15+ Stage Performances to Watch Online This Weekend August 13-15
Friday, August 13
Christopher Lloyd in King Lear
On Friday at 10 a.m. ET, Obie and Emmy Award-winning actor Christopher Lloyd (Taxi, Back to the Future) is currently headlining King Lear at Shakespeare & Company in the Berkshires, but you can also stream the show at home. Directed by Nicole Ricciardi, the production was filmed live on stage earlier in the run. Tickets are $25 and the recording is viewable for 72 hours from the start time.
PTP/NYC: A Small Handful
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, PTP/NYC wraps up its digital season with A Small Handful, a trio of poems by Pulitzer Prize winner Anne Sexton in speech and song. Jim Petosa directs actor Paula Langton and soprano Kaileigh Riess in this performance of the controversial writer’s searing work. Register to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged. The recording is viewable until Tuesday.
Saturday, August 14
Chichester Festival Theatre: South Pacific
On Saturday at 9:30 a.m. ET, the UK’s Chichester Festival Theatre presents Rodgers and Hammerstein’s beloved musical South Pacific. Filmed live on stage last month, this new production of the Tony-winning classic about romance and racism during World War II features British stage stars Gina Beck and Julian Ovenden as Navy nurse Nellie Forbush and Emile de Becque, the dashing Frenchman with a secret; Joanna Ampil as Bloody Mary; Keir Charles as Luther Billis and Rob Houchen as Lt. Joseph Cable. Tickets start at £20, approximately $28, and the recording is viewable for 24 hours from the start time. Closed captions are available.
Christopher Lloyd in King Lear
On Saturday at 10 a.m. ET, Obie and Emmy Award-winning actor Christopher Lloyd (Taxi, Back to the Future) is currently headlining King Lear at Shakespeare & Company in the Berkshires, but you can also stream the show at home. Directed by Nicole Ricciardi, the production was filmed live on stage earlier in the run. Tickets are $25 and the recording is viewable for 72 hours from the start time.
Untitled Theater Company #61: Alma Baya
On Saturday at 6 and 9 p.m. ET, Untitled Theater Company #61 presents an in-person performance of Alma Baya that will also be streamed to at-home audiences. In this absurdist sci-fi drama, Alma and Baya are struggling to survive on a hostile planet. But when a refugee arrives begging for shelter, they face a moral dilemma. Two different casts perform this thought-provoking play, written and directed by Edward Einhorn. Tickets are $25 for both streamed and in-person performances at A.R.T./New York in Midtown. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase discount tickets to the show, whether you want to watch it online or in person.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Ni Mi Madre
On Saturday at 7:30 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. First up is Arturo Luís Soria‘s autobiographically inspired solo show Ni Mi Madre, about the complex relationship between an over-the-top Brazilian woman and her queer son as they grapple with identity and what it means to be an immigrant family in America. Tickets are $35 for both streamed and in-person performances at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.
Sunday, August 15
TADA! Youth Theater: Heroes
Starting on Sunday, TADA!, NYC’s 36-year-old, Drama Desk Award-winning youth company whose alums include Jordan Peele and Kerry Washington, presents Heroes, an original musical for all ages that was recorded live on stage earlier this summer. A fantastical tale of bickering kids who need to band together to save the world after the sun disappears, the song-filled fable celebrates teamwork and stars members of TADA!’s Resident Youth Ensemble, talented tykes ages 8 to 18 (including, full disclosure, my daughter). Tickets are $10 and the recording is viewable until Monday, September 6.
Untitled Theater Company #61: Alma Baya
On Sunday at 2 and 7:30 p.m. ET, Untitled Theater Company #61 presents an in-person performance of Alma Baya that will also be streamed to at-home audiences. In this absurdist sci-fi drama, Alma and Baya are struggling to survive on a hostile planet. But when a refugee arrives begging for shelter, they face a moral dilemma. Two different casts perform this thought-provoking play, written and directed by Edward Einhorn. Tickets are $25 for both streamed and in-person performances at A.R.T./New York in Midtown. If you’re a TDF member, log in to your account and you can purchase discount tickets to the show, whether you want to watch it online or in person.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Ni Mi Madre
On 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. First up is Arturo Luís Soria‘s autobiographically inspired solo show Ni Mi Madre, about the complex relationship between an over-the-top Brazilian woman and her queer son as they grapple with identity and what it means to be an immigrant family in America. Tickets are $35 for both streamed and in-person performances at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.
All Weekend
Signature Theatre: Detroit ’67
Virginia’s lauded Signature Theatre presents Detroit ’67, the first installment in Tony-nominated playwright Dominique Morisseau‘s Detroit Project exploring different periods in her beloved hometown’s history. This powerful family drama about two Black siblings squabbling over how to move forward takes place against the backdrop of the Detroit Rebellion, as tensions rise indoors and outside. Directed by Candis C. Jones, this production was filmed live on stage. Tickets are $35 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Thursday, September 16.
Edinburgh Festival Fringe
The world’s largest arts festival, Scotland’s Edinburgh Festival Fringe, is back in person this year, but many offerings are also being streamed to adventurous at-home audiences. Check out performances from artists around the world, including cutting-edge comedy, experimental theatre, wacky musicals and the indefinable. Some shows cost money, others are free; some are available on demand, others have specific start times. Browse the options to see what piques your interest. The fest ends on Monday, August 30.
ZooTV
Enjoy Fringe-y performances courtesy of ZooTV, a platform showcasing cutting-edge dance and theatre artists. During its three weeks of streaming, you can catch performances by established artists such as British experimental theatre-maker Tim Crouch and NYC solo artist Peter Michael Marino or discover exciting emerging talents. Browse the options to see what piques your interest.
Jacob’s Pillow: Brian Brooks / Moving Company
The Berkshires’ lauded Jacob’s Pillow dance festival resumed in-person performances this summer, but some are also being streamed to at-home audiences. Catch a program by Brian Brooks‘ troupe The Moving Company, which was filmed live on stage last month. The lineup features Flight Study, a new work set to a string quartet by Bryce Dessner; an untitled solo piece performed by Brooks himself; and Closing Distance set to music by Caroline Shaw. RSVP to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged. The recording is viewable until Thursday, August 19 at 6 p.m. ET.
The Muse Collective: The Karens
On Friday at 8 p.m.; and Saturday and Sunday at 3 and 8 p.m. ET, The Muse Collective presents The Karens, about a trio of former mean girls turned online activists who decide to hold the privileged white women of America accountable for their actions in the summer of 2020. Peter Gray penned this satirical virtual comedy, which is directed by Michael Alvarez. Tickets are $12.
Lincoln Center Theater: The Wolves
It’s your last chance to watch Lincoln Center Theater‘s production of The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe‘s Pulitzer finalist play about nine high school juniors on a soccer field exchanging ideas, thoughts and confidences as they pass the ball back and forth. The chatter is incessant but insightful, offering a glimpse into the insular and messy world of American teenage girls as they candidly discuss everything from periods to politics. Directed by Lila Neugebauer, this Obie-winning production stars Lauren Patten, Sarah Mezzanotte, Susannah Perkins, Tedra Millan and other up-and-comers, and was filmed live on stage at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2017. ; the recording is viewable until Sunday.
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RAVEN SNOOK