Musicals on TV at Christmas

Great thread Trekkie Monster - looking forward to catching some old favourites (the Wizard of Oz is not included in this wish!!) Don't suppose anyone's found Westside Story in the schedule?

Am I the only person who does not like live streaming or recordings of stage plays/musicals? (As in Hairspray, above.) For me it has to be a proper made for film musical/play with proper takes and editing.

Wow Tom89 I wasn't expecting speed like that! Particularly looking forward to the making of WSS - not seen that. Thank you so much - apart from the avatar.....funny!

I wish they'd do WSS in London - I've never been in the country at the right time and have only ever caught amateur versions. (Some good-ish, some not so!)

You're welcome, I had highlighted the radio times last night so it was to hand. I missed off Chicago though, at 8:30 pm on 28th Dec, on W.

Yep, according to RT, it's in celebration of the 60th anniversary next year. I wonder whether it will be wheeled back out on tour, too.

Billy Elliot, The Musical is on Sky Arts, but cant find a date find a date yet...

I'd just point out that Dirty Rotten Scoundrels on 30th December will be the original film, Michael Caine and Steve Martin, and not the musical. Still of interest, but if you prefer your movies all-singing and all-dancing and have to snip one from your viewing plans, that's the one to cut.

Why they have to put these on at the same time when there's so much rubbish on the rest of the week, I will never know!

Its impossible not to sound old thinking this out loud…but for around 15 years after C4 arrived, Christmas was a golden time on TV for ‘people like us’. Jeremy Issacs and the BBC seemed to compete to surprise and delight us.
Every year
- a couple of Fred and Ginger movies and maybe a series of Minelli or Busby Berkely films. 
- Documentaries on theatre and musicals were plentiful. E.G. I recall one by Claud Chabrol on Gershwin
- TV films of US shows. EG Bernadette Peters in Into the Woods, the great Joe Papp, Pirates of Penzance with Kevin Kline and Linda Ronstadt.
- There would always be at least one Opera and One Ballet.

I still have the VHS evidence!

These day’s niche audiences (like us) are deemed to be catered for by DVD, but it really did expand your horizon when something unfamiliar but ‘interesting’ was broadcast.

…excuse me while I go back to my recliner, it’s time for my nap.

I agree with you 100%

We're getting one opera this year from the BBC but unfortunately it's Glyndebourne's Il Barbiere Di Siviglia which Glyndebourne already live webstreamed back in June so I imagine most people interested will already have seen it. There are a couple of behind-the-scenes programmes about ballet but I didn't see a mention of any actual full ballet performances, though I'm going by the BBC's press releases, not having got the Radio Times, so I may have missed something.

First showing Monday 19th at 10pm; repeated early (12.45am) Christmas Day, Boxing Day evening (9pm) and New Years Day evening (10pm)

For those who are curious about Opera, this Christmas there’s a treat.

BBC 4 at 8pm on Sunday the 18th The Barber of Seville – Filmed at Glyndebourne. This small British Opera house features the highest standards and the Opera itself is a comic treat. Definitely worth a look if you haven’t seen it before.

Preceded by an hour long documentary of Danielle de Niese preparing for her role as Despina. Its then followed by another documentary about Mozart’s time in London.


Thank you BBC. Merry Christmas to Tristram’s everywhere. (AAG RIP).

Who can resist?