The 7 Best Holiday Stage Musicals to Stream This Season
The most wonderful time of the year has arrived and we can't wait to celebrate it by streaming some of the best holiday-themed musicals! From holiday classics to recent big-budget Broadway musicals, our 2022 holiday list features 7 must-see productions you can now stream or purchase on DVD/Blu-Ray. So get ready to curl up on the couch with a mug of hot cocoa - and settle in for a true Christmas musical marathon. Here are our top picks for the 7 musicals you should catch this December: It really doesn't get any better than "Holiday Inn" to celebrate the festive period. The Broadway musical is based on the known 1942 Hollywood film which tells the story of Jim, who leaves the bright lights of Broadway—as well as his fiancé and dance partner Lila—to settle down at an old farmhouse in Connecticut. Jim’s luck takes a turn for the better when he meets Linda, a spirited schoolteacher with talent to spare. Together, they turn the farmhouse into a seasonal inn with show-stopping performances to celebrate each holiday, from Thanksgiving to the Fourth of July. The musical, which was filmed live on Broadway, features many Irving Berlin classics such as “Shaking the Blues Away,” “Heat Wave,” “Blue Skies,” “Cheek to Cheek,” “It’s a Lovely Day Today,” “Easter Parade,” and, of course, “White Christmas.” Holiday Inn is available as a DVD/Blu-Ray and can also be streamed online. Off-Broadway's MeshugaNutcracker is another fun musical streaming this holiday season - a wonderfully silly comedy that tells the story of Chelm, a fictional town of fools, which is underscored by an invigorating, Klezmer-ized orchestration of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Suite, now with fun original lyrics that celebrate Chanukah. The Chelmniks tell eight stories that pay tribute to the holiday. Add in dancing dreidels, singing sufganiot, and surprise guest stars and you have the perfect recipe for a holiday gathering. The musical was filmed in 2016 at the Gindi Auditorium at the American Jewish University as part of a Fathom Events initiative to capture Chanukah-related content. The musical was filmed in front of a live audience and released in US cinemas the following year. The MeshugaNutcracker is now available to stream online! The tale of the boy who will never grow up is the center of this classic stage production of Peter Pan. The production, which played Broadway multiple times and was captured in 2000 stars Cathy Rigby, an Olympic gymnast who performed the role for more than 20 years starting with the 1991 Broadway production. The musical toured the U.S. in 1997 and played more than 60 cities before landing on Broadway for the holiday season of 1998, where it was nominated for a Tony Award. The two-hour live capture was recorded for A&E at the La Mirada Theatre for the Performing Arts in California and can now be streamed online. Peter Pan is now streaming for free and can be accessed through our full list of free musicals. Nominated for a Tony Award for Best Special Theatrical Event, Slava's Snowshow is a universal and timeless theatrical spectacle that has enchanted and empowered the imagination of audiences since 1993 in dozens of countries. Created by Slava Polunin, this wistful theatrical adventure unleashes a breathtaking artistic thrill ride for audiences of all ages and languages. It offers a dreamlike vision that overflows with magical dynamism and humorous antics, set within an absurd and surrealistic world. Slava's Snowshow is still touring the world, but can also be streamed online now. A Christmas classic, the musical was originally staged at the Theatre at Madison Square Garden for more than 10 years before being turned into a feature film. The same creatives that worked on the stage musical adapted the musical to the small screen, in an unforgettable production starring Kelsey Grammer, Jane Krakowski (She Loves Me, Nine), Jesse L. Martin (Rent), Jason Alexander (Bye Bye Birdie), and Ruthie Henshall (Billy Elliot: The Musical, Putting It Together). A Christmas Carol is now streaming for free and can be accessed through our full list of free musicals. Every year, The Radio City Rockettes bring holiday cheer to New York audiences with their annual presentation of "Christmas Spectacular" - but if you can't get to New York in time, have no worries - the full production is available to stream while the show runs on stage in New York! Beloved by generations of families and starring the incomparable Radio City Rockettes, the "Christmas Spectacular" is a one-of-a-kind tradition where the magic of Christmas in New York comes alive. The iconic performance was filmed live at Radio City Music Hall at Rockefeller Center for the show's 75th Anniversary. The filmed production, which closely matches what is currently playing live on stage in New York, is now streaming online and also is available to purchase as holiday gifts on DVD and Blu-Ray. The classic holiday performance of The Nutcracker, set to Tchaikovsky's score, George Balanchine's choreography, and performed by The New York City Ballet, is perhaps one of our favorite films to stream every December. With more than 90 dancers, 62 musicians, 40 stagehands, and 60 children, the magical performance was filmed live and stars Darci Kistler, Damian Woetzel, Kyra Nichols, Bart Robinson Cook, Macaulay Culkin, Jessica Lynn Cohen, Wendy Whelan, Margaret Tracey, Gen Horiuchi, Tom Gold, and the New York City Ballet. New York Ballet's The Nutcracker is now streaming online for free and can be accessed through our full list of free musicals.1. Holiday Inn
2. The MeshugaNutcracker!
3. Peter Pan
4. Slava's Snowshow
5. A Christmas Carol
6. Radio City Christmas Spectacular
7. The Nutcracker