“We are always looking for new ways to bring live theater to more people, and knowing that this production’s multimedia set design includes digital projections of actual footage from Shackleton’s expeditions, we could not pass on this unique opportunity to continue to extend the reach of this iconic leader’s story,” said BroadwayHD cof-founders, Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley.
Another thrilling theatrical event is preparing to live-stream for theatre fans. BroadwayHD will be streaming the Off-Broadway musical Ernest Shackleton Loves Me winner of the 2017 Off Broadway Alliance Award for Best Musical. The musical, which stars Wade McCollum (Wicked) and GrooveLily’s electro-violinist Valerie Vigoda, will be available to watch live on BroadwayHD.com on Wednesday, June 7 at 8:00 p.m. EDT with a live pre-show feature to begin at 7:45 p.m. EDT. Seven high-definition cameras will capture this production at Second Stage’s Tony Kiser Theatre. The show will be available for an on-demand encore following the live stream.
A uniquely theatrical piece, Ernest Shackleton is described as “a wildly inventive musical adventure that tells the story of a sleep-deprived single mom who struggles to balance her family and career as a video game music composer. Late one night, while posting a dating video, she receives an unexpected response from the polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton (1874-1922), one of the most iconic leaders of the 20th century. Shipwrecked and stranded on an iceberg in the Antarctic, Shackleton reaches across space and time to share his heroic journey with her. Against all odds, they discover that their greatest inspiration lies within each other.”
Staged by Obie Award-winning director Lisa Peterson, Ernest Shackleton Loves Me is written by Joe DiPietro (Memphis, All Shook Up). The piece features music by Brendan Milburn and lyrics by Valerie Vigoda. Production design is by Alexander V. Nichols (Hugh Jackman: Back on Broadway), costume design by Chelsea Cook, sound design by Tony Award winner Rob Kaplowitz (Fela!) and music direction & orchestrations by Ryan O’Connell.
BroadwayHD subscribers can watch Ernest Shackleton Loves Me on BroadwayHD.com, Chromecast and BroadwayHD’s Roku, Apple TV, iPad, iPhone and Android mobile apps. The performance will also be available for on-demand viewing on BroadwayHD.com, starting the day after the live event, and running through Saturday, June 24.
Mark Robinson is the author of the two-volume encyclopedia The World of Musicals and maintains a theater and entertainment blog at markrobinsonwrites.com.