13 Stage Performances to Watch Today, September 14
The Metropolitan Opera: Don Pasquale
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera kicks off a week of bel-canto favorites with Donizetti’s comedy Don Pasquale, starring Anna Netrebko as Norina, the clever young widow who helps teach the Scrooge-like title character much-needed lessons about generosity and love. Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecien and John Del Carlo costar. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Werther, until 6:30 p.m. today.
Gorilla Repertory Theater Company: Macbeth
At 7:30 p.m. ET, since 1989, Gorilla Repertory Theater Company has been presenting raucous interpretations of classical plays, often for free outside in Washington Square Park. Since the show couldn’t go on this summer, founding artistic and producing director Christopher Carter Sanderson decided to pivot to his digital dream project: a version of Macbeth shot entirely in close-up on the actors’ iPhones. TV vet Leajato Amara Robinson stars as the title character, and many of Gorilla Rep’s regulars round out the cast, plus newbies such as (full disclosure) my daughter as Macduff’s son. The result is a chilling, in-your-face take on Shakespeare’s tragedy about the ultimate power-hungry power couple. Register in advance to receive the free Zoom link.
Stars in the House: Brenda Braxton
At 8 p.m. ET, Smokey Joe’s Cafe Tony nominee and Chicago vet Brenda Braxton guest hosts Stars in the House, and she’s bringing some as-yet-unnamed friends with her. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party
At 8 p.m. ET, cabaret maven Jim Caruso welcomes renowned singers and up-and-comers at Pajama Cast Party, a live-streamed version of his popular weekly Cast Party gatherings that have taken place at Birdland for years. Tonight’s lineup includes two-time Tony nominee Christopher Sieber, N’Kenge from Caroline, or Change, Joshua Colley from Newsies and jaw-dropping belter Marissa Rosen. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.
Bindlestiff Open Stage: Quarantine Edition
At 8 p.m. ET, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus leaps into fall with a new season of its weekly live-streamed variety show. Hosted by adorkable ringmaster Keith Nelson, this evening’s cavalcade includes contortionist Ellie Steingraeber, juggler Lucy Antonia Eden, aerialist Eva Rowland, pole master Max March-Steinman and the uproarious Scotty the Blue Bunny. Watch for free on Bindlestiff’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
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MCC Theater: Miscast20
If you missed MCC Theater‘s fabulous Miscast20 concert last night featuring stage stars performing songs from roles they would never play, you can watch a recording today. In years past, videos of Lin-Manuel Miranda and Raúl Esparza singing “A Boy Like That” from West Side Story, Aaron Tveit and Gavin Creel crooning “Take Me or Leave Me” from Rent, and Tina Fey and Tituss Burgess one-upping each other in “You’re Nothing Without Me” from City of Angels have gone viral. This year, since Miscast20 is completely virtual, audiences everywhere can enjoy the entire evening of kooky casting, which is often hilarious but also unexpectedly thought-provoking and poignant. The stellar lineup includes Leslie Odom Jr., Norbert Leo Butz, Robert Fairchild, Heather Headley, Joshua Henry, Lauren Ridloff, Phillipa Soo and Adrienne Warren. No spoilers about the surprising songs they sang, however, I will say, if Norbert sang that love ballad to me, I would leave my husband. Watch for free on MCC’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert: Joyce DiDonato
On Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera presented a live recital with Grammy-winning superstar Joyce DiDonato, and you can watch a recording through Thursday, September 24. The American mezzo-soprano performed some of her favorite arias and songs, including Didon’s final scene from Berlioz’s Les Troyens, “Voi che sapete” from Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro and “Oh Shenandoah,” and was accompanied by Carrie-Ann Matheson on piano and the chamber ensemble Il Pomo d’Oro. Tickets cost $20.
Incidental Moments of the Day: The Apple Family: Life on Zoom
Tony-winning dramatist and director Richard Nelson presents Incidental Moments of the Day, the final installment of his of-the-moment Zoom trilogy centered on his fictional Apple family. From 2010 to 2013, Nelson mounted one hyper-realistic play a year about this Rhinebeck, New York clan as they grappled with national milestones such as the 10th anniversary of September 11, the 2012 reelection of Barack Obama and the 50th anniversary of JFK’s assassination. This past April, as the COVID-19 pandemic peaked in New York, the Apples reunited for What Do We Need To Talk About?, a Zoom call in quarantine, followed by And So We Come Forth in July. Once again, the four siblings and one boyfriend, played by the cast of the original tetralogy—Tony winner Maryann Plunkett, Sally Murphy, Laila Robins, Jay O. Sanders and Stephen Kunken—will assuage their isolation via technology as they discuss how they’re faring. There’s also a surprise guest, Charlotte Bydwell as Lucy Michael, a character from another Nelson series, The Michaels. The previous hour-long Apple Zooms were profoundly moving and akin to eavesdropping, an uncanny reflection of how so many white, middle-class, middle-aged liberals are feeling today. Expect more of the same from this climactic episode. Watch for free until November 5 on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Great Performances: Kenneth MacMillan’s Romeo and Juliet
In 1965, acclaimed choreographer Kenneth MacMillan debuted his iconic staging of Romeo and Juliet at The Royal Ballet. This film adaptation by the BalletBoyz, aka Michael Nunn and William Trevitt, brings the romantic tragedy to the screen, with Francesca Hayward and William Bracewell as Shakespeare’s star-crossed lovers dancing to Sergei Prokofiev’s lush score. Watch for free until Friday, October 9 on PBS’ website.
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Top image: Jeremy Jordan.
RAVEN SNOOK