15 Performances with Stage Stars to Watch Today, April 8
Why is this night different from all other nights? Because it’s the first night of Passover. Celebrate with a recording of a virtual Downtown Seder that took place earlier this week, featuring eclectic songs, stories and messages of hope delivered by Harvey Fierstein, Judy Gold, Sandra Bernhard, Dr. Ruth Westheimer and many others. I’m partial to Jane’s Addiction’s front man Perry Farrell‘s dance remix of “Dayenu.” Watch on City Winery’s Facebook page.
At 2 p.m. EST, for the second Wednesday matinee in a row, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley’s Stars in the House becomes Plays in the House with a live reading of a play, in this case Becky Mode’s 1999 one-man comedy Fully Committed, a hilarious satire of NYC’s haute cuisine scene. Mark Setlock reprises his award-winning turn as Sam, an aspiring actor/overwhelmed receptionist, as well as all the over-the-top characters he’s forced to deal with, including demanding customers and awful coworkers. Catch it for free on The Actors Fund’s YouTube channel. Note: this performance won’t be available after-the-fact so you have one chance to watch.
At 3 p.m. EST, legendary jazz pianist and singer Billy Stritch and his Tony-winning BFF/neighbor Linda Lavin continue their series of live online concerts in support of their new album Love Notes, which was just released last week. Their friendship, banter and American Songbook standards feel incredibly soothing in this uncertain time. Watch for free on Stritch’s Facebook page.
At 5 p.m. EST, Tony-nominated playwright Neil LaBute’s Ten X Ten series of filmed monologues continues with new pieces performed by The Office‘s Jenna Fischer and ’80s heartthrob Jason Patric. Watch them on St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s Vimeo channel.
At 6:30 p.m. EST, cabaret haven Feinstein’s/54 Below continues its #54BelowatHome series with a recording of a 2019 concert by Head Over Heels scene-stealer Bonnie Milligan and Natalie Walker (Alice by Heart), both powerhouse vocalists. Watch for free on Feinstein’s/54 Below’s YouTube channel. Note: this performance won’t be available after-the-fact so you have one chance to watch.
At 7:30 p.m. EST, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2013 mounting of Verdi’s Falstaff, starring Lisette Oropesa, Angela Meade, Stephanie Blythe, Jennifer Johnson Cano, Paolo Fanale, Ambrogio Maestri and Franco Vassallo, and conducted by James Levine. . The production was filmed for the company’s Live in HD series, and is available to watch for free for 23 hours after the start time at metopera.org. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, La Fanciulla del West, until 6:30 p.m. today.
At 8 p.m. EST, watch a recording of Houston’s Alley Theatre‘s stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, which was forced to close early due to the current health crisis. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount. Once purchased, the recording can be watched anytime between now and Sunday, April 12.
It’s the last day to catch James Corden in the National Theatre’s production of One Man, Two Guvnors! It’s available for free on the company’s YouTube page through this evening.
Shakespeare’s Globe in London is streaming its 2018 mounting of Hamlet featuring artistic director Michelle Terry in the title role. Watch it anytime through Saturday, April 19 on the theatre’s YouTube channel.
London’s Hampstead Theatre continues its #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with a recording of its 2014 production of Beth Steel’s Wonderland, a drama about the UK’s miners’ strike of the mid-’80s. Watch it for free anytime between now and Sunday, April 12 on the company’s website.
Inventive low-tech comedy troupe Recent Cutbacks specializes in quick and clever pop-culture spoofs. Throughout April, the company is offering three of its most popular parodies online: Hold on to Your Butts (a send-up of Jurassic Park), Fly, You Fools (an irreverent take on the first installment of The Lord of the Rings) and a series lampooning Game of Thrones. Watch them all for free on the company’s YouTube channel.
Remember to check out our roundup of performances you can watch online anytime.
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Top image: Iain Armitage.
RAVEN SNOOK