The Best Musicals Streaming Now
Check these out after you watch Hamilton this weekend
It’s well past time we did a musical edition of Do You Like Apples, and what better time than today, the day Hamilton goes up on Disney+. For those of us who have heard the endless praise but haven’t yet seen the Broadway musical, everyone can finally enjoy it for themselves (with a Disney+ subscription).
One of the biggest musical fans on planet Earth is our friend Becca Bergman. (Check out her graphic design work on our Instagram!). We wanted to give her the chance to recommend one of her favorite musicals streaming now, but first, here she is on why Hamilton is worth the hype:
Hamilton is impressive because Lin-Manuel Miranda read a biography on a dead president and said: “This is Tupac, this is Biggie, this is a hip-hop story,” and then wrote a musical about it. He took the overlooked parts of American history and somehow made them relevant while still keeping their accuracy. And, yes, it’s giving us Tupac, it’s giving us Biggie, hell, it’s giving us Beyoncé. You may be wondering: “A history hip-hop musical? How does this work?” Literally, no one knows. But it does. The show touches on so many important topics: ambition, satisfaction, forgiveness, legacy. It has already touched the lives of so many, and we are so excited for it to be available to so many more families via Disney+.
Becca recommends…
Newsies (streaming on Disney+)
Have you ever sat down to watch a movie and thought to yourself “I’m feeling Young-Christian-Bale-Hip-Thrust-Vibes tonight?” No? Just me? Newsies is an early 90s movie-musical loosely based on the New York City Newsboys strike of 1899. It was choreographer Kenny Ortega’s directing debut, and the dance breaks alone are enough to keep you entertained. Who can look away from a bunch of kids doing synchronized pirouettes and backflips?
The film follows the aforementioned 17-year-old Christian Bale, Jack Kelly, as he and his fellow “newsies,” a rag-tag band of newspaper-selling boys, team up to protest unfair wages. Their strike begins when protagonist, Pulitzer, (Robert Duvall) makes it harder for the newsboys to earn money by raising the price of the papers for them. Jack is their leader; an orphan whose dream is to one day escape the big city for his beloved “Santa Fe.”
Newsies is serving us some beautiful Alan Menken ballads, (think… “A Whole New World,” “Go The Distance,” “Part of Your World,” aka: all of your favorite Disney songs.) “Santa Fe” is one of the most adored songs from the film, however a few others include “Seize the Day,” “The World Will Know,” and “King of New York.”
Originally a box-office flop, Newsies has gained a small cult following since 1992, and a lot of attention after being adapted into a broadway play in 2012. The stage production was nominated for eight Tony Awards and won for Best Choreography and Best Original Score.
Overall, Newsies has that “fun for the whole family” vibe. Despite, you know, the depictions of child labor and lots of children smoking cigars. Bale does an incredible job in this role at only 17, (did I mention he was 17?) and the messages of seizing the day and standing up for what you believe in are still relevant today.
Billy recommends…
Moulin Rouge! (streaming on HBO)
This movie is a tale as old as time… wait… that’s another musical that I love. Time to focus, Billy. A classic love story needs some flair to it to keep things interesting. That can be done with the chemistry of the two leads, unique production design, amazing music, good style, or a screenplay that tells a common story differently. Moulin Rouge! has all of those things mixed up into one endlessly satisfying movie. Director Baz Luhrmann puts his obvious style on this one from the very first scene and there is no turning back because this love story musical is one of the best things to be put on screen in the 21st century.
Moulin Rouge! stars Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Ewan plays Christian, a naive wannabe playwright who believes that love can cure anything, but he himself has never been in love. Kidman plays Satine, a confident wannabe star who will do anything to make that happen, but love complicates her vision. Satine’s manager (pimp?) has a semi-successful production with a ton of potential that needs funding to become a world phenomenon. The Duke comes to see this extravagant show and if he puts his expensive stamp of approval on this then all of their desires will begin to become reality. Christian sneaks into the show with his crew who attend the same show, but they are trying to convince Satine to be the star of their production. In a moment of confusion Satine thinks that Christian is The Duke and this is where our love story picks up the pace (not that it needed to).
Christian and Satine have some of the most convincing love Hollywood has ever seen. Sometimes that is enough. Musicals allow the simplest stories to play out in attractive ways that I cannot get enough of. That is the main reason musicals are one of my favorite genres. They are typically stories that need the simplest of setups and a premise that keeps the shallow plot going. A shallow plot in this case is not something that is a negative. The reason being that each moment is presented in a bold and loud manner, making the simple or shallow premise seem like the most important message to ever be shown. That love can defeat all and all can/should be sacrificed once it is found. Sure that is a little ridiculous, but when Moulin Rouge! is on, that message is real and poignant.
Drew recommends…
La La Land (streaming on HBO)
La La Land knows the power of nostalgia. The defining movie musical of the 2010s takes us back to the genre’s mid-20th century heyday. Greatly influenced by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers movies, as well as classics like Singin’ in the Rain and The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, La La Land gently pulls you into its enchanting and idealistic universe, just like those movies once did. However, this movie is so much more than a backwards-looking homage. What made La La Land such a sensation four years ago is that it felt like a classic while simultaneously having such a fresh and modern sensibility.
This extends, of course, to the film’s two leads, Emma Stone (Mia) and Ryan Gosling (Sebastian). Here are two bonafide movie stars that evoke romantic couples from Old Hollywood, like Fred and Ginger or Bogart and Bacall, but there’s something so modern about them too (and I think it goes beyond the fact that we all saw them together in Crazy, Stupid, Love). Neither of them are world-class singers or dancers, but musicals can be about much more than just that. The chemistry between Stone and Gosling is simply off the charts, their dialogue cutely pinging back and forth as they get to know each other. In later scenes of conflict and regret, both actors play off each other convincingly amid the heavy emotional dramatics. Writer-director Damien Chazelle knows exactly what he has in his appealing lead couple, giving them long, unbroken scenes to build Mia and Sebastian’s relationship.
Chazelle is clearly in love with the old-school musical. Not only does La La Land have a delightfully catchy soundtrack, but Chazelle creates a colorfully romantic world with lush and bright sets, costumes, and cinematography. His movie’s brilliance goes well beyond the visual surface, though. He also wrote a screenplay that goes deep on themes of ambition, opportunity, and passion. Mia and Sebastian’s story is about more than just getting to the next musical number. They have an otherworldly connection, followed by practical and unavoidable real-world problems. La La Land doesn’t keep its head in the clouds for too long.
Still, the moments of musical bliss are the movie’s most memorable, especially the show-stopping epilogue followed by that note-perfect final shot. I will remember the look Mia and Sebastian give each other forever. Every time I watch this movie I reflect on the future of my own career and life. That’s the sign of a good movie. And when Gosling and Stone suddenly break into song and dance against a lovely purple sky, I feel like I’m levitating. That’s the magic of a great movie.
The Sound of Music (streaming on Disney+)
Confession time: I had never seen The Sound of Music in its entirety until this week. In my defense, do you remember how long it is? Almost three hours, including an intermission. After finally watching it, my main takeaway was that there’s a reason it’s regarded as such a classic. From the beautiful European setting to the endearing performances to the indelible soundtrack, The Sound of Music is a great example of the big Hollywood musical done right.
From the famous opening scene atop a mountain, you are immediately drawn in by the time (the start of World War II) and the place (Salzburg, Austria). They actually filmed on location in Salzburg (and Germany) and the movie shines because of it. Just about every exterior shot in The Sound of Music is almost ridiculous in its gorgeousness. Verdant green fields lay below striking blue mountains with the picturesque city of Salzburg nestled in nearby.
This wonderful background wouldn’t mean much if The Sound of Music didn’t have compelling performers on screen, which is good, because it has plenty. You know about Julie Andrews, of course, but I was struck by how naturally and gracefully she carries herself. Similarly, Christopher Plummer does the same in an early role that would lead to a long and beloved career. Finally, each one of the Von Trapp children surprises with their ability on screen despite little acting experience from many of them.
Even though I had only seen part of the movie before this, I was still familiar with just about every song, which tells you how deeply this musical has seeped into pop culture. The first half is just banger after banger, moving effortlessly from “Sixteen Going On Seventeen” to “My Favorite Things” to “Climb Ev’ry Mountain,” among others. The Sound of Music is a true classic that will remain in the popular consciousness long after its makers have said “so long, farewell.”
Notable titles new to streaming in July
Netflix
The Last Dance (on July 19)
Ali
Definitely, Maybe
Mean Streets
Million Dollar Baby
Sleepless in Seattle
Spaceballs
The Karate Kid
The Town
The Notebook (July 18)
Spotlight (July 22)
Amazon Prime
Big Fish
Hitch
Midnight in Paris
Panic Room
Pineapple Express
Hulu
Footloose
Forgetting Sarah Marshall
Hot Rod
My Cousin Vinny
Spider-Man 3
HBO Now or HBO Max
American History X
Blade
Catch Me If You Can
The Departed
Enemy of the State
The Exorcist
National Lampoon’s Vacation
Saving Private Ryan
Space Jam
The Talented Mr. Ripley
Watchmen