15+ Stage Performances to Watch Online This Weekend August 20-22
Friday, August 20
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.
Saturday, August 21
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.
All Weekend
Outfest: Charles Busch in The Sixth Reel
So technically, The Sixth Reel is a movie. However, considering it’s the wacky invention of longtime theatrical collaborators Charles Busch, who helped pen the screenplay and stars, co-writer-director Carl Andress and scene-stealer Julie Halston, we had to include it! Drag legend Busch plays a classic movie-obsessed New Yorker, who unearths the long-lost final reel of an iconic Tod Browning horror film. Realizing its value, he and his kooky pals concoct all kinds of crazy schemes to cash in on this discovery. Expect fake romances, drag personas, supernatural creatures and lots of camp. Tickets are $10 and the film is viewable until Sunday.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Ni Mi Madre
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. 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 usually $35 for both streamed and in-person performances at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, however, Sunday’s performance is pay-what-you-wish.
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. I highly recommend the poignant solo show Open by NYC playwright (and TDF teaching artist) Crystal Skillman. and it’s free to watch online.
Untitled Theater Company #61: Alma Baya
Untitled Theater Company #61 is presenting an in-person run of Alma Baya that was also filmed for 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 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Sunday, September 19.
TADA! Youth Theater: Heroes
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.
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RAVEN SNOOK