20+ Stage Performances to Watch March 17-18
Wednesday, March 17
Irish Repertory Theatre: The Aran Islands
On Wednesday at 3 and 8 p.m. ET, NYC’s venerable Irish Rep presents The Aran Islands, director Joe O’Byrne‘s one-man adaptation of John Millington Synge’s 1907 novel of the same name. Brendan Conroy stars as Synge, whose time in the grey, mystical landscape of the remote isles inspired many of his writings, including Riders to the Sea. This digital production was filmed primarily at Dublin’s New Theatre, with additional footage from (where else?) the Aran Islands. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link though a $25 donation is suggested.
The Metropolitan Opera: La Fanciulla del West
On Wednesday 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. These productions have been specially selected for families and are complemented by online educational materials. This week’s offering is Puccini’s La Fanciulla del West, a rootin’-tootin’ romance set during the California Gold Rush, as a charming outlaw wins the heart of a gun-toting saloon owner. Jonas Kaufmann and Eva-Maria Westbroek headline this 2018 mounting. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
The Way Forward: Theatre’s Evolution in Moments of Change
On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, the 92nd Street Y and Town & Country magazine kick off a three-part interview series with theatre industry leaders discussing the long road back to in-person performances. Part I is titled “Past — We Have Been Here Before” and features the artistic director of The Public Theater, Oskar Eustis in a one-on-one conversation with cultural ambassador Patrick Gaspard exploring how theatre has survived and addressed periods of social change throughout history. Register to receive the free viewing link
The Metropolitan Opera: Anna Bolena
On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents David McVicar‘s captivating 2011 mounting of Anna Bolena, about King Henry VIII’s second wife. Anna Netrebko stars as the ill-fated Queen and Ildar Abdrazakov is her philandering husband who has a thing for Ekaterina Gubanova‘s Jane Seymour. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, La Fanciulla del West, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Thursday, March 18
The Public Theater: Romeo y Julieta
On Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, although The Public Theater just announced the return of Shakespeare in the Park this summer, if you can’t wait until July for the Bard, consider tuning in to this bilingual audio adaptation of his famous romantic tragedy. A collaboration with WNYC Radio, Romeo y Julieta was co-adapted and directed by The Public’s associate artistic director Saheem Ali and stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o and Juan Castano as the star-crossed lovers. Nyong’o actually made her professional acting debut as Juliet in a stage production of the play in Kenya when she was 14 years old, so this is an exciting return to the role. Listen for free on YouTube and stick around for a post-performance talkback.
Irish Repertory Theatre: The Aran Islands
On Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, NYC’s venerable Irish Rep presents The Aran Islands, director Joe O’Byrne‘s one-man adaptation of John Millington Synge’s 1907 novel of the same name. Brendan Conroy stars as Synge, whose time in the grey, mystical landscape of the remote isles inspired many of his writings, including Riders to the Sea. This digital production was filmed primarily at Dublin’s New Theatre, with additional footage from (where else?) the Aran Islands. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link though a $25 donation is suggested.
Theater in Quarantine: Honestly Sincere
On Thursday at 7 and 9 p.m. ET, downtown multihyphenate Joshua William Gelb presents Honestly Sincere, a new play by genre-defying dramatist Liza Birkenmeier about a 13-year-old girl who uses a supernatural Nokia cell phone to live out her fantasy of being a middle-aged man. Gelb stars as the gender- and age-hopping protagonist. There’s a Q&A with the artists in between the two live performances. Watch for free on Gelb’s YouTube channel.
The Metropolitan Opera: Akhnaten
On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares Akhnaten, Philip Glass’ epic opera inspired by the life and religious convictions of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. This production was a sold-out smash in 2019, with jugglers and acrobats performing alongside stars Dísella Lárusdóttir, J’Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Aaron Blake, Will Liverman, Richard Bernstein and Zachary James. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Anna Bolena, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Available to Watch Both Days
The Shows Must Go On!: Letters Live from the Archive: Freemasons’ Hall
The Shows Must Go On! presents a star-studded edition of Letters Live, featuring well-known actors reading remarkable correspondence on stage. This installment features Benedict Cumberbatch, Tom Hiddleston, Olivia Colman, Jude Law, Carey Mulligan and Miriam Margolyes. Watch for free until Sunday on YouTube though donations to Choose Love are encouraged.
Red Bull Theater: Gallathea
NYC’s Red Bull Theater, known for reimagining classics, presented a live reading of Gallathea on Monday, and you can watch a recording until Friday. John Lyly’s queer romantic comedy centers on two girls who fall for each other while masquerading as boys to avoid being sacrificed to Neptune’s sea monster. Mistaken identity, competitive gods and love are all on tap in this delicious 1588 romp. Emma Rosa directs Helen Cespedes, Nathaniel P. Claridad, Yonatan Gebeyehu, Amy Jo Jackson, Rami Margron, Christopher Michael McFarland, Jason O’Connell, Layla Khoshnoudi, Aneesh Sheth, David Ryan Smith and Zo Tipp. Watch for free until Friday at 7 p.m. ET on Red Bull’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Stream a starry, contemporary adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Written by Henry Filloux-Bennett and set in our screen-dominated world, this cautionary tale centers on a young influencer who makes a deal ensuring that his social media celebrity will never fade. But his picture-perfect life comes at a terrible cost. Tamara Harvey directs Fionn Whitehead as the title hedonist, alongside Tony nominees Joanna Lumley and Stephen Fry and stage favorite Russell Tovey. Tickets are £12, approximately $17. The recording is viewable until Wednesday, March 31 and closed captions are available.
Out of the Box Theatrics: The Last Five Years
On Wednesday at 6 p.m. and Thursday at 5:30 p.m. ET, Jason Robert Brown‘s musical dissection of a romance, The Last Five Years, has proven to be a pandemic favorite with multiple productions in the UK and stateside. It makes sense since the two-hander is about disconnection, as the man tells his side of their love story chronologically while the woman recalls their relationship in reverse. This digital reimagining of the show was coproduced by Out of the Box Theatrics and Holmdel Theatre Company and filmed inside a New York City apartment, giving it an air of verisimilitude. Nasia Thomas and Nicholas Edwards star as the ill-fated couple, and celebrated musical director Jason Michael Webb helmed the production. Tickets start at $29 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Sunday, March 28.
New York City Center: Matthew Bourne’s The Car Man
New York City Center continues its New Adventures Festival of theatrical ballets by choreographer Matthew Bourne with The Car Man. Set in a small-town greasy spoon in the ’60s Midwest, this tale of lust, adultery and murder fuses Georges Bizet’s score for Carmen with plot points from the classic film noir The Postman Always Rings Twice. Christopher Trenfield, Zizi Strallen, Dominic North, Kate Lyons and Alan Vincent star in this cinematic spectacle, which was filmed live on stage at London’s Sadler’s Wells Theatre in 2015. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.
Theater Breaking Through Barriers: VPI4: TRANS(4)MISSIONS
On Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Theater Breaking Through Barriers, one of the country’s leading companies showcasing artists with disabilities, presents 10 plays in 10 days through Sunday evening. These shorts were developed in the troupe’s Virtual Playmakers’ Intensive and mark the one-year anniversary of the shutdown. Watch for free on the company’s YouTube channel. Live captions and audio description are available.
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RAVEN SNOOK