# Why not sell taped versions of Broadway plays? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 24, 2005, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598 "2005-10-24T02:19:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/21 "2005-10-24T16:54:18Z")
I agree that it’s better to see a theatrical production in the theatre, but out of the 280 million people in the United States only about 9 million of them live in New York City with relatively easy access to Broadway. For those of us who can’t afford plane tickets, hotels and $100 tickets on a regular basis, it would be nice if at some point we got the opportunity to see some of the shows that we otherwise would never see. And yeah, touring companies and regional theatre groups and blah blah blah, and I do go see touring companies and support local theatre (I’ve seen more plays in a theatre in the last year than I’ve seen movies in a theatre). It seems that most of those responding are talking about musicals. What about straight plays? When was the last time that a non-musical toured anyway? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/22 "2005-10-24T18:27:21Z")
It’s no easy feat to make a movie. And no company is going to let out something that makes their product look like shit. And that is what a “camera at the back of the theater” type recording would do. You would not be able to see faces, the spectacular parts would look unimpressive, the lighting would be off and the whole thing would be very “flat” and boring to watch. No one who owns a musical is going to let out something that makes their musical look that bad. It doesn’t matter if you don’t mind that it looks like shit. The theater company has a very very big interest in making sure that people don’t see it’s product at anything less than it’s best. On screen, that is just not economical. When we watch a stage play, our eye flick around the stage. We never percive the world as one big flat panorama. If you’ve watched enough experiemental film, you’ll learn that close-ups and cuts and stuff are important. They make a film actually watchable. So, now we need to do close ups and cuts, which makes stuff harder. First off, there is lighting. Film lighting is different than theater lighting. The human eye interprets light very differently than the camera lens. So you need to set up new lighting, with new lighting designers, electricians, etc. Usually you need different lighting for close-ups than wide shots. Each of these set ups can take hours to get right. And then there is angles. When you change shots, you need to change angles or else it will look like a “jump.” Of course, stages are only meant to be seen from one angle. So you will need to redesign set pieces to look good from different angles. But thats okay because you probably need to redesign all the costumes and sets and make-up anyway. These things were made to look good at a distance. They were never meant to stand up to close inspection. What looks good on stage looks tacky, unfinished, fake and distracting on screen. And any special effects will need to be reworked. In plays, we are used to watching people stand around talking. So when _Les Mis_ busts out this big barricade, it’s impressive. But on screen, we are used to watching things blow up. That puny barricade is going to look sad and cheap. They’ll have to work on ways to make the special effects continue to look impressive. Finally, the actors will need to be retrained. Stage acting and screen acting are seperate, oppositional arts. On screen, every movement is magnified. You want to act as subtly as possible and convey emotion with the tinyest changes in expression. On stage, you need a whole audience to see and hear you and everything is done larger and more grandly than in life. And for all this reworking, rebuilding, retraining, etc. hundreds of people are going to need to get paid. Additionally, the stars are going to want additional rights. Probably a whole new division will need to be created to deal with all this, and a whole office of people to manage it will need paying. Films cost all that money for a reason. It’s an expensive art that can only count on volume to recoup it’s investment. A theatrical release is probably more risk and bother than a stage company wishes to go through. And a direct-to-video release would have a hard time paying for itself, much less covering whatever lost tickets it might generate. And that is why it doesn’t happen. ---
**Author:** ![Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Otto)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/23 "2005-10-24T18:32:44Z")
And yet HBO 20+ years ago used to regularly film/tape plays performed in a theatre in front of live audiences. Was 1980s HBO really so far ahead of its time that it was able to pull off this tremendous feat that no one else has been able to duplicate since? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/24 "2005-10-24T18:37:22Z")
I’m a big fan of theater, and, while I’ll be the first to admit that you can’t compare live theater to even the best filmed/taped record of the performance, it’s nice to be able to show it to and share with someone who’s never seen it. A lot of operas have been taped. So has Peter Schickele’s “P.D.Q. Bach’s ‘Abduction of Figaro’”, which it’s unlikely I’d ever get a chance to see. And we have a copy of a (professional but not Broadway) performance of **Pippin** , which hasn’t been around these parts in ages. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/25 "2005-10-24T18:39:51Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And yet HBO 20+ years ago used to regularly film/tape plays performed in a theatre in front of live audiences. Was 1980s HBO really so far ahead of its time that it was able to pull off this tremendous feat that no one else has been able to duplicate since? In some ways yes. They actually had a smallish audience at the time and it wasn’t as scary to Broadway producers. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/26 "2005-10-24T18:43:38Z")
BTW **Otto** , I agree with what you said. It should be possible sell DVD’s of plays without killing theatre. It is an old argument that sports went through 50+ years ago. ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/27 "2005-10-24T18:47:11Z")
[LA Theater Works](http://latw.org/audio/audio.aspx) sells CDs of the plays they do. It tends more to “classics” or “serious” plays then Broadway hits though. Why CDs, that you can only listen to, rather than DVDs, I don’t know. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/28 "2005-10-24T18:52:46Z")
> [@jrfranchi](#): > > BTW **Otto** , I agree with what you said. It should be possible sell DVD’s of plays without killing theatre. It is an old argument that sports went through 50+ years ago. And Vaudeville 90 years ago when the first movie shorts came out. ---
**Author:** ![What\_Exit](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/what_exit/32/10652_2.png) [@What\_Exit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/What_Exit)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/29 "2005-10-24T18:59:14Z")
> [@Telemark](#): > > And Vaudeville 90 years ago when the first movie shorts came out. Oops, got me there, but the difference is Vaudville was an everytown entertainment. Broadway is an Event. People will still go to the theatre, to go to the Theatre. I only go to 1-2 shows a year and having a DVD is not the same as going. I would still go. ---
**Author:** ![priapus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ed655f/32.png) [@priapus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/priapus)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/30 "2005-10-24T19:03:23Z")
They already tape copies of plays,they are called movies.The problem with staging a play for a camera is the actors would play to the camera and the camera wouldn’t react.I think a live play has a give and take.I’ve been to all kinds of plays and I feel a connection I’ve never gotten from a movie. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/31 "2005-10-24T19:06:35Z")
> [@Scott Plaid](#): > > For what it’s worth, I saw Les Miserables on a video tape, recorded off a PBS broadcast of the broadway show. :shrug: Was this the actual play, or Les Mis in concert? I’ve seen the latter, and the problem is, it’s fine if you’ve seen the play, but if you haven’t you have no clue what is going on, except for the breif shots of things happening on stage. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/32 "2005-10-24T19:14:20Z")
Well a lot of Broadway shows today are based on movies so just watch those. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/33 "2005-10-24T19:25:04Z")
> [@](#): > > They already tape copies of plays,they are called movies.The problem with staging a play for a camera is the actors would play to the camera and the camera wouldn’t react.I think a live play has a give and take.I’ve been to all kinds of plays and I feel a connection I’ve never gotten from a movie. > [@](#): > > Well a lot of Broadway shows today are based on movies so just watch those. Not at all the same thing (although **Zebra** is being sarcastic), as I’m sure plenty of film and theater directors and actors will be happy to tell you. ---
**Author:** ![Scott\_Plaid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Scott\_Plaid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Scott_Plaid)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/34 "2005-10-24T19:27:38Z")
> [@HPL](#): > > Les Mis in concert? My memory tells me it was the play, period. However, looking up information on Les Miserables tells me my memory is wrong, ☹ and that it was instead: > [@](#): > > Les Miserables in Concert > (PBS) March 1996 > > Taped during a performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall on Oct. 8, 1995, this mammoth concert celebrated the 10th anniversary of Les Miz’s London premiere. The cast of 250 included cast members from numerous productions worldwide, including seventeen Jean Valjeans in the finale. Available on home video as Les Miserables - The Dream Cast. [Linky](http://www.musicals101.com/tv7.htm) ---
**Author:** ![mobo85](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b19c9b/32.png) [@mobo85](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mobo85)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/35 "2005-10-24T20:39:13Z")
> [@Amok](#): > > [LA Theater Works](http://latw.org/audio/audio.aspx) sells CDs of the plays they do. It tends more to “classics” or “serious” plays then Broadway hits though. Why CDs, that you can only listen to, rather than DVDs, I don’t know. Regular Broadway shows sell CDs too. I’m guessing the idea behind that is twofold: As a keepsake/memento for those who enjoyed the play, and as an incentive to see it for those who haven’t seen it yet. ---
**Author:** ![NAF1138](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/naf1138/32/3245_2.png) [@NAF1138](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/NAF1138)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/36 "2005-10-24T21:14:12Z")
> [@Amok](#): > > [LA Theater Works](http://latw.org/audio/audio.aspx) sells CDs of the plays they do. It tends more to “classics” or “serious” plays then Broadway hits though. Why CDs, that you can only listen to, rather than DVDs, I don’t know. They only sell CDs because LA Theaterworks does radio play versions of classic plays. You can buy tickets to watch a recording (and if you are in the LA area I would recommend it, it is a lot of fun) but the audience is there only to provide something for the actors to feed on. The plays are normally not staged at all and there aren’t usually costumes to speak of so it wont look like much if they did a dvd. They broadcast LA theterworks productions on the local NPR radio station KPCC, and I have always found them to be very good. Not the same as actually seeing the play, but then again radio plays are a different art form entirely. ---
**Author:** ![Amok](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f17d59/32.png) [@Amok](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amok)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 10:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/37 "2005-10-24T22:28:45Z")
> [@NAF1138](#): > > They only sell CDs because LA Theaterworks does radio play versions of classic plays. Thanks for the additional info, I wasn’t aware of that. ---
**Author:** ![scotandrsn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a4c791/32.png) [@scotandrsn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scotandrsn)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/38 "2005-10-24T22:37:29Z")
> [@Otto](#): > > And yet HBO 20+ years ago used to regularly film/tape plays performed in a theatre in front of live audiences. Was 1980s HBO really so far ahead of its time that it was able to pull off this tremendous feat that no one else has been able to duplicate since? That feeds into the point I made about when and why these things get done. A Boradway producer is not going to shell out the money to have a performance recorded as a rule. Too much outlay for too little guaranteed return. An original Broadway cast album, you can sell. A video, which suffers from all of the “look and feel” problems described in this thread, not so much. It seems these things have only been done when someone who can absorb the costs of television production offers to do it for them, which is why so many tapes of Broadway shows are presented by HBO or PBS. As far as why HBO did it so often in the 80s and it doesn’t seem to happen now? Live theater was simply more popular two decades ago. If it were still possible to make money selling video of theater, it would be done more often today. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [October 24, 2005, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/39 "2005-10-24T23:21:04Z")
> [@Mr. Blue Sky](#): > > Cats did come out a few years ago on DVD, but was it performed specifically for that purpose? _Cats_ was performed specifically for PBS and subsequently released on DVD. ---
**Author:** ![SpoilerVirgin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@SpoilerVirgin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SpoilerVirgin)\ **Post date:** [October 25, 2005, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598/40 "2005-10-25T00:37:25Z")
The 1999 London stage revival of [Oklahoma](http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B0000C23HY/qid=1130200023/sr=1-2/ref=sr_1_2/103-9156691-5231011?v=glance&s=dvd) was recorded and shown on PBS, and is available on DVD. I’ve seen numerous productions of Oklahoma, both on film and on stage, and this is by far the best. That said, a filmed stage production is a tricky thing – it has neither the qualities of a movie nor those of a live performance. For people accustomed to watching movies, a staged play can seem stiff and slow. And for those who really enjoy live theater, a filmed version lacks spontaneity and intensity. I’ve seen quite a few filmed stage productions, mostly on PBS, and they are usually intensely dull. I’ve given up in the middle of some that I’m sure I would have enjoyed had I seen them either live on stage, or made into a movie with a more traditional film script and staging. I also wonder how much selling a stage production would compete with a movie version. For instance, movies of both Rent and The Producers are coming out soon, and I would imagine that most people would much prefer to see those than to see films of the stage versions. Of course it’s possible to make a horrible movie of a great stage show (see A Chorus Line or Annie), but on the whole, I think the audience for the movies is greater than it would be for filmed stage versions. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-not-sell-taped-versions-of-broadway-plays/327598.md?page=3)