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Andrew Lloyd Webber makes musicals free online: How to watch

Donny Osmond in <i>Joseph and his Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat.</i> (PA)
Donny Osmond in Joseph and The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat. (PA)

Lord Lloyd Webber is making some of his hit musicals available to watch for free on YouTube during the coronavirus crisis.

Theatres around the country are closed in an effort to slow the spread of the illness but fans from around the world will be able to enjoy the productions when The Shows Must Go On channel launches on 3 April.

Which Lloyd Webber musicals will be shown online?

It will begin on Friday, 3 April with the 2000 version of Joseph And The Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat, inspired by the West End production and starring Donny Osmond, Maria Friedman, Sir Richard Attenborough and Dame Joan Collins.

Read more: The best children’s TV on streaming

The second production to be made available will be rock musical Jesus Chris Superstar, which was recorded in 2012 starring Tim Minchin, Melanie C and Chris Moyles. It will be available on 10 April, which is Good Friday.

(left - right)Tim Minchin, Ben Forster, Melanie C and Chris Moyles during a dress rehearsal for the new production of Jesus Christ Superstar, at the LH2 centre in London.   (Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)
(left - right)Tim Minchin, Ben Forster, Melanie C and Chris Moyles during a dress rehearsal for the new production of Jesus Christ Superstar, at the LH2 centre in London. (Photo by Ian West/PA Images via Getty Images)

In the announcement video above, Lloyd Webber teased that his “disaster musical” By Jeeves would be livestreamed at a later date. Inspired by the PG Wodehouse stories, it flopped when it made its West End debut in 1975. It was completely overhauled in 1996, and eventually made it to Broadway in 2001.

What time will the Lloyd Webber musicals will be online?

Each show will be available for free from 7pm (UK time) on the day of release for 48 hours. You can set yourself a reminder through YouTube for Joseph here.

What else will be on the The Shows Must Go On! YouTube channel?

Composer and executive producer Andrew Lloyd Webber attends the world premiere of "Cats" at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)
Composer and executive producer Andrew Lloyd Webber attends the world premiere of "Cats" at Alice Tully Hall on Monday, Dec. 16, 2019, in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)

Alongside full-length shows, clips of famous performances and behind-the-scenes footage will also be uploaded regularly to the channel.

What’s it in aid of?

Fans who wish to make a charitable donation will find a variety of suggested organisations listed on the full-length YouTube channel videos, including Acting for Others (UK), Broadway Cares (US) and Actors Benevolent Fund.