18 Stage Performances to Watch Today, October 20
The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues
At 6 p.m. ET, catch the latest installment of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, a six-hour series of solos about how we’re living today. Every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. until midnight, well-known actors—including Reed Birney, Rachel Dratch, Jessica Hecht, Andy Karl and Orfeh, Elizabeth Marvel, Larry Owens and Noah Robbins—perform tailor-made monologues, all penned and filmed within the last 24 hours. And this week, they’re all comedic (though possibly dark humor). Participating playwrights include Jaclyn Backhaus, Douglas Carter Beane, Kristoffer Diaz, Alex Edelman, David Lindsay-Abaire, Talene Monahon and Alexis Scheer. Watch on The 24 Hour Plays’ Instagram though donations are encouraged.
New York Theatre Workshop: What the Hell Is a Republic, Anyway? Episode 3
At 7 p.m. ET, New York Theatre Workshop continues its series What the Hell Is a Republic, Anyway?, a four-part interactive online experience from Tony winner Denis O’Hare and director-writer Lisa Peterson. The duo previously mounted the Obie-winning An Iliad at NYTW. Now they’re inviting audiences into their creative process as they deconstruct democracy by parsing the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and the challenges of successfully collaborating on anything, be it a play or politics. This third episode is titled “How Republics Fall Apart,” which should feel eerily on the nose. Log on ready to participate! Tickets are $10.
The Metropolitan Opera: The Merry Widow
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera‘s week of operatic comedies continues with Tony-winning director Susan Stroman‘s delightful staging of Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow, starring opera legend Renée Fleming as the title character, who’s wooed by Nathan Gunn‘s Danilo, an old flame with ulterior motives. Tony Award winner Kelli O’Hara costars. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy
At 7:30 p.m. ET, although foreign manipulation of our populace and our elections via social media is no joke, playwright Sarah Gancher mines the phenomenon for dark humor in Russian Troll Farm: A Workplace Comedy. Presented by TheaterWorks Hartford and TheatreSquared with an assist from docutheatre masters The Civilians, the play was created specifically for digital consumption and is performed live by Danielle Slavick, Mia Katigbak, Haskell King, Ian Lassiter and Greg Keller, who portray professional internet trolls. Elizabeth Williamson and Jared Mezzocchi codirect. Get ready to laugh-cry. Tickets cost $20.20.
The Public Theater: Forward. Together
At 8 p.m. ET, The Public Theater originally planned to have its virtual gala on June 1. But the nationwide protests against police brutality and systemic racism in the wake of George Floyd’s murder caused the institution to pause and restructure. Since then, The Public has added a pair of new associate artistic directors, Saheem Ali and Shanta Thake, and committed to being an anti-racist institution. This reimagined gala, directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon, is part of those efforts. A diverse lineup of cherished artists, many of whom have graced The Public’s stages at Astor Place and at the Delacorte in Central Park, gather to celebrate the past and the future of the theatre. Audra McDonald and Will Swenson, Elvis Costello, Trudie Styler and Sting, Laura Benanti, Jesse Tyler Ferguson, Phillipa Soo, Oscar Isaac, Danielle Brooks, Antonio Banderas, John Leguizamo, David Hyde Pierce, Danai Gurira, Nikki M. James, Jelani Alladin, Jenn Colella, Stephanie Hsu and Shaina Taub are just some of the luminaries who will share stories about and songs from musicals developed at The Public. Also expect cameos from Meryl Streep, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Alicia Keys, Daniel Craig, Phylicia Rashad and many more. It should be a night to remember. Watch for free on The Public Theater’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
Stars in the House: Artists in Residence Release Party
At 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley host an album release party for Artists in Residence featuring 14 original tunes written by musical theatre greats during quarantine. Guests include contributing songwriters Alan Menken, David Zippel, Peter Mills, Will Reynolds, Eric Price, Jonathan Tunick, Carmel Dean and Stephen Flaherty, and singers Christiane Noll and Laura Osnes. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund and the Dramatists Guild Foundation are encouraged.
Latino Theater Co.: A Mexican Trilogy, Part 3: Charity
At 10 p.m. ET, Los Angeles’ Latino Theater Co. presents a recording of part 3 of Evelina Fernández‘s epic A Mexican Trilogy, chronicling the lives of the Mexican-American Morales family over multiple decades. This final installment is titled “Charity” and takes place in 2005 Los Angeles following the death of Pope John Paul II. José Luis Valenzuela directed this 2012 production, which stars Esperanza America, Robert Beltran, Evelina Fernández, Sam Golzari, Kenneth Lopez, Sal Lopez, Julio Macias, Xavi Moreno, Geoffrey Rivas, Lucy Rodriguez, Elia Saldana and Olivia Delgado Young. Watch part 3 for free until Friday, October 30 on the company’s YouTube channel. If you missed it, part 1 is still viewable (though sadly part 2 is not).
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Red Bull Theater: Keene
NYC’s Red Bull Theater, known for reinvigorating classics, continues its Othello-centric season with Anchuli Felicia King‘s Keene, about a racially charged conflict between grad students, one of whom is writing his dissertation on Ira Aldridge, the first Black man to play Shakespeare’s Moor. American Shakespeare Center’s Ethan McSweeny directed the reading, which was presented live on Monday night. The Great Society‘s Grantham Coleman, Paul Gross, Carol Halstead, John Harrell, Chris Johnston, Sam Lilja, Amelia Pedlow, Sam Saint Ours, Sarah Suzuki and Sara Topham star. Watch for free until Friday on Red Bull’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
St. Ann’s Warehouse: Henry IV
Throughout October, Brooklyn’s St. Ann’s Warehouse presents director Phyllida Lloyd‘s acclaimed Donmar Warehouse Shakespeare Trilogy, starring Tony nominee Harriet Walter and an all-female ensemble as inmates mounting the Bard’s plays in prison, a framing that provides a fresh perspective on familiar works. All three productions were filmed in front of live audiences in 2016, with handheld and GoPro footage edited in to give them a kinetic feel. The series continues this weekend with Henry IV, its two parts condensed into two compelling hours, with Walter as the embattled title King. Watch for free until Thursday, October 22 on St. Ann’s website though donations are encouraged.
Amazon Prime Video: What the Constitution Means to Me
Heidi Schreck‘s Tony-nominated and Pulitzer finalist play What the Constitution Means to Me is now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. In this revelatory show, Schreck talks about how, as a teen, she earned money for college by giving speeches about the U.S. Constitution at American Legion posts. She then recreates that experience while simultaneously commenting from her adult feminist perspective on the founding document’s flaws and its impact on the women in her family. Amazon Prime subscribers can watch for free anytime online. If you don’t have Amazon Prime, you can get a free seven-day trial.
The Public Theater: Shipwreck
The Public Theater was originally planning to mount Anne Washburn‘s new play Shipwreck on stage this fall, but the politically charged drama has been reimagined as a four-episode radio play. Subtitled A History Play About 2017, it takes place in pre-pandemic times, as a group of liberal friends gather at an upstate farmhouse and engage in a fraught discussion about where the country is headed. The Public’s recently appointed associate artistic director Saheem Ali directs a cast that includes Tony nominees Joe Morton, Raúl Esparza and Jeremy Shamos. Listen to all four parts for free on The Public’s website though donations are encouraged.
Top image: John Leguizamo, one of the many stars participating in The Public Theater’s Forward. Together gala.
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