Live Theatrical Performances Available for Instant Viewing that Make the Roku Worth the Price

The Netflix instant viewing option combined with the purchase of the Roku to stream those movies and TV shows and such straight to your TV can also have the effect of bringing a theater directly into your living room. Or even your bedroom. Or any other room in the house where you have a TV set and internet access, whether wired or wireless. Legitimate theatre is not just for snobs, either. Think about the potential of teachers taking a Roku to school with them and being able to dial up Shakespeare, Sophocles and other great dramatists of the ages. Netflix has a tremendous wealth of live theatrical performances caught on film that are available for instant viewing via the Roku.

Company.
This video is culled from the 2006 revival of Stephen Sondheim's classic musical that offers an insider's glimpse into the behind-the-scenes world of...a Broadway musical. Sondheim at his best is better than Andrew Lloyd Webber at his imagined best and Company offers Sondheim at the top of his game.

The Seagull.
The venerable play from Anton Chekhov that has been a mainstay of theatre for over a century. This version is from the highly acclaimed production starring Frank Langella and Blythe Danner. Rent this if only to see that Gwyneth Paltrow sadly only inherited about a tenth of her mother's talent.

Antigone.
What student didn't read Antigone at some point during school? Return to school via Netflix instant viewing and the Roku and this time around really pay attention to this classic Greek drama about loyalty to one's principles above all. This one features an almost impossibly young Genevieve Bujold and terrific character actor Fritz Weaver.

Alice in Wonderland.
A 1983 stage production featuring Nathan Lane, Richard Burton and his daughter Kate, this mature and intelligent version of Lewis Carroll's classic novel. Not for all tastes and those who find the Walt Disney version to the defining version will probably hate it, but it makes for an interesting couple of hours if you are willing to expand your mind, or even just to feed you head.