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# P/REVIEW: View From The Sofa 12
- URL: https://www.scenemag.co.uk/p-review-view-from-the-sofa-12/
- Published: 2020-06-12T11:06:58.000Z
- Updated: 2020-06-12T11:06:58.000Z
- Description: Brian Butler surveys the streaming horizon and finds madness, love in New York and a BAME triumph
- Author: Brian Butler
- Tags: Arts, Musical Theatre, Previews, Reviews, Television, Theatre, Alan Bennett, BBC, Leonard Bernstein, Mark Gatiss, Rob Houchen

[![](https://www.scenemag.co.uk/content/images/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/chaise-a-tan60400.png)](https://www.gscene.com/arts/theatre/p-reviewview-from-the-sofa-6/attachment/chaise-a-tan60400-2/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)

More and more film and theatre organisations are realising the lockdown power of streaming and long may it continue. This week there’s a veritable banquet for sofa-sitters.

The weekly National Theatre at home offering is the 2018 Nottingham Playhouse production of Alan Bennett’s magically funny **The Madness of George III**, starring Mark Gatiss. Written in 1991, it deals brilliantly with the ideas of madness and sanity, political intrigue and personal tragedy. It’s on for **a week from Thursday night** , June 11 on YouTube. Watch now:

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fofiKCV9wGc](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fofiKCV9wGc&ref=scenemag.co.uk)

The Shows Must Go On this week has an airing of the 2015 TV special of **The Wiz**, the all-black version of the Wizard of Oz which opened new doors to BAME performers in 1975\. It stars Queen Latifah and Mary J Blige, and is on for **48 hours from Friday** night on YouTube.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46S9yppXxKE](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46S9yppXxKE&ref=scenemag.co.uk)

Leonard Bernstein’s tricky musical **Candide** is free to view now until 3 July in a scaled-down concert version filmed at the Grange Festival. It features Rob Houchen and Katie Hall and is accompanied by the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra . Again it’s on YouTube.

Jason Robert Brown’s wonderful musical **The Last Five Years** lends itself to being filmed in isolation. Its two main characters fall in and out of love over five years but Jamie ( Danny Becker) tells their story forwards and Cathy ( Lauren Samuels) tells it backwards. The two characters only interact for one song mid-point.This version was filmed with each actor separately then edited. Sounds like fun. It costs £8 and has to be watched in real time on one of 3 nights, 25-27 June. It’s Another Palace production – tickets at [lwtheatres.co.uk](https://lwtheatres.co.uk/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)

The BBC’s remakes of the iconic Alan Bennett monologues **Talking Heads** will be available on iplayer from 23 June. Stars appearing include Jodie Comer, Imelda Staunton and Lucian Msmati.

Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre, London is offering a range of productions and other treats, including **The Merry Wives of Windsor** – go to globe player.tv

The ground-breaking Paines Plough, together with Open Clasp Theatre, have released plays by emerging female writers from Newcastle upon Tyne . Check them out at [openclasp.org.uk](https://www.openclasp.org.uk/?ref=scenemag.co.uk)

And finally the British musical Eugenius by Ben Adams and Chris Wilkins is still on [Facebook at eugeniusthemusical](https://www.facebook.com/eugeniusthemusical/videos/eugenius-the-musical-archive/519159602015175/)

Happy viewing – next time an exciting octopus recipe from Texas !