We stopped going to the theatre March 12, 2020. Within a few days, we turned to the virtual stage. Within a few weeks, we found regular comfort in Zoom readings, split-screen reunions, and remotely produced performances. And over the past 12 months, we learned that the show could go on—in some capacity. On the anniversary of the Broadway shutdown, the Playbill staff (with some assistance from readers) looks back on a year of on-screen theatre.
Here are 365 streaming moments, each in 10 words or less, in no particular order.
- 11 Elphabas belting the final “Defying Gravity” battle cry
- Jonathan Groff takes the Sutton Foster quiz
- Broadway welcomes Biden-Harris admin as a "Season of Love"
- Janet Yellen getting the Hamilton treatment
- Ashley Park’s ode to the Amazon delivery person
- Newsies seizing the day in NYC
- Kathryn Hahn's American Dolls Presentation of Glengarry
- The Effies of Dreamgirls unite on Stars in the House
- Cast of Pose singing "Love Yourself"
- Taylor Iman Jones' stripped down "Toxic"
- Hairspray stars reuniting for Miscast
- Solea Pfeiffer singing with the Broadway Sinfonietta
- Mary Neely getting creative with Beauty and the Beast
- Krystina Alabado's Hadestown audition, interrupted
- Allen Rene Louis' "Being Alive"arrangement for the Antonyo Awards
- Christine Goerke's tribute for Ruth Bader Ginsburg
- Mars Rucker and L Morgan Lee's "What About Love"
- Leslie Uggams as Madame Arcati
- Gideon Glick (and us) crying to "Because You Loved Me"
- An all-star Cuttin' Up
- Andrea Marcovicci's Valentine of a concert
- Ariana (x6) Won't Say She's In Love
- Gavin and Shoshana's "Love Shack"
- Kristin Chenoweth channels Carole Baskin in "Little Pieces"
- Adrienne Warren singing Tina Turner in her tub
- "When I Grow Up" with Matilda Stars, all grown up
- Michael Urie, Brandon Uranowitz, more recreate Clue dinner scene
- Kristin Chenoweth...hosts...a Candy Land...cooking competition?
- Chekhov, as performed on Sims 4
- James Monroe Iglehart's at-home Disney medley
- Kerry Butler and Gavin Lee recreate The Brady Bunch opening
- Bernadette Peters "Feeling Good" on Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist
- Regular words of comfort from Dr. LaPook
- American Dance Machine keeping it "Cool"
- Sara Bareilles joining the 7 PM cheer
- The Schuyler Sisters want us to Vote, Vote
- Idina’s Treehouse
- Heroes of the Fourth Turning on Zoom
- Young Jean Lee's virtual playwriting seminar
- Michael C. Hall and Lena Hall celebrate David Bowie
- Funny folx tribute funny girl Fanny Brice
- Tony Pinkins does it all for Red Pill
- Corden says goodbye to Trump with Les Mis parody
- Todrick Hall and Brandy reenact Cinderella
- The Prom builds a virtual prom
- A gaggle of Galindas (and Saycon)
- All About Evil
- Two separate streaming performances of Menopause the Musical
- Jennifer Simard snatches the TP crown in Hamilton Performance
- April Matthis reprises her Toni Stone performance
- Drew Gasparini's We Aren't Kids Anymore concert
- That Idina Menzel Geico commercial that's still in our heads
- Jelani Alladin and Matt Doyle's "We Kiss in the Shadows"
- The Frozen ushers "Let It Go"
- Ann Dowd and fam in A Doll's House, Part 2
- Celia Gooding and Lauren Patten, our new Joanne and Maureen
- Thanksgiving: The TikTok Musical
- Making Playbill flowers
- The chaos of Christmas on the Square's opening number
- Phoebe Waller-Bridge dropping by Playbill Live
- Ariana Grande's "Still Hurting"
- The Boys in the Band, The Men From the Boys
- Suzan-Lori Parks works from home...like the rest of us
- Gloria reunion reading
- Learning from Freestyle Love Supreme
- Andrew Lloyd Webber streams himself watching Cats
- Patrick Stewart's daily Shakespeare sonnets on Instagram
- A night (hundreds, in fact) at the opera
- Shoshana Bean and Cynthia Erivo's "When You Believe" for Seder
- #SunshineSongs
- A Times Square press conference
- American Dance Machine's "The Music and the Mirror"
- An Apple Family reunion
- Ali Stroker as Maureen
- The Plastics become Christmas chipmunks
- Jessie Mueller watching Keala Settle sing "This Is Me"
- Hamilton original cast surprising a kid on Some Good News
- That time The Good Fight did a Slave Play episode
- What the Hell Is a Republic Anyway?
- Theatre for One: Here We Are
- Nikki M. James' "The Skate" for Playbill's Women in Theatre
- Chaka Khan and Idina Menzel, a dynamic duo
- Judy Collins and Alan Cumming talk "Ladies Who Lunch"
- Melissa Errico making pesto
- Ain't Too Proud performs socially distant version of opening number
- Rachel Bloom and Barry Bostwick's "Dammit, Janet"
- Javier Muñoz and Jason Tam's "Ignoring the Truth"
- The perhaps too aptly named Viral Monologues
- Ramin on the banjo
- Billy Porter's "For What It's Worth"
- Tamika Lawrence's "Seasons of Love" solo on NBC
- Stephen Sondheim surprises Paul Harvey
- The Company revival singing their opening number in quarantine
- The Five Lesbian Brothers reunite to discuss Brave Smiles
- Alex Boniello is "So Tired" (we are too)
- August Wilson continuing to inspire in Giving Voice
- Stephanie J. Block singing to her daughter
- Waking up with Theatre Under The Stars' Musical Mornings
- The Gaze … No Homo
- Charlotte d'Amboise letting the sunshine in through dance
- Timothy Hughes on Built for the Stage
- Revisiting the Puffs on Playbill Playback
- (Virtually) Meet Me in St. Louis
- Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams sing about being divas
- Debbie Allen getting us in shape
- Scenes from Sweet Lorraine
- Robin de Jesus' rendition of "Dressing Them Up"
- 70 Actors from 6 productions of Titanic sing 'We'll Meet Tomorrow'
- The Black Men of Broadway dressed to the nines
- "I Am What I Am" opening the Playbill Pride Spectacular
- Jack Thorne's A Christmas Carol streams live from London
- Lindsay Mendez's Vivian Vance-esque sidekicking
- Belting for Biden
- Revisiting Danielle Brooks' Beatrice
- Homeschool Musical Class of 2020 on HBO
- Jinkx and DeLa's Christmas camp
- Merrily Merrily We Roll Along Rolls Along at the Obies
- Lillias White scatting
- Claire Foy and Matt Smith reunite for Lungs
- Wicked encourages voting, unadulterated voting
- The ultimate overture medley, c/o London musicians
- Tim Curry returns to Rocky Horror to narrate streamed performance
- The Barricade Boys, self-barricaded, sing "Bring Him Home"
- Carrie Hope Fletcher previewing Cinderella
- Carmen Cusack goes flying (while driving) over sunset
- I Put A Spell On You: The Sanderson Sisters Break The Internet
- Daniel J. Watts' speech at TedxBroadway
- Marisa Tomei and Oscar Isaaac in Beirut
- Viola Davis and Stacey Abrams for BTU
- The Today Show pays tribute to Broadway for Halloween
- The Search for a Star self-tapes
- Melba Moore singing "I Got Love"...again!
- Chloe Davis pays tribute to Black choreographers at The Muny
- Rizzos try to remember "There Are Worse Things"
- James Monroe Iglehart getting us excited for the (eventual) Tonys
- Sierra Boggess tackles Javert in self-tape audition
- Waitress in Japan
- God (or Jenifer Lewis) Save the City
- "Lysol That Jazz"
- COVID can't stop the beat
- The Platt brothers' graduation medley
- Putting Bernie (Sanders, not Peters) on Broadway
- Jinx Monsoon is Beth Leavel is Madame Rose
- Samantha Pauley sings on IGTV with her dog
- Alice Ripley singing “American Pie” for voters in line
- Larry Owens' Lortel Awards acceptance song
- A Killer Party
- Jenna Russell killing [vampires]
- West End Stars promise "We'll Meet Again"
- Cole Escola's Obie Awards opening, feat. Donna Murphy!
- Andrew Barth Feldman and Alex Boniello’s Broadway Jackbox
- The many wigs of Circle Jerk
- The Brave New Shakespeare challenge
- T'Shan Williams' "I'm Here"
- Watching Renée’s “Satisfied” as much as we want (rewind, rewind...)
- Andrew Scott in Three Kings
- The Bridgerton TikTok musical
- Marie's Crisis online singalongs
- A house-turned-soundstage for Who's Your Baghdaddy
- OBC of The Lion King performs "He Lives in You"
- Anthony Ramos kicking off Viva Broadway! with "In The Heights"
- Broadway returns via the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade
- Michael Urie back in the Cellar
- Turning it out with Tiler Peck
- Trekkie Monster reminds us all to practice social distancing
- Dyllón Burnside leaves us "Bewitched Bothered, and Bewildered"
- Centerstage With Healthcare Heroes
- Josh Groban gets "Intimate"
- Harry Potter's welcome back speech in Melbourne
- Eden Espinosa singing "Woman Is" for Pride
- Brooklynite stars commemorate co-star Nick Cordero
- Hamilton dancers performing a Juneteenth celebration
- The grocery store musical on TikTok
- Virtual walks with Broadway Up Close
- Julie Andrews Cinderella, Lesley Ann Warren Cinderella, Brandy Cinderella
- Time Stands Still (no kidding) live stream
- Kate Baldwin singing “Hold On” from The Secret Garden
- Rob McClure takes up conducting
- Adrienne Warren singing "Sally's Song"
- A toast to Allegiance
- Kathryn Hahn reading What the Constitution Means to Me
- The Comeback's comeback on Stars in the House
- Annaleigh Ashford's adorable kid bloopers
- Omigod you guys...sanitize!
- Robbie Fairchild dancing across NYC rooftops
- Betsy Wolfe as Estella Scrooge
- Vanessa Williams and fellow Desperate Housewives on SITH
- Len Cariou, Penny Fuller, Lee Roy Reams revisit Applause
- Patti LuPone, a literal angel on Judgment Day
- SOLDIERGIRLS
- "Welcome to the Rock" via Zoom
- A revamped ALW “Love Trio”
- Annie Golden and Gregg German assassinate for Studio Tenn
- "Road to Hell" at The Tank Gala
- 3 Days, 3 Wendy Wasserstein plays
- The "Get It Girl, You Go" music video
- Michael Urie interviewing Bernadette Peters
- The London Hairspray cast on Britain's Got Talent
- Lena Hall biking through the Search for Elle Woods reunion
- Brian Stokes Mitchell dreams "The Impossible Dream" from his window
- Christine Baranski. Audra McDonald. Meryl Streep. Wine.
- The Beautiful cast reminding us "You've Got a Friend"
- Bill Irwin's perfect marriage of clown work and Beckett
- Between the World and Me debuting on HBO
- André De Shields as Frederick Douglass
- Betty Buckley singing “When There’s No One”
- Jordan E. Cooper's Mama Got a Cough
- Basil Twist moving us with fabric
- Actors sing and wash their hands (20 seconds, at least!)
- Michael Balogun in Death of England: Delroy
- Shan Ako to artists: "Stay Ready, Don’t Lose Hope"
- #TheEthelMermanPlaybillProject
- Black Lives Black Words' Plays for the People
- Patti LuPone's basement antics
- Daniel J. Watts' "The Jam" goes digital
- Original cast revisits Sugar in Our Wounds
- Sis' Offering
- Jessica Blank and Erik Jensen's The Line
- Ashley Park teasing a Millie that never was
- Välkommen till oss! Come From Away in Sweden
- Broadway Princess Party puts COVID twist on "Go the Distance"
- Erin Morley accompanies herself and interpolates
- Jagged Little Pill reuniting for a virtual concert
- The original cast of Floyd Collins on Stars in the House
- Cooking meets theatre meets Bollywood
- Bottomless Brunch at Colman's
- Company of Company (including Sondheim) toasts Patti's birthday
- "Broadway Actors When Their Mics Are Off" on TikTok
- Michael McElroy leads Bernadette Peters and more in "Sunday"
- Jessica Vosk's witchy face right before "especially the beans"
- Kinky Boots around the world Raise Us Up
- Chuck and Lilli Cooper keeping us "Cool" in election week
- Daniel J. Watts does spoken word in Louis Armstrong's house
- Chonburi International Hotel and Butterfly Club
- The Walter Project
- Emily Blunt explaining "The Barbra Streisand Special"
- No photobooth? No problem. Broadway Flea heads to Zoom
- Kiss My Aztec cast calling out social distancing flouters
- Tom Kitt offers a little "Light"
- Idina Menzel and Megan Hilty sing "For Good" for graduates
- Christopher Jackson Goes Live From the West Side
- Harriet Harris is Eleanor Roosevelt
- “You Are My Sunshine,” a la The Good Fight
- Melissa Errico's book of erotic Irish art
- Happiness Is a Thing Called...Audra
- ALW plays LMM, LMM plays ALW
- L Morgan Lee's "Some Kinda Happy" for Women in Theatre
- Ashley Blanchet's "Before the Parade Passes By"
- Sasha Allen Lifts Every Voice and Sings
- La MaMA Breaks It Open
- Isaac Powell performs quarantined "Something's Coming" with WSS orchestra
- Denée Benton's "Spark of Creation" to End NF
- Broadway game nights
- Noted thespian Snoop Dogg in Hurt Village
- The Magic Flute meets Mario
- Audra McDonald's #DontRushChallenge with her six (6) Tonys
- Amfar's Angels in America presentation
- 2020: The Musical highlighting a dumpster fire year
- Riverdale does Hedwig
- Anthony Ramos is a curious cat
- one in two transfers from Off-Broadway to streaming
- Lena Hall singing "Elegies for Angels, Punks and Raging Queens"
- Katrina Lenk's "Something Good" being something sultry
- Original U.K. Six stars reclaim the throne
- Audra McDonald reading A Is for Audra
- So many Anjous belting!
- A digital "Carnaval del Barrio"
- Taylor Stanley dancing in front of Pride installation
- Jelani Alladin and Christiani Pitts take on "The Lady is a Tramp"
- Chicago's Victory Gardens Theatre's stream of Fun Home
- For the Love of Lyric
- Alex Newell as Effie White on ClubHouse
- Alvin Ailey's Revalations Reimagined
- Miriam Shor reprising Wild Party role for Pride Spectacular
- Covenant House kids singing out
- Nick Jonas on SNL...we'll drink to that
- Kelli, Vicki, and Matt Reflect on Piazza
- BD Wong's "I Miss New York"
- Larry Owens and Natalie Walker celebrating #Choices
- Mandy Patinkin and Kathryn Grody struggle with acronyms
- Liz Callaway serenades from her car
- Dancing to Center Stage with Susan Stroman
- Race, as directed by Phylicia Rashad
- Edward Mawere's #BroadwayRemixChallenge
- Arielle Jacobs is "Talking to Oliver"
- Broadway Bares: Zoom In (and zoom in we did...)
- Losing our minds for Emily Skinner and Solea Pfeiffer
- Crystal Dickinson plays Crystal Mason in court drama
- Kiki & Herb: Seeking Asylum!
- Night of a Thousand Meryls
- Heartbeat Opera makes their garden grow
- Jeff Richmond and Jane Krakowski revisit Jenna's musical moments
- Mother-daughter LaChanze/Celia Gooding sing Next to Normal
- Matt Ban's rockin' quarantine brunch
- Heidi Schreck on Amazon
- Imani Mchunu and Paul Grosvenor sing opera on a stoop
- André De Shields Remembers the Ribbon
- Legally Blonde reunion on Broadway Podcast Network
- Broadway Buskers
- Nicole Kidman's Zazz
- Songs for a New World from across the world
- 7 playwrights make 7 rules for 7 10-Minute Plays
- Yes, we rewatched Smash, and yes, that counts
- Joriah Kwame previews more of Little Miss Perfect
- Jennifer Simard and Jesisca Vosk are Killing It
- Santino Fontana's other Christmas shoes
- And Klea Blackhurst as Alice!
- Brenda Braxton fabulously guest hosting Stars in the House
- Broadway For Racial Justice's #WeAreNotATrend
- SuperYou, drive-in-style
- Noah Galvin as Bradley "Baby" Bjorn
- Londoners singing "Do You Hear the People Sing?"
- The Project Sing Out! concert
- A Head Over Heels virtual reunion—and Go-Go's medley
- 33 Sondheim songs in 5 minutes
- Yvette Gonzalez-Nacer's 6-Part, 1-Person Hadestown arrangement
- David Kwong taking us Inside the Box
- Becoming charmed by The Flying Lovers of Vitebsk
- Ryan J. Haddad's Hi Are You Single?
- #Ham4Change
- Isabella Rossellini on the birds and the bees
- Fosse moves to Billie Eilish's "Bad Guy"
- BAC's Verzuz featuring legends Andre De Shields and Lillias White
- Dulé Hill's fabulous feet
- "Haus of Holbein" from home
- A whole bunch of Encores! encores
- Over 300 Cats perform around the world
- Off-Broadway's Jersey Boys performing "Sherry"
- Julianne Moore and Kaitlyn Dever as mother-daughter
- An epic "Why We Tell the Story"
- Bonnie Milligan's "Gimme Gimme"
- Daveed Diggs' Hanukkah puppy
- Back to Broadbend, Arkansas
- Renée Zellweger introducing Bombshell
- The Boys in the Band: Something Personal documentary
- British dames offer Talking Heads
- Ben Platt/DEH Fam's "You Will Be Found" on Corden
- Lailla Robins, Laila Robns, and Laila Robins in Macbeth
- Paula Vogel's Bard at the Gate series
- Laura Benanti says/sings goodbye to Melania
- Feeling a “Brand New Day” with Mykal Kilgore
- MCC's all-star School Girls, or the African Mean Girls Play
- Ariana DeBose, Lillias White, and Skye Dakota Turner's Ragtime arrangement
- Lonergan vets headline Hold On to Me Darling
- Tonya Pinkins return to CSC for a chat
- Cynthia Erivo performs a cappella "Somewhere"
- Siempre, Luis
- Kristin Chenoweth "helps" Kamala Harris be “popular”
- Mrs. Doubtfire's "As Long as There Is Love" from home
- Robyn Hurder's family dance sessions
- Geffen Stayhouse's The Present
- Make you (virtually) feel my love
- Swan Lake performed in bathtubs
- School of American Ballet faces COVID realities in On Pointe
- Raul Esparza and Samira Wiley in Tartuffe
- Alex Newell's #AsakaRiffChallenge
- The Virtual Fire Island Dance Festival
- Ria Jones' entrance as Norma Desmond
- Andréa Burns walks us—in incredible heels—through Bad Dates
- Samantha Barks enjoys (endures?) a First Date
- Seymours sharing their Little Shop stories
- Jefferson Mays as Scrooge, Tiny Tim, and everyone else
- The Diana cast's Dance Battle Royale
- Ingrid Michaelson's Broadway medley
- Remy, the ratatouille, the rat of all my dreams
