As summer begins to wane, several popular streaming sites are releasing titles perfect for theatre lovers to enjoy in September.
Among the offerings are big-budget musicals like Grease!, memorable star turns in films like Judy, and indie comedies like C.O.G., starring Tony nominee Jonathan Groff. Plus: The adaptation of The Boys in the Band debuts on Netflix at the end of the month.
On top of the movies, the new fall TV season brings with it several new series starring Broadway favorites, including Ratched and Fargo.
Check out the list of titles below, arranged by release date.
The Birdcage (9/1)
Available on Hulu and Prime Video
Directed by Mike Nichols and adapted from the original French play by Elaine May, this 1996 comedy stars Nathan Lane and Robin Williams as a gay couple who run a drag cabaret club in Miami. When their son announces his engagement, the pair are in over their heads as they prepare to meet the fiancée, whose parents are very conservative. Hilarity ensues in this lighthearted look at what happens when two families from opposite sides of the aisle come together to celebrate love.
The Bodyguard (9/1)
Available on HBO Max
When a superstar (Whitney Houston) discovers she is being stalked, she hires a former Secret Service agent (Kevin Costner) to protect her. While not a musical per se—although there are plenty of musical performances—the film inspired a stage adaptation that opened in the West End, starring Tony winner Heather Headley (Aida). Despite having not yet made it to Broadway, The Bodyguard remains a popular choice for regional, touring, and international venues.
Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (9/1)
Available on HBO Max
The 1958 adaptation of Tennessee Williams’ Pulitzer Prize-winning Southern drama—reportedly his favorite of all the movie adaptations of his plays—follows a wealthy patriarch as he faces impending death and manipulates his family, as his children squabble and mislead in desperate attempts to secure the family inheritance. Paul Newman and Elizabeth Taylor scored Oscar nominations for their performances.
C.O.G. (9/1)
Available on Prime Video
Jonathan Groff (Hamilton, Looking) stars as David, a young man trying to find his place in the world. Stuck up and staunchly atheist, he stumbles upon a community in Oregon that might just change his entire outlook on life. Based on a short story by David Sedaris, the movie was written and directed by Kyle Patrick Alvarez. Tony winner Denis O’Hare, Corey Stoll, Casey Wilson, and other fan favorites co-star.
De-Lovely (9/1)
Available on Prime Video
The story of Kiss Me, Kate and Anything Goes composer Cole Porter is presented as a staged musical fantasy, following the artist from the night he meets his future wife through his biggest successes and onto his later years, which were plagued by medical issues and exposés about his private life. The biopic stars two-time Tony winner Kevin Kline as Porter with Ashley Judd as his wife, Linda.
Grease (9/1)
Available on HBO Max and Netflix
Fans still cheer for this 1978 blockbuster, based on the 1971 Broadway musical—and there’s no better time to revisit it now that the prequel, tentatively titled Summer Loving, is in development. The high school musical stars John Travolta, Olivia Newton-John, Stockard Channing, Didi Conn, Jeff Conoway, and many others. Once you’ve done the hand-jive, hop over to Prime Video where Grease 2, starring Michelle Pfeiffer and Maxwell Caulfield, is streaming.
Man of La Mancha (9/1)
Available on Hulu and Prime Video
Peter O’Toole (dubbed by Simon Gilbert) and Sophia Loren star in this adaptation of the Tony-winning musical loosely inspired by Don Quixote. Featuring minimal changes to the Mitch Leigh and Joe Darion score, the plot follows an imprisoned Miguel de Cervantes as he gets his fellow inmates to enact the story of his novel.
The Producers (9/1)
Available on Netflix
Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick reprise their roles from the Tony-winning adaptation of Mel Brooks’ 1967 film. The musical features fading producer Max Bialystock (Lane), who convinces accountant Leo Bloom (Broderick) to partner with him in producing Springtime for Hitler, a guaranteed flop, and then running off with the money they've raised. Uma Thurman takes on the role of Ulla.
The Wedding Singer (9/1)
Available on HBO Max
This Adam Sandler-led movie, about a wannabe rock star trying to make ends meet as a wedding singer in 1985 New Jersey, inspired the 2006 musical. Drew Barrymore plays the helpful waitress who might just turn the rocker’s life around. The romantic comedy, written by Frank Coraci and written by Tim Herlihy, also stars Christine Taylor.
Who’s Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (9/1)
Available on HBO Max
Edward Albee’s Tony-winning play gets the screen treatment by Mike Nichols in his directorial debut, starring an Oscar-winning Elizabeth Taylor opposite her then-husband Richard Burton. They portray middle-aged couple Martha and George, who invite a younger couple, Nick and Honey, over for post-party drinks, only to share scathing barbs with one another. As Nick and Honey get pulled deeper and deeper into the couple’s game, it becomes clear no one will escape the evening unscathed. Sandy Dennis also won an Oscar for her portrayal of Honey.
Coastal Elites (9/12)
Available on HBO Max
Made entirely in quarantine, Paul Rudnik’s satire explores how the COVID-19 pandemic and politics affects five individuals in a series of monologues. The special presentation stars Tony winner Bette Midler (Hello, Dolly!), Emmy winner Sarah Paulson (American Crime Story), and 2020 Emmy nominees Dan Levy (Schitt’s Creek), Issa Rae (Insecure), and Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable). Watch the trailer here.
Ratched (9/18)
Available on Netflix
The Ryan Murphy prequel series to One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest stars Sarah Paulson as one of pop culture’s fiercest antagonists: Nurse Mildred Ratched. The origin story follows Mildred as she arrives in Northern California in 1947 to find work at a psychiatric hospital engaged in new and unsettling experiments. Ratched co-stars Tony winners Cynthia Nixon and Sophie Okonedo, Sharon Stone, Judy Davis, Finn Wittrock. Check out the trailer and photos here.
Judy (9/25)
Available on Hulu and Prime Video
Renée Zellweger won her second Oscar earlier this year portraying Judy Garland in this biopic based on Peter Quilter’s Tony-nominated play End of the Rainbow. Focused on Garland’s attempt at a career revival with a string of shows at London’s Talk of the Town in the ‘60s, the film co-stars Finn Wittrock and Jessie Buckley.
Fargo (September 28)
Available on Hulu
Fargo’s fourth season debuts with stage alums Chris Rock, Ben Whishaw, Jessie Buckley, Karen Aldridge, Timothy Olyphant, and more taking on a new story set in Kansas City, where two mob groups struggle for control. The series debuts September 27 on FX, with episodes available to watch on the streamer the following day.
The Boys in the Band (9/30)
Available on Netflix
Gathering in a New York City apartment for a birthday, a group of gay men spend the evening celebrating their life and friends. As the night waxes on, however, the cracks beneath their friendships begin to show, bringing to light self-inflicted heartache and identity crises. Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Andrew Rannells, Matt Bomer, Tony nominee Robin De Jesús, Brian Hutchison, Michael Benjamin Washington, Tuc Watkins, and Charlie Carver all reprise their roles from the 2018 Tony-winning adaptation of Mart Crowley’s seminal queer play. Joe Mantello once again directs, with Ryan Murphy returning to produce.
In addition to the titles arriving, a few fan favorites will be taking their final curtain call at the end of the month. West Side Story, The Color Purple, and The Birdcage will leave Hulu while those summer nights on HBO Max are short-lived with Grease only streaming in September. West Side Story and Grease will remain on Netflix, however.
