17 Stage Performances to Watch Today, October 27
New York Theatre Workshop: The Seagull on the Sims 4 Acts I and II
At 7 p.m. ET, New York Theatre Workshop presents playwright-performer Celine Song‘s fascinating reinvention of Anton Chekhov’s breakthrough play for our digital age: The Seagull on the Sims 4. Full of subtext and experimentation, the drama was initially a flop because it was breaking new ground. Song hopes to do the same as she tries to reenact it on the 21st-century videogame Sims 4 via game streaming service Twitch. No idea what to expect? That’s the point! Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link. Acts I and II will be performed tonight; Acts III and IV will happen on Wednesday.
Bedlam: The Bear and Other Chekhov Shorts
At 7 p.m. ET, Bedlam, a NYC theatre company celebrated for its reinventions of classics (Sense & Sensibility, The Crucible), presents a live reading of three one-acts by Anton Chekhov, including The Bear, the first play I ever did at summer camp! Nathan Malin directs Michael Hammond, Ashley Bufkin and Tramell Tillman. The evening kicks off with a half hour of live music at 6:30 p.m. ET. Watch for free on the company’s Facebook page though donations to the nonprofit Princess Janae Place are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Opera: Agrippina
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera continues its week of politically minded productions with Agrippina, Handel’s satirical take on the games the people surrounding Roman emperor Claudius play, including his wife, the title character, portrayed by Joyce DiDonato. Sir David McVicar‘s mounting was recorded earlier this year, and costars Brenda Rae, Kate Lindsey, Iestyn Davies, Duncan Rock and Matthew Rose. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Don Carlo, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
New York City Ballet: Festival of New Choreography
At 8 p.m. ET, New York City Ballet wraps up its digital fall season with five nights of world-premiere works, performed at different locations around the city and filmed by director Ezra Hurwitz. The fest kicks off with Sidra Bell‘s pixelation in a wave (Within Wires), the first piece commissioned by a Black woman in NYCB’s history. It’s set to music by Dennis Bell, and features dancers Ghaleb Kayali, Emily Kikta, Mira Nadon and Peter Walker. Watch for free indefinitely on NYCB’s YouTube channel.
Latino Theater Co.: Dementia
At 10 p.m. ET, Los Angeles’ Latino Theater Co. presents a recording Evelina Fernández‘s drama Dementia about long-bured secrets coming to light when friends and family gather around the deathbed of man dying of AIDS. José Luis Valenzuela directed this 2010 production starring Esperanza America, Ralph Cole, Jr., Danny De La Paz, Evelina Fernández, Sal Lopez, Geoffrey Rivas and Lucy Rodriguez. Watch for free until Thursday, November 5 on the company’s YouTube channel.
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George Street Playhouse: Conscience
New Jersey’s George Street Playhouse presents Conscience about US Senator Margaret Chase, who heroically denounced McCarthyism in her 1950 “Declaration of Conscience” speech. Written by Memphis Tony winner Joe DiPietro, this comic drama was running at the New Brunswick theatre when the shutdown hit. Director David Saint reunites castmates Mark Junek, Lee Sellars, Cathryn Wake and Tony winner Harriet Harris as the courageous Chase for this virtual production. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish but a $25 donation is suggested. A recording is viewable until Friday.
The Fall
Earlier this month, veteran stage and screen character actor Ronald Guttman performed a solo stage adaptation of Albert Camus’ final novel The Fall, about an exiled Parisian lawyer whose fall from grace mirrors man’s expulsion from the Garden of Eden. Didier Flamand directed this hour-long piece exploring themes of innocence, imprisonment and truth. Watch for free until Wednesday on Vimeo.
Molière in the Park: Tonya Pinkins in The School For Wives
On Saturday, Molière in the Park presented a live reading of The School for Wives and the recording is viewable until tonight. A satire about a lascivious old man who wants to wed his naïve young ward, this mounting stars an all-women cast led by Tony winner Tonya Pinkins as the letch, upending the power dynamics of this 1662 play. Kaliswa Brewster, Cristina Pitter, Tamara Sevunts, Mirirai Sithole, Carolyn Michelle Smith and Corey Tazmania costar, Lucie Tiberghien directs. Watch for free on Molière in the Park’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert: Diana Damrau and Joseph Calleja
On Saturday, the Metropolitan Opera presented a live recital featuring soprano Diana Damrau and tenor Joseph Calleja performing from Italy’s Cappella Palatina of the Royal Palace of Caserta, and a recording is viewable until Thursday, November 5. The duo sings a selection of classic arias and duets from Puccini’s Tosca, Bizet’s Carmen and other operas. Roberto Moreschi accompanies on piano. Tickets cost $20.
Top image: Kelli O’Hara, who’s performing a concert with The New York Pops tonight.
RAVEN SNOOK