Knock on Wood

It’s not controversial to say that live theatre should be more accessible. These days, it’s hard to find a good Broadway seat for less than $250 (at an absolute minimum), and the divide between those who can afford to regularly attend the theatre and those who can’t is larger than ever. However, there is a way to change that…and it involves a medium descended from the theatre, one that holds more of the spotlight than anything else here at Knock on Wood: the cinema.

Disney released a filmed version of Hamilton on streaming during the pandemic, and finally gave it a long due theatrical release this past year. At the end of 2025, Stephen Sondheim’s oft-forgotten masterpiece Merrily We Roll Along (starring Daniel Radcliffe, Jonathan Groff, and Lindsay Mendez) enjoyed a brief theatrical run. Recently, it was announced that Cole Escola’s hit comedy Oh, Mary! would be filmed during its West End run, with the scribe reprising the titular role. It has never been a better time to be a fan of both theatre and film.

You might be surprised to learn that nearly every Broadway show is recorded in some capacity. Most are simply preserved for archival purposes, but some are shot and edited with a commercial release in mind, and those are what I’ll be focusing on today (although you can view over 4500 recordings for free at the New York Public Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive). The experience of watching a theatrical production in a cinema is very different from watching it on stage – in fact, I would argue that they are complementary experiences; you get the same show, but a different view, and a different appreciation for the nuances of the production. With a recording, you can see details up close you might not have been able to see from a mezzanine, but on stage, you have access to the full picture all the time, and are not at the whim of what the editor chooses to show you in that moment.

This dovetails nicely with a theatrical production that is making its cinematic debut this weekend, and will play for an exclusive five-day run nationwide courtesy of Bleecker Street division Crosswalk. This is Hadestown, the steampunk, jazzy reimagining of the tragic tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Three live performances in early 2025 were filmed on the West End, a revival which included five of the original Broadway cast members reprising their prominent roles.

The recording of Hadestown is an absolute triumph. It takes Anaïs Mitchell’s brilliant material and translates it onto the biggest screen possible – and it replicates the Broadway experience as much as possible with the return of original stars Reeve Carney, André De Shields, Eva Noblezada, Amber Gray, and Patrick Page. They offer not only their legitimacy, but their incomparable talent to this production that (I would assume) closely resembles the Broadway original…save for Patrick Page’s medical boot, a necessity for his ruptured tendon, which is retrofitted with a steampunk design by the crew. That, along with his pitch-black cane, only add to the mythically industrial characterization of Hades that the show presents.

I was lucky enough to see a production of Hadestown on Broadway – the first night of a new cast, in fact, which included Jack Wolfe and Kurt Elling – and this cinematic version is the closest I’ve ever felt to the euphoria of watching a live theatrical production on a screen. It is a truly singular film, and that’s not even taking into account the beauty of Hadestown’s storytelling and music. It’s shot poignantly, emphasizing perspective when relevant and working with the choreography to ensure that every important beat is showcased with the appropriate thematic resonance.

These days, there are more live theatre recordings – also known as pro-shots – scheduled for theatrical release than ever before. Hadestown is further proof, not just that these pro-shots work incredibly well on the big screen, but that with resources and time, a truly cinematic experience can be constructed from a show originally intended for the stage, while preserving that aspect for those who prioritize the sanctity of the performing arts. This is not the original Broadway production, but the presence of the five stars is more than adequate – it feels incredibly true to the spirit of the original intention, and that’s all I could have wanted from such a pure artistic expression.

The democratization of live professional theatre is a movement that must continue. On August 14, a filmed London production of SIX, the clever, concert-style musical about Henry VIII’s wives, will debut in select theaters across the country, and I only hope that this is only the beginning of more widespread awareness and access to these shows. Let’s be more like the UK; their National Theatre productions are some of the most consistent cinematic presentations there are, but their releases are so limited! I am confident there is a middle ground between the size of the net and the interest of the audience, and it just hasn’t been struck yet.

The real moral of the story is: run, don’t walk, to see Hadestown in theaters this weekend, any way the wind blows. You won’t regret it. And remember…don’t look back. Your life depends on it.