14 Stage Performances to Watch Today, August 26
The Metropolitan Opera: Don Pasquale
At 5 p.m. ET, ever since the shutdown began, the Metropolitan Opera has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week’s offering is a 2010 mounting of 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 until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
Brave New World Repertory Theatre: Over & Above: Women Over 55 Speak
At 7 p.m. ET, Brooklyn’s Brave New World Repertory Theatre celebrates the centennial of women’s right to vote with Over & Above: Women Over 55 Speak, 18 original monologues written, directed and performed by ladies ages 55 and up. Participating playwrights include Emily Mann and the troupe’s artistic director, Claire Beckmen, and Laura San Giacomo, Tamara Tunie and Blair Brown are some of the performers. Register in advance to receive the free viewing link; $15 donations are suggested.
HERE Arts Center: Sunken Cathedral
At 7 p.m. ET, HERE Arts Center shares a recording of its 2015 production of Sunken Cathedral, a multimedia musical performance by Korean-American composer Bora Yoon that combines voice, electronics and a diverse array of instruments with vibrant video design. Set in a mysterious house, it’s a journey of cultural identity and self-discovery. Watch for free on HERE’s Facebook page.
Funny Women of a Certain Age
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the seasoned comics in Funny Women of a Certain Age really pack some punch lines. Carole Montgomery and her pals are bawdy broads who’ve seen it all, and they’re willing to talk. Tickets are available from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.
The Metropolitan Opera: Luisa Miller
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera‘s Verdi week continues with Luisa Miller, featuring Peter Mattei as the title character, the object of affection for Anna Netrebko‘s Tatiana. Elena Maximova, Alexey Dolgov and Štefan Kocán costar in this 2017 mounting. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Il Trovatore, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
The Acting Company: Letters from Cuba
At 7:30 p.m. ET, venerable repertory troupe The Acting Company, founded by John Houseman back in 1972, presents a live reading of Letters from Cuba by María Irene Fornés, based on 30 years of correspondence with her brother in Cuba. Sebastian Arroyo stars in this time-hopping drama about family and connection. Watch for free on the company’s YouTube channel.
TheatreWorks Silicon Valley: Women’s Equality Day
At 8:30 p.m. ET, California’s TheatreWorks Silicon Valley celebrates this momentous day with selections from Perfect 36 about the intense days leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment, which gave white women the right to vote. Book writer and lyricist Laura Harrington will discuss the piece after the performance. Watch for free on the theatre’s website though donations are encouraged.
Available to Watch All Day
Barrington Stage Company: Judgment Day
On Saturday, Barrington Stage Company presented a star-studded reading of Judgment Day, and you can watch a recording until 7:30 p.m. ET tonight. An over-the-top comedy by veteran TV writer/producer Rob Ulin, the show stars Jason Alexander as a shady lawyer, who’s scared into trying to change by a domineering angel, played by an acerbic Patti LuPone. Santino Fontana costars as a priest in crisis, and the rest of the cast includes Loretta Devine, Elizabeth Stanley and Michael McKean. If this trailer is any indication, prepare for irreverent laughs. Donate $35 or more to receive the viewing link.
And So We Come Forth: The Apple Family: A Dinner on Zoom
It’s your last chance to see And So We Come Forth, Tony-winning director and playwright Richard Nelson‘s latest of-the-moment drama 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. 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—assuage their isolation via technology, as they discuss how they’re faring. Watch for free until tonight on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Great Performances: Kevin Kline in Present Laughter
It’s your last chance to catch Moritz von Stuelpnagel‘s effervescent 2017 mounting of Noël Coward’s Present Laughter starring Kevin Kline, who earned his third Tony Award for portraying narcissistic actor Garry Essendine, plagued by midlife fears, an uncontrollable libido and obsessed fans. Kate Burton, Kristine Nielsen and Cobie Smulders costar. Watch for free until Friday on PBS’ website.
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RAVEN SNOOK