18 Performances with Stage Stars to Watch Today, April 10
With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many performers are sharing their talents online. Below are performances you can watch today, Friday, April 10, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).
Amazon Prime is offering National Theatre’s live recording of Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s critically acclaimed solo stage show Fleabag, the basis for her award-winning TV series of the same name. See how the uproariousness began by streaming it on Amazon Prime anytime through Friday, April 24 for $5. Proceeds benefit front-line health care workers and creative freelancers.
At noon, Russia’s Bolshoi Ballet posts a recording of Yuri Grigorovich’s The Nutcracker, the eye-popping holiday spectacle. Christmas at Easter makes perfect sense right now. Watch it for free on the dance company’s YouTube channel through noon on Saturday.
At 2 p.m. EST, Sir Andrew Lloyd Webber’s The Shows Must Go On! series continues with a recording of Jesus Christ Superstar. Filmed as an arena rock opera in 2012, the performance stars musical comedian/Matilda songwriter Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, former Spice Girl Melanie C as Mary Magdalene and Ben Forster as Jesus. Watch it for free on YouTube for 48 hours.
At 2 p.m. EST, it’s a reunion of the Disney Channel sitcom Jessie on Stars in the House, including three-time Tony nominee Kevin Chamberlin. Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley host this twice daily series, which supports The Actors Fund. You can watch for free on the organization’s YouTube channel.
At 5 p.m. EST, Ballet Hispánico presents two dynamic works from its archive, Pedro Ruiz’s Latin dance-infused Club Havana, and Gustavo Ramírez Sansano’s CARMEN.maquia: a Picasso-inspired take on Bizet’s famous opera. Watch for free on the dance company’s Facebook page.
At 7:30 p.m. EST, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2017 mounting of Gounod’s Roméo et Juliette, starring Diana Damrau, Vittorio Grigolo, Elliot Madore, and Mikhail Petrenko, conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. The production was filmed for the company’s Live in HD series, and is available to watch for free for 23 hours after the start time at metopera.org. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Parsifal, until 6:30 p.m. today, as well as Julie Taymor’s award-winning, English-language mounting of Mozart’s The Magic Flute.
At 8 p.m. EST, experimental theatre mecca La MaMa presents its weekly online Downtown Variety show, featuring brief acts of dance, music, theatre, new media and comedy. Prepare yourself for the unexpected! Watch for free on the theatre’s website.
At 8 p.m. EST, watch a recording of Houston’s Alley Theatre‘s stage adaptation of George Orwell’s 1984, which was forced to close early due to the current health crisis. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount. Once purchased, the recording can be watched anytime through Sunday, April 12.
At 8:30 p.m. EST, David Carl performs his comedic solo show Trump Lear live online. In this politically charged romp, Carl has been imprisoned for his Trumpian take on Shakespeare’s tragedy, and the only way he’ll avoid execution is by doing the show for the POTUS himself. The performance takes place on the free app Zoom, which you’ll need to download in advance. Tickets are available online though TDF members get a discount.
At 9 p.m. EST, Chicago’s Theater Wit shares a recording of its mounting of Mike Lew’s Teenage Dick, a dark comic take on Richard III set in a high-pressure high school. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount. Stick around after the show for an online talkback.
Shakespeare’s Globe in London is streaming its 2018 production of Hamlet featuring artistic director Michelle Terry in the title role. Watch it for free on the theatre’s YouTube channel through Saturday, April 19.
London’s Hampstead Theatre continues its #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with a recording of its 2014 production of Beth Steel’s Wonderland, a drama about the UK miners’ strike of the mid-’80s. Watch it for free on the company’s website through Sunday, April 12.
Inventive low-tech comedy troupe Recent Cutbacks specializes in quick and clever pop-culture spoofs. Throughout April, the company is offering three of its most popular parodies online: Hold on to Your Butts (a send-up of Jurassic Park), Fly, You Fools (an irreverent take on the first installment of The Lord of the Rings) and a series lampooning Game of Thrones. Watch them all for free on the company’s YouTube channel.
Remember to check out our roundup of performances you can watch online anytime.
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Top image: Phoebe Waller-Bridge in Fleabag at Soho Playhouse. Photo: Joan Marcus.
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