20+ Stage Performances to Watch June 28-29
Monday, June 28
Food for Thought Productions: Penny Fuller, Stephen Schnetzer and Louise Lasser
On Monday at 2 p.m. ET, Food for Thought Productions presents two-time Tony nominee Penny Fuller and Stephen Schnetzer in a pair of playlets: Tennessee Williams’ comedy Something Unspoken, about a wily Southern spinster, and Susan Charlotte’s The Hairdresser, an existential conversation in a hair salon. The live performances takes place at Theatre 80 in the East Village, but you can also watch online from home. After the performance, Louise Lasser will join the duo for a talkback. Tickets are available from the theatre but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
MCC Theater: Space Dogs
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, MCC Theater shares a sneak peek at the in-development musical Space Dogs, about the tragic true story of Laika the stray dog and the Russian scientist who sent her to into space during the Cold War. Written and performed by actor-musicians Van Hughes and Nick Blaemire, this half-hour sneak peek is following by a talkback with the creators. Watch for free on MCC’s YouTube channel.
The Metropolitan Opera: Marnie
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Marnie, Nico Muhly’s adaptation of Winston Graham’s thrilling 1961 novel of the same name about the title con artist (Isabel Leonard) who finally meets her match, played by Christopher Maltman. Tony winner Michael Mayer staged this 2018 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, La Traviata, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Jim Caruso’s Pajama Cast Party
On Monday at 8 p.m. ET, cabaret maven Jim Caruso welcomes renowned singers and up-and-comers at Pajama Cast Party, a live-streamed version of his popular weekly Cast Party gatherings that have taken place at Birdland for years. Tonight’s lineup includes South Pacific Tony winner Paulo Szot, soul singer-songwriter Matt Bloyd and nonagenarian vocalist Madeline Forman. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.
Tuesday, June 29
Westport Country Playhouse: Tiny House
Starting on Tuesday, Connecticut’s Westport Country Playhouse presents Tiny House, a new comedy by Michael Gotch about a couple that fled the city for simple country life, but a Fourth of July celebration brings their quirky acquaintances to their new locale. Tickets start at $25 and the recording is available until Sunday, July 18.
Irish Repertory Theatre: Ghosting
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, NYC’s venerable Irish Rep presents Ghosting, Anne O’Riordan and Jamie Beamish‘s tragicomedy about a disconnected young woman who awakens to find the ex who abandoned her years earlier standing at the foot of her bed. O’Riordan stars in this one-woman play about revisiting the past in order to carve out a future. Directed by Aidan Kelly, the production was recorded at Theatre Royal in April 2020. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link; a $25 donation is suggested.
Actors Theatre of Louisville: The Wolves
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Kentucky’s celebrated Actors Theatre of Louisville presents a special reading of Sarah DeLappe‘s Pulitzer finalist play The Wolves featuring an all trans/gender-nonconforming cast as the teenage soccer players compete on the field and off while growing up. Regina Victor directs. Tickets start at $10 and proceeds benefit the ACLU of Kentucky.
The Garden
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Baltimore Center Stage presents The Garden, a moving new play written by and starring Tony nominee Charlayne Woodard about the complex relationship between a Black woman and her estranged adult daughter, who shows up unexpectedly at her mother’s garden gate attempting to reconcile old wounds. Patricia McGregor directs this world premiere, which costars Caroline Stefanie Clay. Tickets start at $25 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
The Metropolitan Opera: Doctor Atomic
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents John Adams’ Doctor Atomic about the impact the test of the first atomic bomb had on those at Los Alamos. Gerald Finley plays the brilliant J. Robert Oppenheimer in this 2008 mounting costarring Sasha Cooke, Thomas Glenn and Richard Paul Fink. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Marnie, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Stars in the House: Guest Host Brenda Braxton
On Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, Smokey Joe’s Cafe Tony nominee Brenda Braxton guest hosts Stars in the House. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Available to Watch Both Days
Theatre for a New Audience: The Oresteia
Brooklyn’s Theatre for a New Audience presents Ellen McLaughlin‘s contemporary adaptation of The Oresteia, an epic and tragic trilogy streamlined to one full-length evening. The action begins when Agamemnon sacrifices his daughter to appease the gods, which understandably enrages his wife, Clytemnestra. These ancient Greek stories provoke timely modern-day questions about duty, justice and cycles of violence. Andrew Watkins directs an ensemble cast that includes Kathleen Chalfant, Obi Abili and Kelley Curran. Register to receive the free viewing link. The recording is viewable until Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET.
Play-PerView: Four Chords and a Gun
On Saturday, Play-PerView presented a live reading of Four Chords and a Gun and you can watch a recording until Wednesday. This new play by sitcom star John Ross Bowie (Big Bang Theory, Speechless) takes place at the drama-filled 1979 recording session that led to The Ramones’ album End of the Century, produced by the combative Phil Spector. Jessica Hanna directs Michael Cassady, Ben Feldman, Brendan Hunt, Lena Hall, Justin Kirk and Bobby Conte Thornton in this slice of rock ‘n’ roll history. Tickets are $20 and net proceeds benefit Food on Foot.
Night of a Thousand Judys
Judy, Judy, Judy… Garland that is. This concert celebrates the life and career of the legendary singer-actor, who was born in a trunk in Grand Rapids, Minnesota and traveled over the rainbow to become a movie musical icon. Writer, performer and raconteur Justin Sayre presides over an online edition of this annual favorite, and the lineup of crooners includes Tony winner Alan Cumming, Tony nominees Sam Harris, Vivian Reed and Mary Testa, and stage favorites Karen Mason, Nathan Lee Graham, Jose Llana, Grace McLean and Margo Seibert. Watch for free until Saturday, July 24 on YouTube though donations to The Ali Forney Center are encouraged.
Playbill: Glimmer of Light
On June 17, Playbill produced Glimmer of Light, an in-person Pride concert at Queens’ Radial Park, and now it’s being streamed online through the end of the month. The lineup includes on stage performances by Ezra Menas, Jo Ellen Pellman, Max Crumm, Jan Sport from RuPaul’s Drag Race and Sis along with virtual contributions from Alex Newell, Ariana DeBose, Felicia Fitzpatrick, L Morgan Lee and Peppermint. Watch for free until Wednesday on Playbill’s YouTube channel.
Patrick Page in All the Devils Are Here
Hadestown Tony nominee Patrick Page shows off his mellifluous voice and classical acting training in his solo show All the Devils Are Here, an exploration of Shakespeare’s villains. A medley of scenes and monologues that trace the evolution of the Bard’s baddies, the one-person play was originally presented in 2017. This production was filmed during the shutdown at Washington, DC’s Shakespeare Theatre Company on the same stage where Page previously played Prospero, Coriolanus, Iago and Macbeth. Tickets start at $25 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Saturday.
Kinky Boots
Everybody say, “Yeah, yeah!” Catch the exuberant West End production of Kinky Boots starring Olivier Award winner Matt Henry as drag diva Lola, who helps shoe manufacturer Charlie (Killian Donnelly) inject some fabulousness into his factory. Although the musical examines serious subjects such as homophobia and father-son estrangement, it’s mostly a celebration of friendship and being true to yourself, with catchy songs by Cyndi Lauper and a heartfelt book by Harvey Fierstein. Tickets are $15 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Friday.
Lincoln Center Theater: Marys Seacole
Lincoln Center Theater presents Marys Seacole, Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury‘s critically acclaimed play about an ambitious Jamaican woman whose adventures span many countries and eras, from the Crimean War to a modern-day nursing home. A profound exploration of women who are paid to look after others, this fantasia is inspired by the real-life 19th-century nurse and healer Mary Seacole as well as all the caregivers who came after her. This Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production was recorded on stage in 2019, with Lileana Blain-Cruz directing Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Gabby Beans, Marceline Hugot, Karen Kandel, Ismenia Mendes and Lucy Taylor. . The recording is viewable until Sunday.
North Coast Repertory Theatre: Becoming Dr. Ruth
California’s North Coast Repertory Theatre presents four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh in Becoming Dr. Ruth, Mark St. Germain‘s inspiring one-woman bio play about the cheery sex therapist and her compelling past, including losing her family in the Holocaust, working as a sniper for the Haganah and finally finding Mr. Right after two divorces. David Ellenstein directs the production, which was filmed live on stage at Bay Street Theater, a co-producer of the show. Tickets start at $35 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, July 11.
The Outliners: Zoom with a View
The Outliners present Zoom with a View, an evening of playlets created specifically for Zoom starring some NYC stage favorites, including Drama Desk winner Marylouise Burke, Tony nominee Veanne Cox and Obie winner April Matthis. Register to receive the free viewing link though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged. The recording is viewing until Sunday.
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Top image: The cast of 42nd Street at London’s Theatre Royal, Drury Lane, which is streaming this week. Photo by Sophie Thomas..
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