, because you can't truly film a theatrical experience.
A few years go i came across a site that had bootlegs. As a theater kid who lives in Argentina this was like finding the Holy Grail for me. I could finally watch the shows i've heard wonders of, and listened to the cast recordings. It wasn't HD, yes, but it was the best i could have without money to travel to new york, or pay my stay, or pay a ticket.
On this site i finally watched Aladdin. I was absolutely blown away. I watched five times. And you know what happened when i finally had the opportunity to go to NY and watch a musical (only one, cause we didn't have that kind of money)? I begged my sister to go watch Aladdin. Yes, the one bootleg i watched five times. Why? Cause the more i watched in a shitty quality the more i wanted to see it live, cause i freaking loved it and i wanted to finally live the whole experience.
So we went. We bought the tickets, we watched it and i ended up loving it more than i did before. I even bought a freaking expensive t-shirt after, cause i wanted to remember everything. We entered the lotteries avaliable after, but we won none.
So yeah, people who love musicals and can go watch them live will do it. People who can't will keep looking for bootlegs cause that's the only way we can.
I'm a musical nerd, i sing and dance and act and my ultimate dream is to perform in Brodway. And i'll always be pro-bootlegs.
I would love to go to Broadway, only problem is, I live in the Netherlands, so yeah...
know the feeling
I live in PERU
There are broadway ACTION FIGURES!?
(I promise to post intellectually on Reddit.)
But seriously...are there?
You can't compare it to film streaming in prices because a movie is 11 bucks. A show is 100
jaden huynh most immediate releases of movies are in the 40 dollar range AND WHAT BROADWAY SHOW IS 100 DOLLARS THAT IS SOOO LOW!
I love in italy so for me is kinda difficult be in nyc every day for watching a show.. i've been to london twice for some shows and i never record but i think that bootleg are useful to people like me!
Here in italy we don't have that love for musical theatre.. there aren't many shows and most of the time they translate songs (EW) so bootleg save my love for musical theatre
Some people can't buy tickets to Broadway, but even if you find bootlegs, you probably still would never turn down a ticket. For example Hamilton. Those tickets are VERY expensive. If you go through the pain to find that bootleg, then you are probably a big fan and would take the option to see it live any day. nothing is taken away from Broadway shows besides where its viewed.
I live in a remote town in Australia with a family who are in an inescapable financial well. If bootlegs didn't exist, I would never have become as invested in musical theatre as I am now. I shamelessly watch bootlegs and though I understand the financial elements of the matter, if Hamilton came to Australia, you can sure as hell bet I'd sell everything I own to go see it, despite having listened to the cast recording dozens of times and seen the bootleg more times than I can count. Bootlegs might not be the greatest option, but for the less fortunate, they're all we've got.
There should be more dvd versions like the 25th anniversary performance dvds. My school is going to show it to the cast so that they can learn the plot and pacing as well as costume ideas.
I live in the countryside of Brazil (IN AMAZON RAINFORREST!), so bootlegs and musical movies are all I have. This year is the first time I can go to São Paulo - there's currently a superproduction of Les Mis and I, an actual Les Mis fan, will enjoy the play way more than my internet friend that lives there and have never seen the show.
I just hope Wicked and Phantom of the Opera aren't gone before I can FINALLY be able go to Broadway.
+Diego Magana Wicked and Phantom aren't going anywhere anytime soon. The Majestic Theatre is actually classified as a national landmark now, so the building can't be renovated or remodeled, so all the sets and decor for Phantom can't be taken down. Phantom is basically up for good. As for Wicked, they grossed one billion dollars in record time. Only 2 other shows have ever made that much. They are both here to stay.
Okay... I'm the "newsies trash," and honestly, I don't know where I'd be without newsies bootlegs. Like, discovering that show through bootlegs quite literally saved and changed my life, and since first watching it I've seen the show twice (including taking a 15 hour trip to see my favorite actor on tour before it closed) and spent like $200 on merch at the shows, and I've preordered the professional recording... I wouldn't have it in my life without bootlegs, and I wouldn't have spent any money on it, so it's tough. I'm actually going to Broadway for the first time in my life to see Bandstand, primarily because Corey Cott stars in it.
Honestly, I from a small town and musicals don't come around often. It's always classics. I watch them, never record but I buy the soundtrack so they still get some money
I like bootlegs... I will still go and see the show whenever I can, no matter how many bootlegs of the same show with different casts I see, I still want to be there.
BroadwayHD needs to find out ways to look for getting the rights to use the filmed versions of CLOSED shows that the nypl has in the archives. That would get people to pay the 15. if youre trying to atttract a now contemporary audience with only a few contemporary things, its not gonna work.
my problem is that switzerland probably doesnt even know what the word musical means and i have no chance to go to broadway anytime soon
I’m so divided on this topic, I can see both sides so clearly. I’ll only watch a bootleg if there’s no way in any universe that I could see that production live, and even then I feel a bit guilty, but it brings me so much joy to watch them. I’m very, very undecided.
The ending was priceless. That songs really fun
Speaking personally, I would absolutely go to see a live performance over a bootleg given the chance, but as an MT student, bootlegs have been immensely helpful for me and my class to learn as we go. We don't have professional choreographers and directing is done by either our tutors or ourselves, and knowing that we have a point of reference takes a lot of weight on our shoulders.
Granted, having access to an official recording of a Broadway performance would be amazing, it isn't always an option, so we have to take what we can get.
if someone provides high quality professionally filmed performances, do you know how many people would pay for that?
Yes. It would attract people all around the world.
I seen a Hamilton bootleg but it's with the original cast and i can't see Hamilton until the 2018-2019 tour. I sometimes feel wrong watching them but I support them. I don't watch it all the time but I might of watch the Hamilton bootleg 3 times to see if they work. I would never share them tho.
As someone lucky enough to be close to NYC to go see a live Broadway show when I want I have been asked many many times by friends who can't due to location or finances why once a production closes are the professional recordings that ARE made of so many shows (as mentioned at the NYC library) not available for streaming online SOMEWHERE for a fee?! As an example I LOVED Grey Gardens with Christine Ebersole. It's done. It's not coming back. I know the production was professionally recorded and I rave to friends about it. Why can't I even pay $9.95 and stream it to show them? Sure it may be sitting in the NYC library and I may find clips on UA-cam but there is a audience willing to pay to watch these at home when you can't buy tickets anymore. Never understood in 2017 why this stuff is so hard to watch. That feeds bootlegs.
I live in St Louis for most of the year, and we have Fox theater, but I've never been there. In the summer I live in Memphis, and that's where I have done all of my actual theater musicals. The only musical I've seen in real life was the touring cast of Chitty that we just barely stumbled on in our trip to the UK. I was honored because my dream role has been Truly and I absolutely adore Carrie Fletcher, but bootlegs are nice to see. Sometimes it's nice to see the actual characters that match the voices I've heard so many times.
Yeah, this is a complicated issue to me as well! I don't personally have any guilt in watching bootlegs, because I can honestly say that there has never once been a case where I've seen a bootleg of a show and it HASN'T only made me want to see it live all the more. Since bootlegs can often take a bit of searching to find, I only really seek out the ones I'm already very interested in, and even the relatively very good quality ones still only make me that much more determined to see the show live. Because I've sat in the front row watching Spring Awakening and Next to Normal and Gypsy, and all these incredible shows, and nothing will *eeever* compare to the magic of actually feeling that energy coming off the stage.
Maybe people who have never been able to see an incredible live theater production might think the bootleg would suffice, but for me, I become obsessed with a show through the bootleg and all I can think about is how incredible it would be to experience that performance live right in front of me like I did with the aforementioned shows.
On the other hand, when people start going off on Lin-Manuel Miranda as if he's just soooo unfair for asking people not to spread bootlegs, I'm like.... no show creator is ever actually going to condone bootlegs?? It's their work, and bootlegs ARE in fact illegal, and I do understand from a creative standpoint why they would like people to experience the story first live the way it was intended to be experienced?
So I guess my view on it is... I personally am super grateful for bootlegs, but also understand theater creators not wanting to see them, and if nothing else I have no problem keeping them under the radar a bit so that we fans can enjoy them but the creators don't have to be blasted with videos/gifs/etc. of their shows being illegally recorded whenever they go on social media. I know that probably sounds hypocritical, but it's just a complicated conversation for me, because, yeah, I friggin appreciate bootlegs so much :) But again, that's because they ALWAYS make me want to see the shows live all the more, and I'm also not about to chastise people creators like LMM for not supporting something that's technically illegal!
Bootlegs, as far as I can see, have zero negative impact on box office of shows. If anything it's the opposite. Bootlegs are either ways for fans to relive the production they saw, see a production that is closed already, or flames the fire of their passion and obsession with a show that they will absolutely see live for money if given the chance, or will make fans more inclined to go out of their way to pay for it. I don't think anyone sees bootlegs (many of which are no where near professional quality enough to make it seem like you really saw the show) as a replacement for seeing it live, whether with the production that was bootlegged or a another cast or a tour or a local production - you're bound to buy a ticket somewhere for the show. And the biggest argument for them is for history! Bootleg videos do what should have been happening all these years - documenting and archiving the amazing work done on Broadway (and beyond), and the artistry of it that goes beyond what can be communicated in a cast recording. The laws against it are ridiculous and they should be changed so that recording shows professionally can be easier. But filming a show professionally is expensive even if you take away the legal issues. So I think the broadway community should embrace bootlegs, especially for shows that have closed. The worst thing is when there was a brilliant production and there is no video of it available, or no good one, then it is lost except for the memory of the relatively few people who got to see it (and the even fewer who get approved to watch the archival video at Lincoln Center Library).
We also have to mention the immense pressure placed on musical theatre fans by other fans to have seen shows to be a "real" fan.
literally to the right of the video, an ad for Broadway HD
I love bootlegs they're a huge guilty pleasure of mine. And no NOTHING comes close to seeing a live broadway (or touring) show live. However, if I see a bootleg pop up on UA-cam I'm gonna for sure watch it. Hell yeah. There's tons of OBC soundtracks on my phone of shows that I've never seen because they've all closed.... 9 To 5, Aida, Drowsy Chaperone, Sister Act, Little Mermaid, Footloose, Spring Awakening, Promises Promises and SO MANY MORE! So is getting to see it on a blurry dodgy phone camera with eh quality great? No but it's as close as I'm gonna get to it. And other times I'll watch one of a show I don't know much about and fall in love. And if I'm in a production of a musical I'm gonna wanna do some research of what it looked like on broadway so yeah that too. I'm way too scared to film anything on stage so I'll never make one in my life but watching them is amazing.
Sorry, just gotta pause. You mentioned that the Newsies Fans that film the shows are probably the "bottom line" for their sales. "The Bottom Line". Not sure if you meant it, but nice pun :D
Look. I live in Mallorca. I think I’ll probably never go to NY, so yep, bootlegs are life
If the production is still running in New York, I am lucky enough to live right next to NYC and can/will go see it. But if the show has since closed, and I wasn't able to see it, and a decent filmed version is available, I will watch it without hesitation.
I watch bootlegs because I can't see shows due to financial issues and distance country wise. It's the only way I can see the shows and they still make my cry and they give me goosebumps.
Digital theatre is the site that is doing the same as BroadwayHD but doing it properly. There's not loads of titles and they only add a few a year. But you pay for each title individually, no subscription. And they're all live theatre performances.
I've always wished they would film popular Broadway plays/musical productions in their theatre settings so that they can be viewed in IMAX theaters, much like they've done for some operas, so the works could reach a much wider audience and reach more people who've never seen a play or musical before. That way 90% of the country who doesn't live in NYC or have the luxury of being able to go there to see a play, or who can't afford to buy a ticket for an NYC production or other productions around the country, could finally have access to seeing these professional productions that we all hear raved about but know we'll never get the opportunity to see because of location, distance, and cost. I just imagine going to an IMAX and the show beginning and there I am looking at a stage just like I would be at an actual performance. No close up shots, cut-aways, or different camera angles, but just the production as you would experience it being at an actual live performance. I'd be a way for people, no matter what part of the country they live in, to finally be able to see a Hamilton, or Wicked, or whatever the current buzz is that's blowing Broadway away, and get to see it for a reasonable price. It would widen the audiences, revive an interest in theatre, not to mention bring more money in for the productions.
I live in Colorado. I'm lucky to have the DCPA nearby to see shows. But I don't cause I can't afford it. I only see shows "regularly" if I'm in one of the theatre electives and we get tickets to a matinee of Christmas Carol or Secret Garden. I see my friends go and see Waitress FOUR TIMES on tour in town while the only way I might see the Dirty Dancing "musical" and some smaller shows is if I save the money myself or I get a groupon. Lucky me that my mom got a groupon for my family to go see Newsies a couple years ago. That's the only "real" musical I've ever seen and it was discount tickets and it was up in the balcony and in the very back where I could barely see their little bodies. Bootlegs are the only thing I've got.
We down in the UK have just had the Wind in the Willows musical in the west end (which I saw on closing night and LOVED) which is being filmed for broadwayhd although I'm going with the option to purchase the show on its own instead of paying a subscription to the service
I realize that the exclusivity of theater drives sales, but I cannot understand why a show recording would not be made and sold at some point. I live in the middle of nowhere with no way of viewing a show without buying an expensive plane ticket plus the likely expensive show ticket. I look to In The Heights, for example. It's an amazing show that's closed now, but no recordings have been officially released. Of course people are going to find the bootleg! Why not keep the revenue flowing and release an official copy since the only way to view it is through a bootleg. I know nearly all the people who watched that bootleg would gladly pay to see a good recording. I'll just never understand why productions don't take advantage of this.
I've watched the video just now and I'm coming late in the game, but I live in Brazil. There's no way for a middle class Brazillian that lives here to watch Broadway shows every season, we can't even watch the ones they remake in São Paulo every season if we live in other cities. So bootlegs are a way of not only having access to theses shows, sometimes watching them with subtitles, and even getting people into musical theater, so when they do get to go to NY they're probably buying a ticket to see a show. I wish I could see more official recordings, but that too would be of newer shoes only.
People who are going to watch bootlegs are probably looking to watch shows that are not on BroadwayHD. They want to see Hamilton or Wicked, not Gypsy or Shakespeare. BroadwayHD isn't going to be successful in the long run, because they will not be able/willing to release such shows, and viewers aren't going to want what BHD has to offer.
I'm from Brazil - and not São Paulo or Rio, the big, sometimes-we-do-have-musicals cities. Going to the US or UK is not really an easy thing to do, and it costs a lot; the few professional recordings that could, in theory, be bought, have to come from abroad, and the shipping and taxes are much more than what a broke college student can afford. So, in order to watch musicals, I either hunt down the few DVD's for sale in my country, the couple of titles that Netflix sometimes has, or go for the bootlegs. A Netflix-style place for Broadway musicals would be amazing, as long as it had Netflix-like prices.
As far as the profits go... Yeah, it's kinda crappy to watch something that cost a lot to make, no to mention all the time and work put into, for free. But in my case, and that of most people like me, who live far away from NY or London, we're not giving up on watching the real thing and, as such, not paying what we would. Without the bootlegs, we simply wouldn't watch it. There's no money being taken away, because there never was a way to give it in the first place. And, if there was an affordable professional recording - or, for that matter, a live performance near us -, why the hell would we watch terrible cellphone recordings? They're usually not very good, you sometimes have to guess half the lines, the image can be overexposed and making the actors virtually unrecognizable. It's just that there's only that, or not watching musical theater at all.
So, long story short, I don't think bootlegs are a bad thing. They're pretty much a sign that Broadway, for all its beauty and worries in themes and productions, is still very difficult to access, and way too restrict. Yes, 100 years ago having a performance in a specific place, that's well known and well thought of, was enough. It isn't anymore. The world is a big place, but this form of art is very restrict and hard to come by, unless you're lucky enough to live near it. So, until the days of inclusive streaming ways, or at least a hell of a lot more distribution of the DVD's, bootlegs mut stay.
The National Theater puts out some great recordings of their Shakespeare shows and show them in movies theaters. I'd love to see Broadway recordings that looks as good as those. But maybe the recordings could only be released when the show closes? Like Netflix puts new seasons only when the season is over
One of the biggest obstacles to wider distribution of Broadway videos lays squarely with the producers and the unions: everyone is so very afraid that they'll lose even one penny - even after a show has closed! - that they refuse to allow this kind of option. I admit to a small collection of these, but only of shows that I know have already closed and will not go on tour - it's the only way I can see these.
Yep, bootlegs are a problem. But the producers and the unions arent helping any.
I hate the argument "People would choose a bootleg over a live performance"
The thing is, the people watching bootlegs would give anything to see the show live, and they can't because they're either too poor or too far away to see one live. If they had that money or lived that close they'd probably go see shows all the time!
I don't watch full-length bootlegs of Broadway shows. Sometimes I will watch bootlegs of individual songs, but rarely if ever a full show. I just generally prefer to either watch a professional, legal recording, or actually see the show live, which I consider a valid option since, while I currently lack the resources to attend Broadway, there are many local theater troupes that could perform these shows, even if it is a less reliable option.
I only ever watch theatre if:
1) The show closed and I'd never be able to see it
2) The show won't tour/won't come in my area
The only bootlegs I've watched so far are Fun Home and Waitress
You see, I'm from Spain, so musicals that arrive here have to be translated first and may take at best half a year, but at least they arrive (but only those that they actually bother translating, not many). However, this is only the case of Madrid and Barcelona, where they get to see a few musicals per city, some even of Spanish origin. But I'm from a little island reaaally far from the mainland so we are used to having just one musical land here every two or three years (no kidding) and they are of course the classics translated, such as Les Mis or The Sound of Music. So imagine how many YEARS I'd have to wait to see live musicals like The Book of Mormon, Dear Evan Hansen, Hamilton,.... So yeah, bootlegs kind of saved me. Spain is not really that interested in musical theatre
The reason that I see most often on the professional forums is that professionally filming a Broadway show is nearly impossible due to contractual obligations. Literally every single person in the cast, orchestra, stage crew, and creative team has to sign a contract and agree to compensation. The fact that it has been done shows that it can be done. The fact that it is not done very often shows how very difficult it is to negotiate all those contracts. Until Broadway producers learn how to navigate that minefield, I'm afraid bootlegs will continue to be with us. I would love to say the market for pro shot shows would be huge, but in reality it would be tiny compared to the market for blockbuster movies. The Broadway Cast Recording is a niche market that barely turns a profit. While theater nerds everywhere would love OBC films or videos of their favorite shows, the sad reality is that the number of theater nerds is minuscule compared to those who would rather see movies with car chases, explosions, and lots of murder and mayhem.
I love the Les Mis and Phantom anniversary DVDs but I can’t watch them. They’re uninteresting to watch on TV. I do, however think the way they filmed the Original Broadway Production it Passion was best, because it changed some stuff (like angles, etc) to make it more interesting for the screen.
I know that made no sense but whatever.
While I am not saying that I own bootlegs (that would be wrong), I will say that if I did, I make sure that any show I buy is no longer running. So if I want to watch Christina Applegate as "Sweet Charity" or David Hyde Pierce in "Curtains" I can do so with a clear piece of mind.
Newsies action figures: with smooth pape tearing action!
The biggest issue BroadwayHD faces is ownership of film rights. Many popular Broadway shows sell film rights separately from stage rights. If you want to film a stage production and legally publish it online then you will have to pay royalties to whomever owns the film rights to the play or musical. Wanna film a revival of Annie? Then pay off Sony Studios. Wanna film a production of Music Man or Sound of Music? Gotta pay the movie studios. Oh, and you will need a separate contract with the unions for filming and distributing a recording of a live performance (Equity and possibly the musicians union too).
To be honest, I really wish filming a show was as ubiquitous and cost effective as releasing a cast recording. Maybe a possible solution could be, with the success of the She Loves Me livestream, for BroadwayHD to offer discounted prices to shows that allow them to livestream a performance? (I really don't know how realistic this is, but it's an idea)
I love the theatre, but I'm a low wage earner in Kansas. I patronize local theatres when I can afford to, but have no access to any newer or less popular productions without bootlegs. It's somewhat ironic that performance art is portrayed in works such as Rent as an accessible art form for the masses, including the impoverished in alphabet city but the cost and location of new productions place them firmly out of reach for a majority of Americans. I support bootlegs to an extent because a lot of us don't have much of a choice. I'm not going to fly across the country and buy a ticket to a show, but I am willing to watch a much lower quality version of it from home and even talk about it with friends. The most broadway can hope for in terms of income from a consumer like me is for me to recommend a show to a friend or acquaintance who can actually buy a ticket, so I guess the people involved in the show gain slightly more from me watching a bootlegged play than they would from me not watching performances.
I understand why avoiding bootlegs is a good thing in a heavily capitalistic world. However, bootlegs are how a lot of closed kids or secret musical theatre nerds got access to musicals back about a decade ago. On a side note, Falsettoes on PBS, was put on Broadway HD, and I watched it there.
I think there should be a service called BroadwayVR not HD. The immersive experience of the theater could be more closely captured with VR.
i dont have time to give my full opinion on this bc i could say a lot but can i just say. if it is a show like newsies or tuck everlasting, both long since off broadway, newsies having changes depending on the varying cast members, tuck having only run for a short time, bootlegs can be useful. its not harming anyone since its not even on broadway anymore. and if someone is willing to pay the often times ridiculous costs of seeing a show, particularly on broadway, its unlikely theyre going to choose a blurry low quality video over the live experience
I feel like bootlegs are a necessary evil. For a theatre kid in rural illinois, stage productions are far and few between. My favorite staging of a musical ever is the 2005 revival of Sweeney Todd, and I never would have seen the production in it's entirety if it weren't for the closing night bootleg on UA-cam.
I live on the UK and will probably never get a chance to see a show on Broadway, unless they make it over to the west end, so I'll admit to clicking on the occasional bootleg for the opportunity to catch the shows to fill the void! Right or wrong? Not for me to answer but distributing them does add to a shows fanbase, so they can't be all bad, right?!
Like most people on here without bootlegs I wouldn't see the shows that I would want to see and might never get the chance to see them,I also know that it's never the same as seeing it live but seeing it even in bad quality is better than just wondering what the show would be like and listening to the show doesn't always gives the full impact of the show and I live in England and although the west end is such a great place to go and I love every time I go there some American shows I want to see might not come over so bootlegs are the only way am going to see them.
BroadwayHD needs a download option.
I have never seen a single broadway show. I just plain cant afford it as well as the fact that I'm really the only member of my family interested. So I LIVE on cast albums and the OCCASIONAL bootlegs. I feel bad, but sometimes you really want to see a show and I don't really have another option. For me, I'm very aware how important the exclusivity of Broadway is, but sometimes it really suck that I will never be able, at least until I can afford it, to know the full story of Hamilton or Wicked, because there are talking bits missing.
I use BroadwayHD because I primarily study Shakespeare, and the only reliably good films of Shakespeare are the BBC ones, and those were taken off amazon prime and are only on broadwayHD for steaming now. Simply because Shakespeare was written for the stage not the camera, but BBC still does a decent job. That's my main reason for using BroadwayHD
I love bootlegs. I watch them because I live all the way in California and can't afford to go to NYC or even see a show on Broadway. Trust me if I could I would see a show.
Geekymuffin4life Where do you find them?
I love bootlegs because I can't afford going to see a broadway musical. I can't even afford seeing an off broadway play. I could never have seen Dear Evan Hansen, Be More Chill, or Heathers without the bootlegs.
i know it's an old video but i really wanna weigh my two cents oon the issue- i do not live in or near america. I do not have enough money to fly to america. The only way i cn expiriance broadway at the moment are bootlegs.
Filming a show on a stationary-one camera-on-a-tripod is not expansive ( i know that becasue we recorded my highschool play in a pretty good quality and we paid maybe 50 bucks on it. if you sell the tapes in 5 bucks, you'll make a big revenue. if it's a small, short-running show i think that by releasing the tape after the show is over you can actually get MORE revenue! and you eliminate any problems with bootlegs because who wold even wanna record it if with 5 dollars you can get a good quality?
i have no ide a if anything i wrote made sense because i am so tired but... yeah
"Newsies Trash" - OMG!!! LMAO!! =D YESSS!!!! My name is Jennifer and I am "Newsies Trash"
I saw a bootleg of Fun Home, then went to see Fun Home, same with Hedwig.
I looked on the site before signing up and it looked like a decent amount of stuff... Until I logged in with a UK account and I can get about 6 things. I have been put off quite a bit by that!
Maybe a broadway HD service could record shows and refrain from making them available to the public until they have closed on broadway
I'm a proud bootleg watcher and I'm tired of people condemning bootlegs. Being an actor and theatre fan that grew up in a rural southern state, I didn't have the money or the location to go see a Broadway show. Bootlegs are ways for kids like I was to see their favorite Broadway shows. Crushing someone's dreams like that with arguments like "it's harmful to the actors" is awful. I hate it even more when actors condemn bootlegs, because either they grew up in New York and had parents that could take them to see shows regularly (but that's just the rich broadway baby people), or they were in the shoes of the bootleg watchers not that long ago. Bootlegs shouldn't be insulted or reprimanded, they should be celebrated. With bootlegs, theatre fans all over the world can experience the magic of theatre even if they're too poor or too far away to go see them themselves. Bootlegs are a portal to theatre, and nobody should ever close that portal.
There argument that broadway thrives on exclusivity is illogical when no other form of entertainment does. People can see sports events on TV, yet they still pay tickets to see it live. They can listen to music for free all day, yet still buy tickets for concerts. Do people avoid art museums and ignore the louvre because they already know what the Mona Lisa looks like? Comedians release stand-up DVDs, yet they still tour to sold out shows. Why is it so difficult for Broadway to understand that people place a high value on the unique ability to see something live? When something is made freely available and shown countless times, it doesn't make people less likely to see the live event. It gives the live event more value because it offers a unique opportunity that people repeatedly pay for the chance to experience.
Late to the party, only found your channel yesterday, but have already gone through MANY of your videos. On principal, I don't agree with bootlegs. Bootlegs is too close to piracy and my previous and my husband's current industry (video games) has rampant piracy that can cause many problems (different genre of entertainment, not gonna go into it). However, I am a huge proponent of trying to do official recordings of more Broadway shows. I grew up watching the Peters' Into the Woods and to this day it is still my favorite musical. I would never have gotten the chance to really enjoy this without the video recording. I've never gotten to see it live once and may never in my life, but I can quote the whole show for you because of the video. Another favorite of mine is Chess, fairly lesser-known by all accounts, but thanks to the In Concert version with Josh Groban, Adam Pascal, and Idina Menzel, I get to enjoy it and can also quote the whole show. Similarly to Into the Woods, I likely will never get the chance to see this one live. Whether it's a professional recording of the proper show (as with Into the Woods) or an In Concert version (Chess and Les Miserables just to name two), it gives a chance for everyone to see this in a method that has potential to give royalties to those who helped to make it.
In my dreams, I live in a world where Aida, Wicked, and The Lion King got official video recordings that I could watch anytime. I was lucky enough to get to see each of those live (Aida OBC, Wicked tour (twice), and The Lion King on Broadway a few years after opening night) but I would give anything to be able to sit back and enjoy the simplistic yet imaginative sets of Aida (ESPECIALLY the backdrop "pool" set preceding My Strongest Suit), the whimsical and entrancing puppets/costumes of The Lion King, or the absolutely jaw-dropping moment Elphaba takes to the skies. Those visuals remain with me even nearly two decades after seeing some of them... but the chance to relive them again and again and again... that would be perfection.
so like if theres a show that just got on Broadway they should properly record it and after everyone in the obc is gone they can put it on BroadwayHD. idk thats what i think they should do
I would never watch a bootleg musical! I’ve seen quite a few 4hr long slime tutorials though.
i live only two hours away from NYC by train and have gone all my life. but some times you just cant see a certain show because of your age or just being able to get around to it. Then and only do i watch bootlegs because then and only then will i watch a bootleg. i dont see like listening to the cast recording before i see a show so i only watch a bootleg if i never saw it on broadway and its very unlikely for there to be a revival in the next 15 years. i also think a bootleg should only be posted online after the show has closed
I understand the principle that broadway bootlegs are wrong. Show creators and the whole production team and cast of a show invest so much into making it successful, so they of course deserve the revenue generated. However, theatre is so elitist. The major shows are concentrated in small areas across the globe (Broadway and the West End) and ticket prices are ridiculously high. Bootlegs make theatre readily available to a wider audience which I think is why theatre is making a come back in pop culture, especially amongst younger audiences (think Hamilton and how huge its teenage fanbase is). I'd have never been such a huge fan of theatre without bootlegs. One of my favourite shows of all time, Hedwig and the Angry Inch, came into my life through a bootleg and I cannot live without it. Bootlegs aren't ideal, but without them, theatre would be so much less ingrained in popular culture as it is today.
I don't watch bootlegs myself but all my friends do lol. I used to watch bootlegs all the time but it made me feel bad so I stopped haha 😂