Welcome in spring with our TV and movie picks for theatre lovers. This month, get ready for the return of Bridgerton and Atlanta and catch up on Academy Award—nominated films like Dune and West Side Story just in time for the Oscar ceremony. Check out what’s playing below.
HBO Max
Gigi
Leslie Caron plays a courtesan-in-training who falls for a rich playboy in this 1958 Lerner and Loewe musical. The film, which is itself an adaptation of the 1944 novel of the same name by Colette, was adapted into a Broadway musical in 1973. A revival starring Vanessa Hudgens opened in 2015.
Dune (March 10)
Based on Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel of the same name, Dune follows Paul Atreides through a war for the desert planet Arrakis. The cast features several theatre favorites, including Oscar Isaac, who was last seen as Hamlet at the Public Theater; Timothée Chalamet, who starred in Anna Kerrigan’s The Talls and Patrick Shanley’s Prodigal Son; and Stephen McKinley Henderson, a veteran stage actor and Tony nominee for Fences. Dune is nominated for 10 Academy Awards.
King Richard
Will Smith stars as Richard Williams, the father of tennis prodigies Venus and Serena Williams, in this Oscar-nominated drama. The Williams sisters' mother, Brandy, is played by theatre favorite Aunjanue Ellis. Ellis has appeared on Broadway several times, most recently in Joe Turner’s Come and Gone, and earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress for her role in King Richard.
West Side Story (March 2; also on Disney+)
Steven Spielberg’s take on Arthur Laurents, Leonard Bernstein, and Stephen Sondheim’s 1957 musical arrives on both Disney+ and HBO Max just in time for the Oscars. The musical is nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Director for Spielberg, and Best Supporting Actress for stage and screen star Ariana DeBose. Jerome Robbins’s 1961 version of West Side Story is still streaming on HBO Max, if you’re in the mood to compare and contrast the two adaptations.
Netflix
Shrek (March 1)
Revisit the grumpy green giant’s big screen debut. Mike Meyers voices the title character alongside Eddie Murphy as Donkey, Cameron Diaz as Princess Fiona, and John Lithgow as Lord Farquaad.The beloved movie was adapted into a Tony-winning musical in 2013; a filmed production featuring the original cast is also streaming on Netflix.
Bridgerton: Season Two (March 25)
The second season of Netflix’s historical romance hits the streaming platform March 25. The show, based on Julia Quinn’s bestselling novels, follows the Bridgerton siblings as they look for love in London high society. Julie Andrews plays the voice of Lady Whistledown alongside theatre veterans Jonathan Bailey, Nicola Nicola Coughlan, Adjoa Andoh, Martins Imhangbe and Luke Thompson. The show inspired a viral social media musical.
Disney+
Moon Knight (March 30)
Broadway joins the MCU in this miniseries starring Oscar Isaac, F. Murray Abraham, and Tony nominee Ethan Hawke. Isaac plays a mercenary whose struggle with dissociative identity disorder causes him to become a conduit for Khonshu. The first episode streams March 30, with new episodes dropping on Wednesdays.
Amazon Prime
Lucy and Desi (March 4)
Directed and Produced by Amy Poehler, Lucy and Desi chronicles the passionate but tumultuous relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, the real-life couple behind I Love Lucy. The documentary includes never-before-heard audio recordings of Ball and Arnaz talking about their lives, as well as interviews with Lucie Arnaz, Carol Burnett, Bette Midler, and more.
Spencer (March 25)
Still mourning Diana’s closing? Check out Spencer, Pablo Larraín’s psychological drama starring Kristen Stewart. The movie follows Princess Diana as she finally decides to end her decade-long marriage to Prince Charles over a Christmas holiday with the royal family. Stewart is nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance in the role.
Hulu
Life & Beth (March 18)
A sudden accident causes Beth to take a look back at her past in this Hulu original series created by and starring Tony nominee Amy Schumer. Tony nominees Michael Cera and Laura Benanti also feature.
Atlanta: Season Three (March 24)
Donald Glover’s offbeat comedy returns for its much-awaited third season. The series follows college dropout and music manager Earn, played by Glover, as he tries to navigate the Atlanta rap scene. Tony nominee Brian Tyree Henry also stars as up-and-coming rapper “Paper Boi.”
Beaches
This classic 1988 movie follows the friendship of an actress, played by Tony winner Better Midler, and a rich debutante, played by Barbara Hershey, over several decades. Theatre favorites John Heard, Spalding Gray, and Lainie Kazan also feature. The movie was adapted into a stage musical and a television movie starring Idina Menzel and Nia Long.
The Oscars (March 27)
Stream the 94th Academy Awards on Hulu. Movie musicals West Side Story, tick, tick…BOOM!, and Cyrano all scored nominations this year, as did theatre stars such as Ariana DeBose, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Denzel Washington, Aunjanue Ellis, and Andrew Garfield. The ceremony takes place Sunday, March 27 at 8 PM ET.
The Princess Bride
While a musical adaptation remains in the works, check out this ‘80s cult favorite. The romantic fantasy follows the exploits of Westley (Cary Elwes), a farmer who—alongside a cast of eccentric companions—sets out to rescue his beloved Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) from the brash prince she is pushed to wed. Mandy Patinkin, Wallace Shawn, André the Giant, Chris Sarandon, Billy Crystal, and Carol Kane co-star.
Apple TV+
Dear… Season Two
“Billy, if I hadn’t heard your voice, my life would look completely different,” Billy Porter reads in the trailer for the second season of Dear…, Apple TV+’s show where iconic trailblazers read letters written to them by the people who they inspired. Season two includes letters written to Tony winners Billy Porter and Viola Davis as well as Sandra Oh, Ava Duvernay, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
