15+ Stage Performances to Watch Online This Weekend September 17-19
In-person theatre is back in NYC, both and beyond. So we’ll be phasing out these streaming roundups soon as more shows (re)open. Below are performances you can watch online this weekend, Friday, September 17 to Sunday, September 19, for free or at low cost.
Friday, September 17
Third Rail Projects: Return the Moon
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, endlessly inventive immersive theatre company Third Rail Projects (Then She Fell, The Grand Paradise) presents Return the Moon, a live, interactive, created-for-Zoom theatrical experience that uses a fairy tale about the moon as a way to conjure art and community. Conceived and directed by Zach Morris, the 75-minute piece is performed for a small audience who participate in the evening’s outcome and even receive a post-performance gift in the mail. Log on ready to share. Tickets start at $15.
PBS: Matthew Bourne’s The Red Shoes
On Friday at 9 p.m. ET, PBS Great Performances presents Matthew Bourne‘s Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the legendary 1948 movie The Red Shoes, based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. An eye-popping examination of obsession, possession and the hard choices artists make in their pursuit of perfection, the production stars Ashley Shaw as a rising ballerina torn between Adam Cooper‘s imperious impresario and Dominic North‘s intense composer. The dance production was filmed live on stage at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London. Watch for free on TV on PBS Thirteen or stream it until Friday October 15 on PBS’ website.
El Centro del Sur Latinx Theater Festival: From the Works of John Leguizamo From East Coast to East Los
On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, LA’s A Place Called Home presents El Centro del Sur Latinx Theater Festival featuring six plays, each mounted by a local company. Tonight, catch students from East Los Angeles College‘s Theater Arts Department performing monologues from John Leguizamo’s celebrated solo shows Spic-O-Rama and Mambo Mouth. Register to receive the free viewing link. Spanish subtitles are available.
Saturday, September 18
El Centro del Sur Latinx Theater Festival: Lolo
On Saturday at 10 p.m. ET, in honor of National Hispanic Heritage Month, LA’s A Place Called Home presents El Centro del Sur Latinx Theater Festival featuring six plays, each mounted by a local company. Tonight, Company of Angels presents Lolo, about a college student forced to return home when her father dies. Will she stay and help run the family auto shop, or continue on her own path? Register to receive the free viewing link. Spanish subtitles are available.
All Weekend
Ian McKellen on Stage
Enjoy a glorious two and a half hours with the incomparable Ian McKellen as he shares behind-the-scenes stories about his incredible career on stage and screen, as well as excerpts from some of his legendary performances in this solo tour de force. Directed by Sean Mathias and recorded live on stage by London’s National Theatre, this enchanting reminiscence includes recreations of scenes from Shakespeare as well as The Lord of the Rings. The man’s got range! Tickets are $30 and a portion of the proceeds will be donated to theatres. The recording is viewable until Sunday, October 3.
Oregon Shakespeare Festival: Water by the Spoonful
Oregon Shakespeare Festival presents its critically acclaimed production of Water by the Spoonful, Quiara Alegría Hudes‘ Pulitzer Prize-winning play about a Puerto Rican Iraq War veteran in Philadelphia, whose struggles, including PTSD and a neglectful mother, upend a cyber community of recovering addicts. Filmed live on stage at the celebrated theatre in 2014. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Saturday, September 25.
Irish Repertory Theatre: Angela’s Ashes: The Musical
NYC’s venerable Irish Rep presents Angela’s Ashes: The Musical, a stage adaptation of Frank McCourt’s beloved memoir about his colorful but challenging upbringing in Ireland dealing with his drunken father, depressive mother, pompous priests and bullying schoolmasters. With songs by Adam Howell and a book by Paul Hurt, this musical debuted in Ireland in 2017 starring Jacinta Whyte as the title character and Eoin Cannon as McCourt. That production was recorded live on stage and Irish Rep presents its North American debut. Tickets are $30 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday.
Amazon Prime Video: Everybody’s Talking About Jamie
Inspired by the 2011 television documentary Jamie: Drag Queen at 16, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie is an uplifting coming-of-age musical about an adolescent who, despite adversity, dreams of a fabulous life in spiked heels. With music by Dan Gillespie Sells and a book and lyrics by Tom MacRae, the show was a smash on the West End and is now a movie that can be streamed on Amazon. Max Harwood stars as the title diva, with Lauren Patel as his BFF, Sarah Lancashire as his supportive mom and the invaluable Richard E. Grant as his mentor. It’s a familiar yet feel-good tale overflowing with glamour and glitter. Amazon Prime subscribers can watch for free anytime online. If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can get a free trial.
New Georges: Future Wife: Party in A Spreadsheet
On Friday at 4 and 7 p.m.; Saturday at noon and Sunday at 4 p.m. ET, if you enjoy experiments that push the boundaries of theatre, then New Georges‘s live online show is for you. Cocreated by Ruth Tang and Sarah Blush, Future Wife: Party in A Spreadsheet actually unfolds in a shared digital spreadsheet, as a wedding goes awry and turns violent. Still have no idea what to expect? That’s the point! You’ve definitely never experienced anything like this. RSVP to receive the free viewing link.
Jacob’s Pillow: Ballet Coast to Coast
The Berkshires’ lauded Jacob’s Pillow dance festival resumed in-person performances this summer, but select events are also being streamed to at-home audiences. For its final 2021 offering, catch leading artists from Boston Ballet, Houston Ballet and Pacific Northwest Ballet in a program of solos and group pieces, which was recorded live on stage earlier this season. RSVP to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged. The recording is viewable until Thursday at 6 p.m. ET.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: Ni Mi Madre
On Friday 2 and 7:30 p.m., 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 $40 for both streamed and in-person performances at Rattlestick Playwrights Theater, although Friday’s 2 p.m. ET performance is pay-what-you-wish.
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Top image: Ashley Shaw in Matthew Bourne’s stage adaptation of The Red Shoes, which airs on PBS this weekend. Photo by Johan Persson.
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