15+ Stage Performances to Watch Online This Thanksgiving Weekend November 25-28
In-person theatre is back in NYC, both and beyond. But there are still wonderful shows to stream at home. Below are performances you can watch online this Thanksgiving weekend, Thursday, November 25 to Sunday, November 28, for free or at low cost.
Thursday, November 25
Friday, November 26
New York City Ballet: George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker
Starting at noon ET on Friday, November 26: Even though New York City Ballet‘s Christmas classic The Nutcracker is back on stage at Lincoln Center, you can also stream George Balanchine’s legendary version of Tchaikovsky’s fantastical ballet at home this holiday season. Recorded in 2019 during NYCB’s annual engagement, this production stars NYCB principal dancers Maria Kowroski as the Sugarplum Fairy, Tyler Angle as her Cavalier and Megan Fairchild as Dewdrop. A lavish production with gorgeous sets and costumes, it’s a must-see for dance lovers. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, January 2, 2022.
PBS: Coppelia
Starting at 9 p.m. ET on Friday, PBS Great Performances presents a high-tech reinvention of the classic ballet Coppelia, with Doctor Coppelius trying to steal a human heart to bring his perfect woman to life. Inspired by a 2008 stage mounting by the Dutch National Ballet, this performance is a fusion of live dance and animation starring international ballet stars Michaela DePrince, Daniel Camargo, Darcey Bussell and Irek Mukhamedov performing Ted Brandsen‘s choreography. Watch for free until Sunday on PBS’ website.
Saturday, November 27
Isabelle Huppert in The Glass Menagerie
On Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, renowned French actress Isabelle Huppert is currently starring in Ivo van Hove‘s mounting of The Glass Menagerie at Théâtre de l’Odéon in Paris. But this afternoon’s performance will also be live-streamed to at-home audiences. Presented in French with English subtitles, this production of Tennessee Williams’ landmark memory play has been radically reimagined by its visionary director. Tickets are €12.50, approximately $14.
Sunday, November 28
St. Ann’s Warehouse: Medicine
On Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse is currently presenting the in-person NYC premiere of Medicine, but tonight’s performance will also be live-streamed to at-home audiences. Written and directed by Tony winner Enda Walsh (Once), this absurdly comic tale centers on a man desperately trying to make sense of his childhood memories through drama therapy—but those assigned to help him seem more interested in putting on a show. This critically acclaimed UK transfer stars Domhnall Gleeson (Star Wars, Ex Machina) as the pitiful patient, with Clare Barrett and Aoife Duffin as his kooky therapists. Tickets are $31.
National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene: ESN: Songs from the Kitchen Chanukah Edition
On Sunday at 6 p.m. ET, in honor of the Festival of Lights, which begins at sundown, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene presents a Hanukkah edition of ESN: Songs from the Kitchen, a celebration of Jewish food through music and cooking demos. The prerecorded performance features Yiddish singer Sarah Mina Gordon, and Sir Frank London and Lorin Sklamberg from The Klezmatics. Watch for free on Folksbiene’s website until Monday, December 6, the final night of the holiday. English and Yiddish subtitles are available.
All Weekend
Showtime: The Humans
Playwright Stephen Karam adapts and directs his Tony-winning play The Humans for the screen. Three generations of Eric Blake’s family gather for Thanksgiving at his younger daughter’s apartment in lower Manhattan. But what starts out as familiar family dysfunction soon takes an eerie turn as they face their deepest fears. Jayne Houdyshell reprises her Tony-winning performance alongside new cast members Richard Jenkins, Amy Schumer, Steven Yeun, Beanie Feldstein and June Squibb. Showtime subscribers can watch for free or you can try a 30-day free trial.
New Victory Theater: Generation Rise
NYC’s premier theatre for young audiences, the New Victory, reopened its doors earlier this month with Generation Rise, a play for teens by teens about what it was like graduating high school during the pandemic. A half dozen NYC adolescents share their real-life stories of surviving 2020, although due to vaccination mandates, a few are played by actors. It’s a powerful and relatable debrief on what high schoolers went through, from remote learning to calls for racial justice to tremendous personal loss. Tickets are $25 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: In the Southern Breeze
On Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m., and Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, NYC’s acclaimed Rattlestick Playwrights Theater is presenting a hybrid season, with its productions performed in person but also streamed to at-home audiences. The company’s current show is Mansa Ra‘s poetic premiere In the Southern Breeze, about a Black man whose existential crisis magically catapults him back through centuries of racially charged history to reveal the struggles he continues to face today. Christopher D. Betts directs the play, which is billed as “an autobiographical fever dream.” Tickets are $40 for both streamed and in-person performances, except for Friday which is pay-what-you-wish.
Donmar Warehouse: Constellations
London’s acclaimed Donmar Warehouse presents Nick Payne‘s Constellations, a time-bending two-hander that explores the notion of the multiverse by replaying key moments in one couple’s romance. Michael Longhurst, who , directed this production, which was filmed on stage with four different casts alternating in this trippy tale. The pairings are Sheila Atim and Ivanno Jeremiah; Peter Capaldi and Zoë Wanamaker; Omari Douglas and Russell Tovey; and Anna Maxwell Martin and Chris O’Dowd. Tickets are £15 for each cast, approximately $21. Or you can watch all four for £40, approximately $55. The recording is viewable until Monday, November 29, and captions and audio description are available. You must create a Donmar Warehouse account to watch.
HERE Arts Center: 9000 Paper Balloons
HERE Arts Center presents 9000 Paper Balloons, a stunning new multimedia piece inspired by the hard-to-believe secret weapons used by Japan against the US during World War II. Created by Japanese artist Maiko Kikuchi and American puppeteer Spencer Lott, the surreal performance weaves puppetry, animation and masks into a historical tale that also encompasses their own family stories. Tickets start at $10 and the recording is viewable until Friday, December 31.
All Arts: 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting
All Arts presents the new documentary 20 Years of Asian American Playwriting featuring interviews with some of the most exciting dramatists working today, including M. Butterfly Tony winner David Henry Hwang, Young Jean Lee, Mike Lew, Lauren Yee and Qui Nguyen. Ralph B. Peña, the artistic director of Ma-Yi Theater Company, created this must-watch chronicle. Watch for free on All Arts’ website. Captions and audio description are available.
Center Theatre Group: Chavez Ravine: In 9 Innings
Los Angeles’ Center Theatre Group presents Chavez Ravine: In 9 Innings, a virtual reimagining of a 2003 play about the small, tight-knit LA neighborhood that was razed so Dodger Stadium could rise. Devised by the collective Culture Clash, this digital production features scenes from the original script filmed at LA’s Kirk Douglas Theatre and on location around the city, incorporating music, archival videos and photos, and new interviews. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Monday, December 6.
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Top image: Maria Kowroski as the Sugarplum Fairy in New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker, which begins streaming on Friday. Photo by Erin Baiano.
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