‘Hamlet,’ ‘King Lear’ Highlights, as Royal Shakespeare Company Finds Streaming Home on BroadwayHD (EXCLUSIVE)
The U.K.’s Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) has found a global streaming home with theater specialist BroadwayHD.
Nine RSC titles will debut on BroadwayHD in January, with 20 more productions set to arrive in February and March.
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Highlights include “Hamlet,” directed by Simon Godwin and starring Paapa Essiedu (“I May Destroy You”); “King Lear,” directed by RSC artistic director Gregory Doran and starring Olivier Award-winner Antony Sher (“Shakespeare in Love”); “The Merry Wives of Windsor” directed by Fiona Laird; and “Macbeth,” starring Christopher Eccleston (“Doctor Who”) and Niamh Cusack (“Testament of Youth”), directed by Polly Findlay, and many more.
“The Royal Shakespeare Company is truly one the most elite companies performing and reimagining Shakespeare’s works for new generations. We are proud to partner with them in bringing their iconic body of productions to theater lovers,” Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, CEOs and co-founders of BroadwayHD said. “Especially at this time when we don’t have the opportunity to travel or watch Shakespeare performed live, this collection is a treat beyond treats for fans.”
Gregory Doran, artistic director, Royal Shakespeare Company, said: “Nothing can replace the experience of seeing a play live on stage. But with our theaters currently closed, and all of us spending much more time at home, we are delighted to be working with BroadwayHD to give audiences around the world the chance to experience RSC productions from home. We have been filming all of our Shakespeare plays since 2013, broadcasting them into cinemas and to schools. Shakespeare speaks to us unlike any other writer, and this partnership with BroadwayHD will enable even more people to enjoy his work, bringing us together virtually at a time when many of us will be apart.”
The Royal Shakespeare Company titles debuting on the service this month include “King Lear,” “Antony and Cleopatra,” “Hamlet,” “Measure for Measure,” “Love’s Labour’s Lost,” “The Merry Wives of Windsor,” “Two Gentlemen of Verona,” and “Timon of Athons.” Upcoming titles include “Romeo and Juliet,” “Othello,” “The Tempest,” “Julius Caesar” and “The Taming of the Shrew.”
Besides the works of Shakespeare, BroadwayHD features performances from Cirque du Soleil and a selection of musicals including “Kinky Boots,” “Cats,” “42nd Street,” “She Loves Me,” “The Phantom of The Opera,” “The King and I,” “The Sound of Music” and “An American in Paris.”
After a seven-day free trial, the service costs $8.99 a month or $99.99 a year, plus applicable taxes, if any.
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