I’m sure it will be done eventually. They’ve already had the special. Businesses are allowed to make $$. It’s the American way, after all. At least I thought we were still a capitalistic society. And, I’m certain they pay their taxes as well. So, they employee people, create jobs well beyond the actors and those directly involved in the stage production, add to the government coffers. Entertain and enlighten. It’s all good. 
If doctors really wanted to help people, they’d offer their healing free to everyone, rather than charging.
If businesses really wanted to get their products into people’s hands, they’d give it away.
If accountants really liked adding up numbers, they’d do your taxes for free.
If chefs really loved cooking, they wouldn’t expect you to pay to eat in their restaurants.
Etc. Somehow, in the real world, it’s only artists that are expected to give their work away. And, I guess, live off the good feelings that creates…which might not pay too much of their bills.
Actually they did do a live taping before all the original cast was gone, but have not said what they’re going to do with it yet; just wanted to make sure they had on record the original cast before they parted ways.
From time to time there are live performances of shows on PBS’s Great Performance, but they’re typically not newly-developed musicals - more like classics that have been around a lot longer. And there’s always the NBC live musical in December (this year will be Hairspray), so there is precedent for doing this, but not a huge volume.
You beat me to it @garland…We shouldn’t begrudge people making a living…
Seems like Tom was just stirring the pot…interesting that he used the word “voters” instead of just “people”.
@garland:
No one is saying they should “give it away” for free, the idea that if you show it on PBS or allow Amazon to stream it or whatnot will ‘take’ from the live performance is simply not true. First of all, Broadway theater requires you to be there and that is only available to those who come to NYC, plenty of people in small towns and such can’t afford to come to NYC, let alone go to the theater, so they wouldn’t go anyway. More importantly, they wouldn’t be doing it ‘for free’, even if PBS did it on great performances they would be paid to allow it to be broadcast (believe me, would get a big underwriting from Goldman Sachs or JP Morgan Chase, prominently displayed during the broadcast), and if PBS had the right to eventually sell the performance, they would get part of it. Broadway theater is something very different when you see it live, so it won’t replace the theater. They could also simulcast to theaters as well, Operas and other performing arts groups have done that, with some success (the claims that the Met Opera lost audience because of the simulcasts is utter BS, I know that world pretty well, they have lost audience because opera itself has, and they also ran into problems with some crappy productions that cost a ton and turned people away).
Almost every broadway play, especially in the last 40 years or so, has been taped or filmed, the only place they are available is to researchers at the NY Public Library at Lincoln Center. It is sad that classic productions will never be seen again, and most of the reason is greed and stupidity from what I can tell. If they broadcast (or allowed sales) of the original cast of ‘a chorus line’, the rights holders could make money, and given they made back their investment long ago, not exactly hurting them, the artists were paid for their performance and from what I know, they don’t have a piece of any broadcast of a performance, that all goes to the investing group/the producers.
Broadway right now has been in a boom period, not just because of Hamilton, but because of tourist driven business, people who come to NYC I am convinced will watch anything, the long runs of some shows (IMO) are testament to that, but there will come a time when they will be fretting about loss of audience, about how no one wants to go to the theater, etc, and they don’t understand live performances shown like Hamilton or any other of the great productions will only build a new audience, but they get greedy and short sighted and don’t understand that the good times don’t always come along. As far as the live performances on TV, while I think they are wonderful things (even if MT people rip them to shreds because of the star casting and such), it is very different to see those and to see, for example, a Richard Kiley doing Man of La Mancha or Zero Mostel doing Fiddler on the Roof or to see the original cast of “Hamilton” (one day I’ll break into the Public Library at Lincoln Center and watch the origiinal cast of 1776, though the movie version is damn good).
Actually @musicprt, Tom’s exact words were " make it available for free to PBS." That was what garland was responding to.
But yes, eventually it would be great to have the recording available to anyone and everyone to enjoy.
^I think where I part company with you, @musicprnt , is the “brand name” view of theater. Wonderful theater happens across the country, in every state. But people have this idea that it has to be Famous Actor in Play Everyone’s Talking About, and often, preferably, Based on a Disney Movie.
No one’s being deprived of theater by not seeing THIS production of Hamilton, or other brand name Broadway productions. Those shows are produced everywhere. We just have to get away from the Tourist/Mall/Celebrity view of what makes good theater.
One great thing about Hamilton is that every word is in the cast recording. So for $20, you can have a large portion of the experience.
Yes, @intparent - and that will have to be it for me for a while…But it’s still amazing.
@garland:
Wonderful theater happens all over the country, but it is kind of like classical music, where there are certain performances that are different , and there are memorable performances. Opera Buffs will talk about certain performers, and musical theater can be much the same way, certain performers, certain casts bring something else to it…and to be blunt, because of the allure of Broadway (and the west end of London), they are choosing from the best of the best, so a local performance may simply not be the same (and in reality, people would watch it on PBS and then would go to the local performances, too…). It isn’t a zero sum game, that is the mistake. I am not saying they should stream the musical live or broadcast it at the beginning, but once the show is established it would be great to share it, because it takes a long time, if ever, for musicals to be produced in other places, and with something like Hamilton when they do the road version of it, it is likely they won’t be easy to get into either, and may be very, very expensive.
And even with all the road show and regional theater and high school products (oye, was in pit band for a lot of them, nuff said), it still is available only to a small group of people, those will be limited runs in small theaters, as compared to millions through PBS or through a streaming service. BTW, when someone said “Free on PBS” they weren’t saying the producers should let them use it for free, they meant free as in on PBS which is free to the viewer(over the air or part of basic cable).
Oh, man… wouldn’t being in the Hamilton pit amazing? Maybe someday our grandkids will get the chance if there is ever a high school version released (if a HS could pull it off, THAT would be a challenge!).
@musicprnt --I don’t disagree; for a production like this, it would be great for everyone to see it. But as was said above, that’s not really what my original comment was responding to.
Just released new block of tickets for NYC this morning if anyone’s interested.
Sometimes, you can see a NYC show streamed. I recently watched Broadway’s She Loves Me via streaming.
Also, have you heard of Broadway HD? They have musicals and plays that you can stream. You can watch an individual show for $8, or get a monthly or yearly subscription. Yes, that is not free, but it is around the cost of watching movie. One of my D’s NYC shows is available to watch there. I saw it live, but now many people who could not see it live can watch it. Also, the final performance of her show was live streamed for free at the time.
Broadway HD is great. Many shows end up being available to the masses, in different ways. Some are shown at movie theatres on a limited run. The acclaimed Allegiance from last season will be shown this way in December. Some, like Rent, are filmed once the closing of the run is near, and not only shown in movie theatres, but are also sold on dvd.
Don’t make the mistake of thinking that all casts outside of NYC are somehow lesser than those doing Broadway shows. It simply isn’t true. Now, if you’re talking about community or dinner theatre, that may be the case, although there may even be exceptions there, but if you are talking about professional or regional productions, you will almost always see talent as good as any you see on Broadway. You’d be surprised how many of those touring and regional actors move freely between NYC shows and other cities.
Also, for whomever it was who mentioned the lottery and many ways of getting their show in front of various audiences, Hamilton is certainly not the first, nor the only to do this. Rush policies, whether line or lotto, began with Rent and almost every show in major cities across North America and in the West End, will have such a policy. Many have had policies for students to see shows, at a reduced rate, often free. Visits to local schools, workshops held, concerts in local parks, etc. All these things are common in the theatre world. Hamilton has continued that legacy.
I agree that Hamilton has every right to run as a theater production as long as it likes. For better or worse, as noted above theater is a business. And mostly it is a money-losing business. From what I read only about one quarter of Broadway shows recoup their investment. Probably only a once a decade does a mega-hit like Hamilton come along.
The creators of the show have every right to want people to see the show in its intended form – as live theater. And the producers/creators of Hamilton have every right to maximize the money they make off of this rare mega-successful venture. As an side benefit, a percentage the earnings from Hamilton will go to the Public Theater and will hopefully fund great theater going forward.
In terms of going to film – as one example, Wicked, a hugely successful show, opened in 2003 I believe and a movie is just now being done to open in 2019. So in general there seems to be no rush to get a successful show moved to the screen. I do like that they recorded the original cast performing the show before they all went their own ways – I imagine the recording will make it to PBS or something one day – although probably not in the foreseeable future.
More than many shows, Hamilton is trying to get in front of people who may not normally make it to a Broadway theater. There are currently two standing productions with another US company in development and and a UK company coming down the line. The show offers lottery tickets (I know the slim odds) and has select performances for students.
George Takei’s musical “Allegiance” will be in theatres on December 13th. It’s about the Japanese internment camps in the US during WWII. He and his family were sent to one, and it’s a project he holds dear to his heart.
http://allegiancemusical.com/article/film-theater-locations
^Good timing on Allegiance!
I was in NYC last December for a friend’s wedding and was able to score a great price on a ticket to see Allegiance. It was relevant and prescient then, and has an even stronger urgency now.
@teriwtt Where did you see/how did you hear about a Hamilton ticket release this morning for NYC? I’m on their email lists and have received email notifications in the past and received nothing today nor do I see any reference to it on the internet.