11 Stage Performances to Watch Today, September 1
Streaming
With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch today, Tuesday, September 1, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.
A
Come From Away
Conversation
At 1 p.m. ET, TDF reunites
Come From Away
castmates
Caesar Samayoa
and
Kenita R. Miller
for an intimate chat. Running on Broadway since 2017, the musical’s message of resilience, hope and togetherness speaks urgently to our current moment. We expect lots of laughs (and tears!) as these offstage pals discuss their funniest onstage mishaps, how they've been staying creative during the shutdown and what they think the future of theatre looks like.
Watch on TDF’s Facebook page
with hankies on hand.
Bedlam:
Macbeth
At 6:30 p.m. ET,
Bedlam
, a NYC theatre company lauded for its reinventions of classics (
Sense & Sensibility, The Crucible
), presents a live reading of
Macbeth
directed by
Ryan Quinn
. The evening kicks off with a half hour of live music.
Watch for free on the company's Facebook page
though donations to
The Black Women Playwrights' Group
are encouraged.
Bucks County Playhouse:
Dear Liar
At 7 p.m. ET,
Bucks County Playhouse
presents a reading of Jerome Kitty’s
Dear Liar
starring four-time Oscar nominee
Marsha Mason
and Emmy winner
Brian Cox
, and directed by Broadway’s
Mark Brokaw
(
How I Learned to Drive)
. Full of stinging wit and deep emotion, the play brings to life the stormy relationship between famed playwright George Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Pat, the actress for whom he created Eliza Doolittle in
Pygmalion
.
Tickets
are $35 and support the Bucks County Playhouse Pandemic Campaign.
Broadway Buskers
At 7 p.m. ET, since 2018, the
Times Square Alliance
has been presenting
Broadway Buskers
, a summer concert series showcasing the songwriting talents of NYC theatre folk. This year the show goes online with live-streamed sets on Tuesday nights through October 27. This evening enjoy numbers by
Jasmine Forsberg
(
Broadway Bounty Hunter
),
John Krause
(
Hadestown
) and
Josh Walker
(
Side Show
). Watch for free on the Times Square Alliance website though donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition are encouraged.
American Ballet Theatre:
Center Stage
Reunion
At 7:30pm ET, the esteemed
American Ballet Theatre
reunites the stars of the cult classic film
Center Stage
in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Castmates
Zoe Saldana
,
Amanda Schull
,
Ethan Stiefel
and
Sascha Radetsky
are sure to revisit their time at the "American Ballet Academy" and chat about the film's impact on the ballet field
.
Watch for free on
ABT's YouTube channel
, or get tickets to the
pre-show reception
starting at 6:15 to benefit the #ABTCrisisReliefFund.
The Metropolitan Opera:
Peter Grimes
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the
Metropolitan Opera
streams Benjamin Britten’s
Peter Grimes
, about an outsider fisherman’s persecution in a small Suffolk coastal village and his slow descent into madness. Part of this week’s showcase of innovative 20th and early 21st century compositions, watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the
Metropolitan Opera's website
. You can still stream yesterday's opera,
Elektra
, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Stars in the House:
Smokey Joe’s Café
Reunion
At 8 p.m. ET,
Seth Rudetsky
and
James Wesley
reunite the original Broadway cast of Smokey Joe’s Café, a 1995 musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards by
Jerry Leiber
and
Mike Stoller
(fun fact: the song "Smokey Joe's Café" was not one of them). We look forward to an appearance from
Brenda Braxon
.
Watch for free on YouTube
though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
the cell:
Tolerance Party
: #1 "Ice-Breakers"
At 8 p.m. ET, the cell theatre premieres its serialized dark comedy,
Tolerance Party
. “Ice-Breakers,” the first piece of the series, features six strangers brought together in a video chat by an unknown entity. Audience members are encouraged to participate in a live chat that will help determine the fate of the characters in following episodes. With a running time of just a half-hour, the broadcast can be streamed on
the company’s website
; tickets range from $5-25.
The Latino Theater Company:
La Olla
At 10 p.m. ET,
The Latino Theater Company
streams its 2016 production of
La Olla
. Written by
Evelina Fernández
and directed by
José Luis Valenzuela
, this modern take on the Plautus Roman Comedy
A Pot of Gold
tells the story of a bit player in a shady 1950s L.A. nightclub who finds a pot full of cash. Performed in English with Spanish subtitles, this production can be streamed on
the company’s website
.
Available to Watch All Day
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater:
No Longer Silent
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater
presents
No Longer Silent
, an epic ensemble work by the troupe's artistic director,
Robert Battle
, set to Erwin Schulhoff's percussive score as dancers participate in a mysterious, militaristic ritual. The composer died in a Nazi concentration camp, and the 2015 Ailey debut of this work was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. Watch for free until Thursday, September 3 on the
troupe's YouTube channel
.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater:
SOLDIERGIRLS
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater
presents a concert reading of songs and scenes from
SOLDIERGIRLS
, a new "lesbian musical sex comedy" by
Em Weinstein
and
Emily Johnson-Erday
. Inspired by real correspondence between members of the US Army's Women's Army Corps in World War II, the performance features Tony nominees
Jenn Collela
and
Lilli Cooper
, and Broadway vets
Chilina Kennedy, Ezra Menas, Melanie Field
and
Jessie Shelton
. Watch for free
on Rattlestick's YouTube channel
though donations to SPART*A (Service Members, Partners, Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All) are encouraged.
Elyse Orecchio
is TDF's Online Presence Manager. Follow her on
and on Twitter at
@elyseo
. Follow TDF at
@TDFNYC
.
Top image:
Come From Away
castmates Caesar Samayoa and Kenita R. Miller
Elyse Orecchio is TDF’s Digital Content Manager. Follow her on Instagram at @elyseo. Follow TDF on Instagram at @TDFNYC.