15-07-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
Theater to Stream: Morgan Freeman in ‘Gospel at Colonus' and More
'The Gospel at Colonus'
Stream it on YouTube.
'The Gospel of Colonus' has built a fervent following over the past four decades or so — its number 'How Shall I See You Through My Tears?' even popped up in the cult-favorite movie 'Camp' — so expectations are running high for the new revival at Little Island in Manhattan (through July 26). Those not in New York or who couldn't get a ticket to Shayok Misha Chowdhury's new staging can check out a production from the American Music Theater Festival in Philadelphia, from 1985, that's streaming on YouTube. This superlative take on Lee Breuer and Bob Telson's gospel retelling of Sophocles' tragedy of Oedipus boasts a powerhouse cast, including Morgan Freeman, Jevetta Steele and Robert Earl Jones (James's father), who went on to Broadway with the show three years later. The score, which features some of the funkiest, most rousing numbers ever heard in a musical, surges to vivid life. Tip: Blast this at full volume.
'Frozen: The Hit Broadway Musical'
Stream it on Disney+.
The stage version of the animated megahit movie 'Frozen' played just two years on Broadway (a short spell by Disney standards), but this newly available capture of the West End production may well kick-start renewed interest in the United States. For the stage version, Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez expanded their score with a dozen new songs — my favorite is the catchy duet 'What Do You Know About Love?' between Anna (Laura Dawkes) and Kristoff (Jammy Kasongo). The movie and the show share a bone structure, but they are different animals, with the show able to spend more time on the complicated bond between the sisters, Anna and Elsa (an excellent Samantha Barks). Michael Grandage's staging captures the story's supernatural side well, and, let's face it: We're all going to watch Elsa's eye-popping costume change during 'Let It Go' a million times, wondering how they pulled it off.
'A Summer Day'
Stream it from the Wilma Theater.
Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
