It’s an injustice every fan of musical theater has suffered through. You’re watching a movie adaptation of one of your favorite musicals, only the singer with a beautiful voice has been replaced with a “celebrity” who can’t carry a tune, and entire portions of the original work have been changed or removed. However, the recent box office success of Hadestown proves that the “Pro-Shot” musical offers a simple solution to this problem. Short for “professionally shot,” these musicals are an official, high-quality video recording of a live stage production.
Here are three memorable pro-shot musicals filmed with professional cameras, good audio equipment, and edited together so audiences can experience a theatrical production from the comfort of their local movie theater.
[imbd.com]To break the curse that has made them infertile, a baker and his wife must procure for a local witch: The cow as white as milk (Milky White, owned by Jack), the cape as red as blood (Little Red Riding Hood’s cloak), The hair as yellow as corn (Rapunzel’s hair)The slipper as pure as gold (Cinderella’s shoe). From that quest comes Into the Woods, a dark but humorous musical by Stephen Sondheim that was one of the first pro-shot musicals I ever saw. Here, Stephen Sondheim’s musical doesn’t just adapt famous Grimm’s Fairy tales; it deconstructs them and illuminates some of the darker corners often overlooked by Disney adaptations. If there’s a standout performance here, it is Bernadette Peters playing the witch from Rapunzel. Her relationship with her prisoner/daughter gives the entire production an element of heartbreak. By recording the original, relatively minimalist staging, viewers focus heavily on the complex lyrics and character relationships rather than distracting special effects. In the end, the choice to depict fairy tales with philandering Prince Charming, abusive parents, and vengeful giants makes us question the whole idea of what a happy ending really is. ★★★★
[imbd.com]20 years since that day, I’ve seen many works that attempt to tackle the subject of 9/11; Come from Away is one of the best. Here, in a filming of the hit Broadway show, life in a small Canadian town is turned upside down when the residents must feed, shelter, and comfort the thousand passengers stranded there in the wake of the 9/11 attacks. A different production has been tempted to cast famous actors and dress up the musical’s minimalist production. Rather than building a standard Hollywood script, director Christopher Ashley (who also directed the original Broadway show) uses an elaborate multi-camera setup to give the audience a “best-seat-in-the-house” perspective. Once again we see the power of the close-up. The movie perfectly balances wide shots with close-ups that show the raw emotion and small expressions of the actors. Only the music is pulsating and powerful (The opening number had me tapping my toes from the jump). In our politicized and divided era, its lessons about our responsibility to ourselves and to the larger community feel all the more timely.
★★★★
[imbd.com]Over the years, musician David Byrne has created a very respectable catalog of both music and movies. Whether it’s landmark concert films like Stop Making Sense and Contemporary Color or more offbeat films like True Stories, the artist has always had a unique sensibility about what makes America tick. His latest venture is American Utopia, a joyous and undeniably entertaining concert film/Broadway musical/civics lesson/motivational speech. Eleven international musicians and dancers join Byrne. The entire production is heavily minimalist. There are no mic stands, instrument cables, or amplifiers on stage. Rather than simply recording the stage, director Spike Lee places cameras directly in the action. He uses extreme overhead shots, tight close-ups, and sweeping angles. This technique immerses the viewer right on the stage, transforming a Broadway play into an energetic, cinematic event. Artsy without being abstract and political without being patronizing, the film will give you a blissful buzz the way only a good pop song can. ★★★½
