Broadway Worldwide was established in 1995 as a worldwide distributor of Broadway musicals captured live-in-performance for digital cinema, DVD, video on demand (VOD), pay per view (PPV), pay TV, wired and wireless television. Since it started, Broadway Worldwide has captured and distributed '' Smokey Joe's Cafe'',

Stephen Sondheim Stephen Joshua Sondheim (; March 22, 1930November 26, 2021) was an American composer and lyricist. One of the most important figures in twentieth-century musical theater, Sondheim is credited for having "reinvented the American musical" with sho ...

's ''

Putting It Together ''Putting it Together'' is a musical revue showcasing the songs of Stephen Sondheim. Drawing its title from a song in '' Sunday in the Park with George'', it was devised by Sondheim and Julia McKenzie. The revue has received several productions ...

'' starring

Carol Burnett Carol Creighton Burnett (born April 26, 1933) is an American actress, comedian, singer, and writer. Her groundbreaking comedy variety show ''The Carol Burnett Show'', which originally aired on CBS was one of the first of its kind to be hosted ...

, '' Jekyll & Hyde the Musical'' starring

David Hasselhoff David Michael Hasselhoff (born July 17, 1952), nicknamed "The Hoff", is an American actor, singer, and television personality. He has set a Guinness World Record as the most watched man on TV. Hasselhoff first gained recognition on ''The You ...

, and the 2010

Tony Award for Best Musical The Tony Award for Best Musical is given annually to the best new Broadway musical play, musical, as determined by Tony Award voters. The award is one of the ceremony's longest-standing awards, having been presented each year since 1949. The awa ...

winner, ''

Memphis Memphis most commonly refers to: * Memphis, Egypt, a former capital of ancient Egypt * Memphis, Tennessee, a major American city Memphis may also refer to: Places United States * Memphis, Alabama * Memphis, Florida * Memphis, Indiana * Memp ...

''.

Production process

Broadway Worldwide records Broadway musicals, live-in-performance, on the broadway stage during a show's New York run, in front of paying audiences. Prior to recording, Broadway Worldwide's team works with the Broadway artists who created the stage show to determine and implement the optimal approach to depict the material. Performances are recorded using 10 to 12 hand-held, stationary and robotic cameras and as many as 70 microphones positioned throughout the theatre. High-definition video and 5.1 surround sound audio equipment is used to capture the productions.

Broadway productions filmed

''Smokey Joe’s Cafe'' (2000)

Broadway Worldwide's first foray into recording Broadway shows occurred with the performance of ''Smokey Joe’s Cafe: The Songs of Leiber and Stoller'', the longest-running musical revue in Broadway history. Broadway Worldwide utilized 11 high-definition cameras strategically positioned onstage, backstage and around the theatre, and 40 microphones to capture the performance. The show was directed for Broadway Worldwide by Emmy winner

Don Roy King Donald Roy King (born October 9, 1947) is an American television director, and also a producer, writer, and actor. He served as the director for ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2006 until 2021. He has "directed more hours of live network television th ...

. ''Smokey Joe's Cafe'' features the original Tony Award-nominated cast performing 40 songs by the songwriting team Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller. The songs performed include: " Jailhouse Rock", " Hound Dog", "

Treat Me Nice "Treat Me Nice" is a song recorded by Elvis Presley. The song was included in the musical revue '' Smokey Joe's Cafe''. The song was featured prominently in the film '' Jailhouse Rock''. Chart performance Personnel *Elvis Presley – lead ...

", " Stand By Me", "

Spanish Harlem East Harlem, also known as Spanish Harlem or and historically known as Italian Harlem, is a neighborhood of Upper Manhattan, New York City, roughly encompassing the area north of the Upper East Side and bounded by 96th Street to the south, F ...

", and " On Broadway". ''Smokey Joe’s Cafe'' received a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

, as well as seven Tony Award nominations including one for Best Musical. Cast members of ''Smokey Joe's Cafe'' are: Victor Trent Cook, B. J. Crosby, Brenda Braxton and DeLee Lively (all Tony Award-nominated), Ken Ard,

Adrian Bailey Adrian Edward Bailey (born 11 December 1945) is a retired British Labour and Co-operative politician. He was the Member of Parliament (MP) for West Bromwich West from 2000, when he won the seat at a by-election in November 2000 until he stoo ...

, Matt Bogart, Deb Lyon, and Fred Owens. The show was directed on Broadway by four-time Tony winner

Jerry Zaks Jerry Zaks (born September 7, 1946) is an American stage and television director, and actor. He won the Tony Award for Best Direction of a Play and Drama Desk Award for directing ''The House of Blue Leaves'', ''Lend Me a Tenor'', and ''Six Degre ...

''Putting It Together'' (2000)

Only a short while after the taping of ''Smokey Joe’s Cafe'' was completed, producer

Cameron Mackintosh Sir Cameron Anthony Mackintosh (born 17 October 1946) is a British theatrical producer and theatre owner notable for his association with many commercially successful musicals. At the height of his success in 1990, he was described as being "th ...

approached Broadway Worldwide executives about licensing his Broadway production of the

musical review, ''

''. Featuring an ensemble headed by

, ''Putting It Together'' is a celebration of the songs of multiple Tony Award-winner Stephen Sondheim. The production was directed for Broadway Worldwide by Emmy winner

. Co-starring with Ms. Burnett are Tony Award-winner

George Hearn George Hearn (born June 18, 1934) is an American actor and singer, primarily in Broadway theatre, Broadway musical theatre. Early years Born in St. Louis, Missouri, Hearn studied philosophy at Southwestern at Memphis, now Rhodes College before ...

('' La Cage aux Folles'', ''

Sunset Boulevard Sunset Boulevard is a boulevard in the central and western part of Los Angeles, California, that stretches from the Pacific Coast Highway in Pacific Palisades east to Figueroa Street in Downtown Los Angeles. It is a major thoroughfare in t ...

''), Olivier Award nominee

John Barrowman John Scot Barrowman (born 11 March 1967) is a Scottish-American actor, author, presenter, singer and comic book writer. He is known for his role as Captain Jack Harkness in '' Doctor Who'' and ''Torchwood'', and as Malcolm Merlyn in the Arrow ...

(''The Fix''), Olivier Award winner

Ruthie Henshall Valentine Ruth Henshall (born 7 March 1967), known professionally as Ruthie Henshall, is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre. She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End d ...

(''She Loves Me'') and Bronson Pinchot (''Perfect Strangers''). The Broadway show was directed by

Eric D. Schaeffer Eric D. Schaeffer is an American theater director and producer based in Arlington, Virginia. He is the co-founder and former Artistic Director of Signature Theatre., and is well known nationally for his re-invention of large American musicals for ...

, with musical staging by

Bob Avian Robert Avedisian (December 26, 1937 – January 21, 2021), professionally known as Bob Avian, was an American choreographer, theatrical producer and director. Biography Born in New York City to an Armenian family in December 1937, Avian spent his ...

. Among the shows from which the musical numbers come are: ''A Funny Thing Happened On the Way to the Forum'' (1962); ''

Anyone Can Whistle ''Anyone Can Whistle'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim, and a book by Arthur Laurents. Described as "a satire on conformity and the insanity of the so-called sane," the show tells a story of an economically depressed town w ...

'' (1964); ''Company'' (1970); ''

Follies ''Follies'' is a Musical theater, musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and a book by James Goldman. The plot takes place in a crumbling Broadway theater, now scheduled for demolition, previously home to a musical revue (based on t ...

'' (1971); ''

A Little Night Music ''A Little Night Music'' is a musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by Hugh Wheeler. Inspired by the 1955 Ingmar Bergman film ''Smiles of a Summer Night'', it involves the romantic lives of several couples. Its title is a ...

'' (1973); ''

The Frogs ''The Frogs'' ( grc-gre, Βάτραχοι, Bátrakhoi, Frogs; la, Ranae, often abbreviated ''Ran.'' or ''Ra.'') is a comedy written by the Ancient Greek playwright Aristophanes. It was performed at the Lenaia, one of the Festivals of Dionysus in ...

'' (1974); ''

Sweeney Todd Sweeney Todd is a fictional character who first appeared as the villain of the penny dreadful serial ''The String of Pearls'' (1846–47). The original tale became a feature of 19th-century melodrama and London urban legend, legend. A barber fr ...

'' (1979); '' Merrily We Roll Along'' (1981); '' Sunday in the Park with George'' (1984); ''

Into the Woods ''Into the Woods'' is a 1987 musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim and book by James Lapine. The musical intertwines the plots of several Brothers Grimm fairy tale A fairy tale (alternative names include fairytale, fairy story ...

'' (1987); ''

Assassins An assassin is a person who commits targeted murder. Assassin may also refer to: Origin of term * Someone belonging to the medieval Persian Ismaili order of Assassins Animals and insects * Assassin bugs, a genus in the family ''Reduviida ...

'' (1991); the film ''

Dick Tracy ''Dick Tracy'' is an American comic strip featuring Dick Tracy (originally Plainclothes Tracy), a tough and intelligent police detective created by Chester Gould. It made its debut on Sunday, October 4, 1931, in the ''Detroit Mirror'', and it ...

'' (1990) and an un-produced television musical, ''Do You Hear a Waltz?'' (1962). ''Putting It Together'' was also recorded in high definition with 10 cameras. The music of

, featuring orchestrations by Academy Award, Tony Award, and Emmy Award, winner

Jonathan Tunick Jonathan Tunick (born April 19, 1938, New York City) is an American orchestrator, musical director, and composer, and one of seventeen " EGOTs" - people to have won all four major American showbusiness awards: the Tony Awards, Academy Awards, Em ...

, was captured in 5.1 surround sound.

''Jekyll & Hyde: The Musical'' (2001)

Broadway Worldwide captured its third Broadway musical, the

Frank Wildhorn Frank Wildhorn (born November 29, 1958) is an American composer of both musicals and popular songs. His musical ''Jekyll & Hyde'' ran for four years on Broadway. He also wrote the #1 International hit song "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" for Whitne ...

and

Leslie Bricusse Leslie Bricusse OBE (; 29 January 1931 – 19 October 2021) was a British composer, lyricist, and playwright who worked on theatre musicals and wrote theme music for films. He was best known for writing the music and lyrics for the films ''Do ...

musical Jekyll & Hyde, starring

. Being the longest-running show in the history of Broadway's Plymouth Theatre, the production broke the house record at the Plymouth Theatre on three occasions and ran for over 1,500 performances. Additionally, the show has won a legion of repeat visitors, dubbed by the press as "Jekkies", with some hardcore fans having seen the show hundreds of times.

, listed in the ''

Guinness Book of World Records ''Guinness World Records'', known from its inception in 1955 until 1999 as ''The Guinness Book of Records'' and in previous United States editions as ''The Guinness Book of World Records'', is a reference book published annually, listing world ...

'' as "The Most Watched TV Star in the World", first came to the attention of American audiences through his role as Dr. Snapper Foster on ''

The Young and the Restless ''The Young and the Restless'' (often abbreviated as ''Y&R'') is an American television soap opera created by William J. Bell and Lee Phillip Bell for CBS. The show is set in fictional Genoa City (not the real-life similarly-named Genoa City, Wi ...

''. After six years he was lured to NBC by

Brandon Tartikoff Brandon Tartikoff (January 13, 1949 – August 27, 1997) was an American television executive who was the president of NBC from 1981 to 1991. He was credited with turning around NBC's low prime time reputation with such hit series as ''Hill Stre ...

to star as Michael Knight in the series ''

Knight Rider ''Knight Rider'' is an American entertainment franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The core of ''Knight Rider'' is its three television series: the original ''Knight Rider'' (1982–1986) and sequel series ''Team Knight Rider'' (1997–1998) ...

''. He made television history when his next series, ''

Baywatch ''Baywatch'' is an American action drama television series about lifeguards who patrol the beaches of Los Angeles County, California, and Hawaii, starring David Hasselhoff. It was created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann, ...

'', was canceled by NBC and acquired by Hasselhoff and his partners. Hasselhoff's single, "Looking for Freedom", remained in the number 1 spot on the German charts for eight weeks and he has continued to perform in concert, releasing nine gold and platinum albums to date. ''Jekyll & Hyde'' also stars

Coleen Sexton Coleen Sexton (born in Westfield, New Jersey) is an American stage actress who made her Broadway debut at age 20 in Frank Wildhorn and Leslie Bricusse's '' Jekyll & Hyde'' in 2000. She portrayed the starring role of Lucy Harris in the Broadway pr ...

as Lucy, Andrea Rivette as Emma, George Merritt as Mr. Utterson and Barrie Ingham as Sir Danvers. The production features Martin Van Treuren and Corinne Melancon, with Juan Betancur, David Chaney, Sheri Cowart, Bill E. Dietrich, John Treacy Egan, Robert Jensen, Peter Johl, Stuart Marland, Brandi Chavonne Massey, Frank Mastrone, Kelli O'Hara, Joel Robertson, John Schiappa, Bonnie Schon, Sally Ann Tumas and Russell B. Warfield. ''Jekyll & Hyde'' debuted at

Houston Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 in ...

's Tony Award-winning

Alley Theatre The Alley Theatre is a Tony Award-winning theatre company in Houston, Texas. It is the oldest professional theatre company in Texas and the third oldest resident theatre in the United States. Alley Theatre productions have played on Broadway at L ...

, breaking box-office records and playing to sold-out houses. A recording based upon this production was released and yielded the songs "Someone Like You" and "This is the Moment". Jekyll's success story gained momentum when stars such as

Liza Minnelli Liza May Minnelli ( ; born March 12, 1946) is an American actress, singer, dancer, and choreographer. Known for her commanding stage presence and powerful alto singing voice, Minnelli is among a rare group of performers awarded an Emmy, Grammy ...

and

The Moody Blues The Moody Blues were an English rock band formed in Birmingham in 1964, initially consisting of keyboardist Mike Pinder, multi-instrumentalist Ray Thomas, guitarist Denny Laine, drummer Graeme Edge and bassist Clint Warwick. The group came to ...

started performing and recording songs from the show.

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over its first 20 years of operation, Atlantic earned a reputation as one of the most i ...

then recorded a new version of the complete score. ''Jekyll & Hyde'' yielded its third recording with the release of the original Broadway cast album, also on Atlantic Records. The three recordings have collectively sold more than 750,000 copies to date. The score from ''Jekyll & Hyde'' remains popular with recording artists, with

Johnny Mathis John Royce Mathis (born September 30, 1935) is an American singer of popular music. Starting his career with singles of standard music, he became highly popular as an album artist, with several dozen of his albums achieving gold or platinum s ...

featuring "Once Upon a Dream" on his album ''Mathis on Broadway''. Written by

(book & lyrics) and

(music), ''Jekyll & Hyde'' was directed for Broadway Worldwide by Emmy winner

and was conceived for the stage by Stephen Cuden and

''Memphis the Musical'' (2011)

''Memphis'' was filmed during regularly scheduled performances January 18–21, 2011, by Broadway Worldwide for high-definition exhibition in digital cinemas in Spring 2011. The show was captured utilizing multiple high-definition cameras and 96 tracks of sound recording. Emmy Award-winning director

(''Saturday Night Live'', CBS' ''The Early Show'', ''Survivor'') and Grammy and Emmy Award-winning sound producer Matt Kaplowitz (''Gandhi'', PBS' ''To Bear Witness'') lead the production team for Broadway Worldwide. The filmed production will screen nationwide on April 28–May 3, 2011. The musical, about an interracial love affair in the 1950s segregated South, stars

Tony Award The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Broadway Theatre, more commonly known as the Tony Award, recognizes excellence in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual cer ...

nominees

Chad Kimball Chad Kimball (born September 2, 1976) is an American stage actor known for roles in musical theatre, especially Huey Calhoun in the Broadway musical ''Memphis'' and Milky White in the 2002 Broadway revival of ''Into the Woods''. Early life and ca ...

and

Montego Glover Montego Glover (born February 9, 1974) is an American stage actress and singer. She has been nominated for the Tony Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role in the musical ''Memphis'' and won the Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Actress i ...

Bon Jovi Bon Jovi is an American Rock music, rock band formed in 1983 in Sayreville, New Jersey. It consists of singer Jon Bon Jovi, keyboardist David Bryan, drummer Tico Torres, guitarist Phil X, and bassist Hugh McDonald (American musician), Hugh McD ...

songwriter and band member

David Bryan David Bryan Rashbaum (born February 7, 1962) is an American musician and songwriter, best known as the keyboard player for the rock band Bon Jovi, with which he also co-wrote songs and performed backing vocals. In 2018, Bryan was inducted into ...

and

Joe DiPietro Joe DiPietro (born 1961) is an American playwright, lyricist and author. He is best known for the Tony Award-winning musical ''Memphis'', for which he won the Tony Awards for Best Book of a Musical and Best Original Score as well as for writi ...

penned the score to ''Memphis'', which is flavored with gospel, R&B, rock and soul sounds. ''Memphis'' earned Tony Awards for Best Book, Best Score and Best Musical. Kimball and Glover earned Tony Award nominations for their performances.Adam Hetrick
"Live Film of Memphis Will Arrive in Movie Theatres April 28"
''Playbill'', March 10, 2011.

References

External links

Database for filmed Broadway Shows
Mass media companies established in 1995 Companies based in New York City {{Improve categories, date=October 2022