You Can Now Watch West End Musicals Free From Home

With coronavirus social distancing measures stopping almost the whole world from leaving the house, pubs, restaurants, museums and theatres have shut down to ensure government safety guidelines are met.

It sure is a strange time... but you can't say we haven't adapted quickly.

Now, a whole bunch of pub quizzes, theme park rides and theatre performances are available to experience virtually online.

And, guess what? The latest to offer up a freebie is the King of Musicals himself: Andrew Lloyd Webber.

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Yep, the legendary composer will be be uploading filmed versions of his musicals on the YouTube channel The Show Must Go On! each week, where they will be available for 48 hours for our viewing pleasure.

The first offering will be Joseph and the Technicolour Dreamcoat, which will go live at 7pm tonight, and then a new show will appear on Fridays going forward.

This 2002 production has a whole load of famous faces in it, from Donny Osmond to Joan Collins to Richard Attenborough. Wow.

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He'll then air 1970s rock opera, Jesus Christ Superstar a week later, filmed in 2012, with Tim Minchin, The Spice Girls' Mel C and Radio DJ Chris Moyles.

Alongside the full-length theatre shows, Lloyd-Webber will also treat us to some behind-the-scenes footage on the channel regularly, too.

The YouTube page will give fans the opportunity to make a charitable donation if they've enjoyed the performances, with suggested organisations including Acting for Others, Broadway Cares and Actors Benevolent Fund listed on the the performances.

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Andrew Lloyd-Webber has been doing his best to help fans get through the coronavirus pandemic by hosting live sing-a-longs on his Twitter, too.

He recently called for people to send in submissions of themselves singing Joseph and compiled them all together, playing the piano alongside them.

Some of the submissions were pretty impressive - and even a cat got in on the fun!

Plus, he also entered a 'playoff' with fellow composer and playwright Lin-Manuel Miranda, and even took up Chic hitmaker Nile Rodgers' challenge of re-working 'Get Lucky'.

Ready for a night in watching Joseph tonight? Go, go, go!

Topics: Music, TV News, Coronavirus, TV Entertainment

Joanna Freedman

Joanna is a journalist at Tyla with a particular interest in highlighting women's issues and telling inspiring first person stories. She's also their resident foodie, and loves covering exciting new beauty launches, too. Contact her at [email protected].

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