19 Stage Performances to Watch Today, July 22
Folksbiene! Live: Maida Feingold: Sing Out for Peace & Justice
At 1 p.m. ET, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene presents a mini-concert by Maida Feingold, a bilingual folk singer who’ll croon tunes about social justice in Yiddish and English. Watch for free on Folksbiene’s Facebook page.
The Building: Under Lockdown
At 1 p.m. ET, dramatist and screenwriter Ed Napier (Criminal Minds) originally envisioned The Building as a play. But once COVID-19 hit, he immediately set about reimagining it for digital consumption. Now called The Building: Under Lockdown, the multi-episode series centers on the diverse residents of a Riverside Drive co-op as they try to navigate life—and their shared elevators and hallways and fears—during the pandemic. Co-directed by Emmy-winning TV producer Jesse Green and performer/filmmaker Jodie Markell, and produced by En Garde Arts visionary Anne Hamburger, it features Laura Esterman, Robert LuPone, Kathryn Grody, Alexandra Napier, Kevin R. Free and other stalwart NYC actors in its ensemble cast. The inaugural episode debuted earlier this month. Today catch the second installment for free on YouTube.
The Metropolitan Opera: The Merry Widow
At 5 p.m. ET, ever since the shutdown began, the Metropolitan Opera has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week’s offering is the Met’s 2015 mounting of Franz Lehar’s The Merry Widow, helmed by Tony-winning director Susan Stroman, and 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 until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
Ballet Hispánico: Homebound/Alaala
At 7 p.m. ET, Ballet Hispánico presents Homebound/Alaala, choreographer Bennyroyce Royon‘s exploration of his Filipino-American heritage and the intersection of Asian and Latino cultures. This performance was recorded at The Joyce Theater in 2019 and you can watch for free on the dance company’s website.
So Many Shakespeares: Hamlet: La Telenovela
At 7 p.m. ET, FRIGID New York’s So Many Shakespeares festival features four unexpected takes on Hamlet. Tonight you can catch Hamlet: La Telenovela, which has a self-explanatory title. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.
Dixon Place: HOT! Festival: Veronica Garza
At 7 p.m. ET, downtown staple Dixon Place brings its 29th annual queer culture fest online with four weeks of theatre, dance, music, readings and comedy. Tonight catch Brooklyn stand-up Veronica Garza, best known for I Tried, a solo show about all the men she slept with as she struggled to be straight. Pay-what-you-can tickets are available to purchase from the theatre.
The Metropolitan Opera: Macbeth
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares Macbeth, Verdi’s take on Shakespeare’s tragedy of a power-hungry power couple, played by Željko Lucic and Maria Guleghina. This production was filmed for the Met’s Live in HD series in 2008 and directed by Adrian Noble. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Tannhäuser, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Available to Watch All Day
The Transport Group: Broadbend, Arkansas
Stalwart NYC theatre company The Transport Group presents Broadbend, Arkansas, a two-person musical about a Black father and daughter grappling with the personal impact of racial oppression three decades apart, first in the ’60s, then in the ’80s. The show had its but its themes feel even more urgent in the current moment. Reserve your free ticket to receive the viewing link; donations to the Black Theatre Network are encouraged. The recording is available until August 16.
Graeae Theatre Company: Reasons to Be Cheerful
Back in the ’70s and ’80s, Ian Dury became one of the first rockers with a disability to break through to mainstream success with his New Wave band The Blockheads. In 2017, London’s Graeae Theatre Company, which showcases artists with disabilities, produced a gleefully raucous musical about his life, Reasons to Be Cheerful, filled with songs from his career, including his in-your-face anthem “Spasticus Autisticus.” Watch for free until Monday, August 3 on Graeae Theatre Company’s YouTube channel. There’s also an audio-described version.
National Theatre: Amadeus
It’s the last day to catch National Theatre‘s Amadeus, Peter Shaffer’s award-winning play about the rivalry between 18th composers Salieri and Mozart. Michael Longhurst directed this critically acclaimed production, which was filmed in 2017 and features live orchestral accompaniment by Southbank Sinfonia. Lucian Msamati portrays the more successful in life Salieri, who’s tortured by the knowledge that the louche Mozart (Adam Gillen) is the true genius who will be remembered. Watch for free until Thursday at 2 p.m. ET on the National Theatre’s YouTube channel. There’s also an audio-described version.
Stratford Festival: The Taming of the Shrew
Ontario’s venerable Stratford Festival continues its Shakespeare on Film series with the Bard’s admittedly problematic battle of the sexes Taming of the Shrew, starring real-life husband and wife Ben Carlson and Deborah Hay. Watch for free until Thursday, August 6 on the fest’s YouTube channel.
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RAVEN SNOOK