15+ Stage Performances to Watch June 14-15
Monday, June 14
The Drama League’s 2021 DirectorFest: Unf*ckwithable
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, The Drama League continues the virtual edition of its annual DirectorFest, showcasing the talents of four New York Directing Fellows. The third offering is Eliana Pipes‘ Unf*ckwithable, directed by Cristina Angeles, about a Black girl trying to claw her way up who gets into trouble on a cross-country road trip. RSVP to receive the free viewing link though a $15 donation is encouraged. The recording is available until Monday, June 21.
The Metropolitan Opera: Simon Boccanegra
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, featuring Plácido Domingo as a man in love with the daughter (Kiri Te Kanawa) of his sworn enemy, the doge of Genoa (Vladimir Chernov). Giancarlo Del Monaco staged this 1995 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Così fan tutte, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party
On Monday 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 Chicago alum Raena White, New Zealand singer Hayden Tee and musical theatre performer Christina Jones. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.
Tuesday, June 15
New Federal Theatre: A Soft Escape
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, Woodie King Jr.’s half-century-old New Federal Theatre continues its annual Ntozake Shange Reading Series spotlighting undersung plays by Black dramatists. The second offering is A Soft Escape by S.M. Shephard-Massat, about a long-married couple who share secrets about love and loss on their last night together. John Scutchins directs Count Stovall, Elain Graham and Paris Crayton III. Join the Zoom by 6:45 p.m. ET in order to watch. Donations are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner’s “Ring” cycle, with Brünnhilde defying her god father Wotan. Christine Goerke, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Jamie Barton, Stuart Skelton, Greer Grimsley and Günther Groissböck star in this 2019 mounting of Robert Lepage‘s high-tech staging. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Simon Boccanegra, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Available to Watch Both Days
American Theatre Wing Centennial Concert
Back in 2017, the American Theatre Wing celebrated its 100th anniversary with a starry concert. In honor of what should have been Tony Awards time, the nonprofit is streaming the special for free. Watch Brian Stokes Mitchell croon “Being Alive” from Company, Heather Headley belt out “What I Did for Love” from A Chorus Line, Norm Lewis sing “The Music of the Night” from The Phantom of the Opera and Beth Malone performing from Fun Home, plus Santino Fontana, the late Rebecca Luker, Laura Osnes and others. Watch for free until Saturday .
The Old Vic: Home?
London’s lauded Old Vic presents Home?, a trio of monologues created by refugee artists, curated by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Tony nominee Noma Dumezweni, who arrived in England as a refugee herself. Then and Now, written by Women for Refugee Women founder Natasha Walter, is performed by British stage legend Harriet Walter; Dina Nayeri‘s Now I’m Gonna Get Paid is done by Betsabeh Emran; and Viet Thanh Nguyen‘s The Displaced is essayed by four actors: Elizabeth Chan, Taheen Modak, John Pfumojena and Michael Phong Le. Watch for free until Sunday on The Old Vic’s website.
Play-PerView: Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Living Document
On Saturday, Play-PerView presented a live reading of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Living Document and you can watch a recording until Wednesday. In Dianne Nora‘s inventive bio-play, a cast of nine women and nonbinary performers conjure the life of the late, great Supreme Court Justice. Kristina Valada-Viars directs Tony winner Blair Brown, Sadieh Rifai, Karen Aldridge, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Sara Sevigny, Esteban Andres Cruz, Fawzia Mirza, Delia Kropp and Cheryl Lynn Bruce in this unconventional drama about a singular woman. Tickets are $20.
Lincoln Center Theater: Marys Seacole
Lincoln Center Theater presents Marys Seacole, Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury‘s critically acclaimed play about an ambitious Jamaican woman whose adventures span many countries and eras, from the Crimean War to a modern-day nursing home. A profound exploration of women who are paid to look after others, this fantasia is inspired by the real-life 19th-century nurse and healer Mary Seacole as well as all the caregivers who came after her. This Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production was recorded on stage in 2019, with Lileana Blain-Cruz directing Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Gabby Beans, Marceline Hugot, Karen Kandel, Ismenia Mendes and Lucy Taylor. . The recording is viewable until Sunday, July 4.
North Coast Repertory Theatre: Becoming Dr. Ruth
California’s North Coast Repertory Theatre presents four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh in Becoming Dr. Ruth, Mark St. Germain‘s inspiring one-woman bio play about the cheery sex therapist and her compelling past, including losing her family in the Holocaust, working as a sniper for the Haganah and finally finding Mr. Right after two divorces. David Ellenstein directs the production, which was filmed live on stage at Bay Street Theater, a co-producer of the show. Tickets start at $35 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, July 11.
Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter
Singer and actor Stevie Holland conjures the glamorous life and marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cole Porter in Love, Linda. Cowritten by Holland and her real-life husband, Gary William Friedman, this one-woman musical chronicles the unconventional couple’s 35-year union, as Southern belle Linda Lee Thomas stands by and inspires her talented man, songwriter Cole Porter, even though he was gay. Richard Maltby, Jr. directed this unorthodox love story. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday, June 23.
The Joyce Theater: Ballez: Giselle of Loneliness
Chelsea dance haven The Joyce wraps up its digital season with a world premiere from Ballez, a company dedicated to radically reinventing classic ballets. The troupe will perform Giselle of Loneliness, a queer reimagining of the 19th-century romantic tragedy that examines what dancers give up for their art. Tickets are $25 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Wednesday, June 23.
New York City Ballet: George Balanchine’s Vienna Waltzes
New York City Ballet wraps up its digital spring season with George Balanchine’s 1977 epic Vienna Waltzes, set to music by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár and Richard Strauss and featuring more than 50 dancers. This performance was filmed in 2013 and stars Rebecca Krohn, Tyler Angle, Megan Fairchild, Anthony Huxley, Erica Pereira, Sean Suozzi, Teresa Reichlen, Ask la Cour, Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle weaving through Rouben Ter-Arutunian’s evolving scenery. Watch for free until Thursday on NYCB’s YouTube channel.
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Top image: André De Shields, who stars in Red Bull Theater’s Volpone on Monday. Photo by Lia Chang.
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