With ‘American Son,’ Should Netflix’s Next Disruption Be Broadway?

As of today, you can watch American Son, an acclaimed Broadway play, from the comfort of your own home on Netflix. It’s not quite a filmed stage play, but it’s close. Though it’s filmed on a set without a live audience, all of the other elements from the stage play remain, including the direction from Kenny Leon, the script from playwright Christopher Demos-Brown, and the original Broadway cast: Kerry Washington, Steven Pasquale, Jeremy Jordan, and Eugene Lee.

This isn’t the first time Netflix has dipped its toe in the world of Broadway. Currently, the streaming service also hosts a taped show of John Mulaney and Nick Kroll’s hit 2016 comedy, Oh, Hello, a taped Bruce Springsteen concert/show hybrid, Springsteen on Broadway, and a taped show of 2008’s Tony-nominated Shrek the Musical. For the most part, these ventures have been successful. Oh, Hello did well on Broadway in 2016—well enough that Mulaney and Kroll took their shtick on the road—but the show truly became a viral hit when it debuted on Netflix a year later, thanks largely to Mulaney’s enthusiastic online fanbase. Springsteen on Broadway similarly found its audience among the loyal fans of the Boss, earned praise from critics (IndieWire called it “the single best thing that Netflix has ever done”), and won an Emmy for Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special. Shrek the Musical, the only traditional filmed Broadway musical on Netflix, is perhaps a slower burn. The show—which began streaming in 2014—didn’t explode in popularity the way Oh, Hello did, but I will say I’ve heard more people mention Shrek the Musical in the year 2019 than I ever would have expected.

Unlike the above three examples, American Son is not a filmed version of a live performance, and it perhaps will suffer because of that. All 90 minutes take place in a police precinct as two parents, Kendra Ellis-Connor (Washington) and Scott Connor (Pasquale), desperately try to obtain information about their missing son. It’s a story about race, identity, and motherhood. Kendra, a black mother, grows increasingly desperate as the night wears on, and increasingly frustrated with the dismissive attitude of her white husband and the white police officer. Washington and the cast earned rave reviews for their Broadway performance. While the performances are still very moving on film, especially given heavy the content of the story, it’s also a little off-putting to hear actors projecting the way they would on stage for no one but the camera.

The draw of Washington—whose series Scandal has been a huge hit on Netflix—will likely still make American Son a win regardless. And she’s undoubtedly very good. But without the presence of an audience, even unseen, I can’t help but imagine that some Netflix users will click on American Son unaware of its theatrical roots, and be baffled by the tone. It doesn’t help that Netflix fails to explain this crucial detail in its description for what is officially dubbed a “Netflix Television Event.” Maybe Netflix thinks the idea of “the theater” would turn off some of its viewers, but I disagree. If anything Netflix should lean harder into a Broadway takeover. It’s already infiltrated Broadway’s Belasco Theatre to screen The Irishman, so why not go all the way?

Personally, I can’t think of a better way for Netflix to use its power than to bring Broadway shows—some of the most impressive, elaborate and also inaccessible art out there—to the masses. Even those of us who work mere blocks away from New York City’s theater district miss out on some of the hottest Broadway shows. These days, it’s normal for tickets to range from $100 to $400 for just one seat, affording only the richest of the rich the privilege. Imagine how meaningful it would be, for example, for low-income communities of color to have Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Hamilton at their fingertips, or for a young queer girl living in rural Indiana to be able to stream The Prom. Imagine the generations of art that access could inspire! Speaking of The Prom, Netflix actually is adapting the Tony-nominated musical into a show from Ryan Murphy, who is also adapting two other theatrical productions, The Boys in the Band and A Chorus Line. That’s part of the producer’s overall deal with the streaming service, which, sure, fine, but you know those are going to be Ryan Murphy TV shows, which, despite all the singing, is a very different experience than watching real theater.

Of course, theater lovers all over the world can already access many filmed staged shows via programs like PBS’s Great Performances or subscription streaming services like BroadwayHD, which gives you access to select taped shows. But let’s be honest: These days, only older crowds are tuning into PBS, and only super theater nerds would pay $8.99 a month in exchange for regular access to CATS. As the wage gap grows and ticket prices continue to rise, Netflix staging a Broadway takeover might be the only way to usher in a new era of theater fans. Just as long as the streaming service doesn’t give users the option to watch Hadestown on 1.5 speed.

Watch American Son on Broadway