Film & TV NewsWhat’s Streaming November 2021: Tick, Tick...Boom!, Mrs. Doubtfire, NinePlus, Olaf from Frozen gets his own musical spotlight.
By
Dan Meyer, Logan Culwell-Block, Talaura Harms
November 01, 2021
There’s plenty of theatre to enjoy on screen as fall gives way to the holiday season. Among the highlights this month is the film adaptation of Jonathan Larson’s tick, tick...BOOM!, directed by Lin-Manuel Miranda.
Also arriving to streamers are Mrs. Doubtfire, which inspired the musical now in previews at the Stephen Sondheim Theatre on Broadway, and the star-studded stage-to-screen adaptation of Nine. Plus, Clyde’s star Uzo Aduba hosts Netflix’s new book club series, which will focus on Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut, Passing, starring Tessa Thompson and upcomingMacbeth star Ruth Negga.
Check out the listings below. All titles are released November 1 unless otherwise noted.
Amazon Prime Video
Mrs. Doubtfire Robin Williams stars as a divorced dad who impersonates an elderly housekeeper to get closer to his children in this 1993 film adapted from Anne Fine's 1987 novel. This movie favorite is currently being adapted as a stage musical starring Rob McClure, which opens on Broadway next month.
Nine (November 18) Arthur Kopit and Maury Yeston's Tony-winning musical comes to the screen with an all-star cast led by Daniel Day-Lewis as Fellini-esque film director Guido Contini. Joining Day-Lewis as the many women in Guido's life are Marion Cotillard, Penélope Cruz, Judi Dench, Fergie, Kate Hudson, Nicole Kidman, and Sophia Loren. This film adpatation of the 1982 Broadway musical includes three new songs with music and lyrics by Yeston: "Guarda La Luna," "Cinema Italiano," and "Take It All."
Apple TV+
Dickinson (November 5) Hailee Steinfeld stars as Emily Dickinson in the third and final season of this series exploring the life of the beloved poet and her struggle to get her voice heard amidst the constraints of society, gender, and family. Joining Steinfeld in the cast are theatre favorites Jane Krakowski, Jessica Hecht, and Will Pullen.
Disney+
Entrelazados, Season 1(November 12) Theatre-loving teenager Allegra takes her obsession with starring in Freaky Friday a bit too far when a mysterious bracelet transports her to 1994 as her mother is just getting started at the same youth theatre where Allegre performs. Two-time Olivier nominee and Broadway alum Elena Roger (Evita) stars as Allegra's mother, Cocó.
Olaf Presents, Season 1 (November 12) Elsa's sidekick takes the spotlight in this new series featuring the Josh Gad-voiced character recapping your favorite Disney stories. Each short will feature Olaf singing and dancing his way through unique re-tellings of such Disney favorites as The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, The Lion King, and more, complete with Olaf's own costumes and set design.
Hawkeye, Season 1 (November 24) This series from the Marvel Cinematic Universe stars such theatre favorites as Jeremy Renner, Hailee Steinfeld, Brian d'Arcy James, and Fra Free. The series will also debut a fictional Captain America musical, Rogers: The Musical, which will bring Thor, Loki, Rogers, The Hulk, Barton, Romanoff, Iron Man, and Chitauri warriors to the "stage." See this musical prominently featured in the series trailer here.
HBO Max
Sex Lives of College Girls (November 18) Mean Girls alum and Jimmy Award winner Renée Rapp, Pauline Chalamet, Amrit Kaur, and Alyah Chanelle Scott, star in this latest project from Mindy Kaling. The comedy follows the trials and tribulations of being a co-ed as freshman discover freedom in their first year of college. Joining the main quartet in the cast are Midori Francis, Gavin Leatherwood, Chris Meyer, Ilia Isorelys Paulino, Lauren Spencer, and Renika Williams.
Gossip Girl, Season 1B (November, Exact Date TBD) Tony winners Donna Murphy and Laura Benanti, along with Tavi Gevinson, Adam Chanler-Berat, and a very scantily clad Jason Gotay, return for more secrets and lies as they deal with the latest scandals at Constance Billard and St. Jude’s. Joshua Safran’s reboot of the series initially launched in July, and featured a fictitious play written by Jeremy O. Harris that got commissioned by The Public in real life.
Hulu
Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street Tim Burton, one of the cinema’s favorite gothic-horror directors, took on Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler’s gothic-horror musical masterpiece. The 2007 movie musical brought the 1979 Broadway musical to the screen. Burton had reportedly been interested in adapting the work for the screen since seeing the original production’s West End run in the early 1980s. Burton regulars Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter star as Sweeney Todd and his accomplice Mrs. Lovett in a notably gorier take on the operatic musical’s story of murder, revenge, and, of course, cannibalism. Broadway and West End favorite Laura Michelle Kelly co-stars as the Beggar Woman.
The Great, Season 2 (November 19) Now that Catherine (Elle Fanning) has successfully staged a coup against Emperor Peter (Nicholas Hoult), everything should go along swimmingly. Except, this is the Russian Empire and things are a mess. The very modern period piece from The Favourite screenwriter Tony McNamara also features The Lehman Trilogy star Adam Godley, who plays the heavily bearded, occasionally tripping Archbishop. In addition, recent Emmy winner Gillian Anderson joins the cast as Catherine’s mother.
Te Ata Produced by the Chickasaw Nation, the film tells the true story of Mary Thompson (Te Ata) Fisher, a Native American girl from Oklahoma who dreamed of being on Broadway, but then left that theatrical career behind to perform her own one-woman show of traditional Native legends and poetry. That shift to storytelling led to performances at Carnegie Hall and to the White House for FDR. Q'orianka Kilcher stars as Te Ata, the Chickasaw storyteller who broke through cultural barriers to become one of America's premiere performers. Graham Greene, Gil Birmingham, and MacKenzie Astin also star.
Big Mouth, Season 5 (November 5) This raunchy animated series features a who’s-who of Broadway talent (John Mulaney as anxious rebel-rouser Andrew, Jean Smart as the seductive depression Kitty, Andrew Rannells as gay teen Matthew, and so many more) voicing the teens, hormone monsters, and anxieties at Bridgeton Middle School on their wild journey through puberty. Among the stage favorites joining for Season 5 are Keke Palmer.
Passing (November 10) Directed and written by Rebecca Hall and starring Tessa Thompson and Ruth Negga, this adaptation of Nella Larsen’s novel follows the story of two Black women who can pass as white and choose to live on opposite sides of the color line in 1929 New York.
The Netflix Book Club(November 16) Three-time Emmy Award winner Uzo Aduba (Orange Is The Next Black), explores the process behind bringing books from page to Netflix and leads discussions with the cast, creative team, and authors. First up, inspired by Hall's film, is Nella Larsen’s Harlem Renaissance-era novel Passing.
tick, tick...BOOM!(November 19) Tony winner Andrew Garfield stars as Jonathan Larson in this movie musical adaptation of the late Rent composer’s autobiographical work. The film, which premieres in cinemas November 12 and is directed by Lin-Manuel Mirana, also stars Alexandra Shipp, Robin de Jesús, Vanessa Hudgens, Joshua Henry, Judith Light, Mj Rodriguez, Tariq Trotter, and Bradley Whitford.
Mayor of Kingstown(November 14) Jeremy Renner, Kyle Chandler, and Dianne Weist headline this examination of the prison system. The drama, from Yellowstone creator Taylor Sheridan, focus on a family of power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan, where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry left.
Peacock
The Addams Family Based on the comics by Charles Addams and the mid-1960’s sitcom, this comedy stars four-time Tony nominee Raúl Juliá as Gomez opposite Oscar winner Anjelica Houston as Morticia and a young Christina Ricci as Wednesday. This installment of the creepy and kooky family unit follows the patriarch as he welcomes the return of his estranged brother, Uncle Fester, played by Christopher Lloyd. A stage version of the property, inspired largely by the comics, was recently named the most produced musical in U.S. high schools for the third year in a row.