15+ Stage Performances to Watch March 3-4
Wednesday, March 3
The National Arts Club: Ian McKellen in Conversation
On Wednesday at noon ET, acting icon Sir Ian McKellen discusses his illustrious career with John F. Andrews from The Shakespeare Guild. This live in-depth conversation is presented by NYC’s National Arts Club and is a must-see for anyone who loves McKellen’s performances, whether on stage (his Tony-winning turn as Salieri in Amadeus, riveting interpretations of Richard III and King Lear) or screen (Magneto in The X-Men, Gandalf in The Lord of the Rings and so many more!). Register to receive the free Zoom link though donations are encouraged.
Irish Repertory Theatre: YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom
On Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Today is your last chance to watch YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom, Aedín Moloney‘s solo adaptation of the “Penelope episode” from James Joyce’s Ulysses. This monologue play was a hit at the theatre in 2019 and offers intimate insights into one woman’s desires and dreams, with brief musical interludes composed by Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Opera: Les Contes d’Hoffmann
On Wednesday 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 are complemented by online educational materials. This week’s offering is Tony winner Bartlett Sher‘s fantastical 2015 production of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, starring Vittorio Grigolo as the title lovesick poet alongside a trio of leading ladies: Erin Morley as the mechanical doll Olympia, Hibla Gerzmava as the fragile Antonia and Christine Rice as courtesan Giulietta. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre
On Wednesday 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. Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, James Morris and Kurt Moll star in this 1989 Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Falstaff, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Irish Repertory Theatre: The Weir
On Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Today is your last chance to watch The Weir, Conor McPherson‘s haunting 1997 drama about a quartet of Irishmen sharing ghost stories at a pub in order to impress a comely lass. The theatre originally mounted the play in 2013; this virtual adaptation reunites director Ciarán O’Reilly with three cast members from that production, Dan Butler, Sean Gormley and John Keating, along with Amanda Quaid and Tim Ruddy, who appeared in its 2015 encore run. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
Thursday, March 4
Sarah Ruhl on Classic Conversations
On Thursday at 6 p.m. ET, Classic Stage Company presents a chat between artistic director John Doyle and prolific playwright Sarah Ruhl, whose adaptation of Virginia Woolf’s Orlando ran at the theatre in 2010. A Tony nominee and Pulitzer finalist, Ruhl also penned The Clean House, In the Next Room (or the Vibrator Play) and Dead Man’s Cell Phone. Watch for free on Classic Stage Company’s Facebook page.
Irish Repertory Theatre: Love, Noël
On Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Tonight is your last chance to watch Love, Noël, a virtual reinvention of its 2019 celebration of playwright, songwriter and sparkling wit Noël Coward. Barry Day devised this two-person tribute featuring seasoned cabaret stars Steve Ross and KT Sullivan singing Coward’s songs, such as “Mad About the Boy,” “Together with Music” and “I’ll Follow My Secret Heart,” and channeling his famous friends, including Gertrude Lawrence, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and Elaine Stritch. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Opera: Die Zauberflöte
On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Tony winner Julie Taymor‘s eye-popping, puppet-filled staging of Die Zauberflöte, a fantastical fable starring Golda Schultz, Kathryn Lewek, Charles Castronovo, Markus Werba, Christian Van Horn and René Pape. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
New York City Ballet: Theme and Variations
On Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, New York City Ballet continues its digital spring season with Theme and Variations, George Balanchine’s celebration of classical Russian ballet, set to the final movement of Tchaikovsky’s third orchestral suite. Andrew Veyette and Tiler Peck headline this archival recording. Watch for free until Thursday, March 11 on NYCB’s YouTube channel.
Available to Watch Both Days
Some Old Black Man
Three years ago, James Anthony Tyler‘s moving two-hander Some Old Black Man had its New York premiere at 59E59 Theaters. Last fall, the University of Michigan restaged and recorded that production, with Joe Cacaci directing original star Wendell Pierce and Charlie Robinson stepping in for the late Roger Robinson (no relation). Pierce plays Calvin, a 62-year-old NYC college professor who moves his irascible, working-class Southerner father into his Harlem brownstone. There, the two engage in a generational conflict about race, opportunities and past history. Register to receive the free viewing link. The recording is viewable until Friday, March 12.
Company XIV
Brooklyn’s upscale burlesque and circus troupe Company XIV has released recordings of two sexy spectacles: the holiday-themed Nutcracker Rouge and Valentine, a Virtual Variety Show. Both were recorded at the company’s swanky Bushwick theatre and feature titillating acts of music, magic, aerial arts and striptease. Tickets to each show are $50 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
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Top image: Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette in George Balanchine’s Theme and Variations. Photo by Paul Kolnik.
RAVEN SNOOK