20 Stage Performances to Watch Today, April 22
One of the last productions TDF Stages covered before the shutdown began, Hilary Bettis’ 72 Miles to Go… at Roundabout Theatre Company, was filmed before it prematurely closed, and it’s now available to watch online. A drama about a decade in the life of a Mexican-American family whose matriarch has been deported, the play is streaming on the theatre’s website for $20 through Friday.
One of NYC’s most celebrated Latinx theatre companies, Repertorio Espanol, is streaming its hit production of Valor, agravio y mujer, a delicious revenge comedy filled with deceit, seduction and cross-dressing written by 17th-century Spanish playwright Ana Caro. Performed in Spanish without subtitles, the show is available to watch for free through Sunday on the theatre’s Vimeo channel with the password VALOR2020.
Playwright Neil LaBute’s Ten X Ten series of filmed monologues continues with new pieces performed by Bill Pullman and two-time Tony winner Judith Light. Watch them for free on St. Louis Actors’ Studio’s Vimeo channel.
Duo Multicultural Arts Center in the East Village presents the raucous comedy All About Meat about the Garcias, a Cuban family with a chorizo empire that decides to open an escort service. The play, which ran for more than 300 performances, was followed by All About Sex and All About Power, but the fourth installment in the over-the-top saga, All About Fame, had to be postponed due to the pandemic. Watch the romp that started it all for free on YouTube.
A just launched theatre collective, , is posting videos of actors performing famous musicals in American Sign Language alongside the shows’ original recordings. The initiative has two goals: to give Deaf actors from around the world a chance to show off their skills, and to make these beloved shows accessible to those who speak ASL. First up is Into the Woods and you can watch for free on the group’s Vimeo channel.
At 1 p.m. EST, R&H Goes Live! presents Matt Doyle (who was bringing down the house nightly in Company when the shutdown hit) crooning his modern take on “Hello, Young Lovers” from Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The King and I, followed by a Q&A with host Laura Osnes. Doyle will presumably talk about his experience fighting COVID-19, from which he recently recovered. Watch for free on the Rodgers and Hammerstein YouTube channel.
At 7 p.m. ET, Ballet Hispánico presents 3. Catorce Dieciséis, a 2017 work choreographed by Tania Pérez-Salas, one of Mexico’s leading contemporary dance-makers. Set to music by Vivaldi and other Baroque composers, the piece uses Pi as inspiration as it examines the circularity of life. Watch for free on Ballet Hispánico’s Facebook page.
At 7 p.m. ET, Zalmen Mlotek—the artistic director of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene, which produced Yiddish Fiddler—performs a special living room concert in honor of Mikhl Baran, a World War II vet and prominent member of NYC’s Yiddish-speaking community who passed away last week. Expect Yiddish songs of tribute, mourning and uplift. Watch for free on Folksbiene’s Facebook page.
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2009 mounting of Offenbach’s Les Contes d’Hoffmann, starring Anna Netrebko, Kathleen Kim, Ekaterina Gubanova, Joseph Calleja and Alan Held, and conducted by James Levine. 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 on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Tosca, until 6:30 p.m. today.
At 8 p.m. ET, NY-based theatre company spit & vigor presents Casey Wimpee’s The Brutes about the renowned theatrical Booth family: brothers Edwin, Junius Jr. and John Wilkes, whose legacy took a murderous turn. This performance was recorded at the Gramercy Park social club The Players, once home to Edwin Booth, and members of the Booth family were in attendance! Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.
If you missed New York City Ballet‘s launch of its online season yesterday, you can still see its first offering: a 2017 performance of George Balanchine’s Allegro Brillante featuring Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette. Watch for free on NYCB’s YouTube channel through Friday at 8 p.m.
Shakespeare’s Globe in London shares a recording of its 2009 mounting of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Dominic Dromgoole and starring Ellie Kendrick and Adetomiwa Edun. Watch for free anytime through Saturday, May 3 on the theatre’s YouTube channel.
London’s Hampstead Theatre continues its #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with a recording of its 2014 production of Tiger Country, Nina Raine’s play about the behind-the-scenes drama in a busy hospital over the holidays. It’s eerily timely. Watch for free anytime through Sunday on the company’s website.
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RAVEN SNOOK