20+ Stage Performances to Watch This Weekend July 9-11
Friday, July 9
PTP/NYC: Lunch
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, PTP/NYC, known for its insightful mountings of politically charged plays, kicks off its virtual season with Lunch, Steven Berkoff‘s whirlwind two-hander about a pair of strangers who connect on their lunch break and experience the emotional ups and downs of an entire relationship in less than an hour. The company’s co-artistic director, Richard Romagnoli, helms the one-act, which stars Bill Army and Jackie Sanders. Register to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged. The recording is viewable until Tuesday.
Weathervane Theatre: Buyer & Cellar
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, New Hampshire’s Weathervane Theatre presents a virtual production of Buyer & Cellar, Jonathan Tolins‘ uproarious one-man play about an out-of-work actor who lands an insane job curating the tchotchkes in Barbra Streisand’s basement. Nathaniel P. Claridad directs Jorge Donoso in this laugh-out-loud comedy. Tickets start at $22.50 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
The Metropolitan Opera: Salome
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Strauss’ Salome, starring Karita Mattila in an acclaimed performance as the lusty title character. Ildikó Komlósi, Kim Begley, Joseph Kaiser and Juha Uusitalo costar in this 2008 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Capriccio, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
John Lloyd Young: Solid Gold Live from Las Vegas
On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, John Lloyd Young performs a live concert from The Space in Las Vegas that will also be streamed to at-home audiences. Young and his musical director, Tommy Faragher, reunite their Las Vegas band for an uplifting evening of disco and classic ’70s and ’80s funk and soul. The perpetually youthful actor-singer won a Tony Award for his star-making turn as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys, so we expect a few Four Seasons hits as well. Tickets cost $30.
Fishamble Theatre Company: Silent
On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, Dublin’s acclaimed Fishamble Theatre Company presents Silent, Pat Kinevane‘s solo show about a man who’s lost everything, including his home and his mind. Kinevane reprises his captivating, Olivier Award-winning performance as McGoldrig, who shares his tumultuous and surprising past with disarming honesty. Jim Culleton directed the production, which was filmed live on stage. Tickets are $17 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.
Saturday, July 10
Play-PerView: Living and Breathing
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, Play-PerView presents a live reading of Living and Breathing, Mando Alvarado‘s racially charged comedy about an incendiary piece of art that causes a rift between three longtime pals. It’s like Yasmina Reza’s Art, but deeper and timelier. Jerry Ruiz directs Chris Gardner, Tommy Mejia, Jose Perez and Johnathan Tchaikovsky. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish though a $15 donation is suggested. Net proceeds benefit RAICES: Refugee and Immigrant Center for Education and Legal Services.
The Metropolitan Opera: Arabella
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares a gem from its vaults: Otto Schenk‘s lavish 1994 mounting of Arabella, Strauss’ bittersweet comedy of true love and mistaken identity starring Kiri Te Kanawa, Marie McLaughlin, Helga Dernesch, David Kuebler, Wolfgang Brendel, Donald McIntyre and Natalie Dessay in her Met debut. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Salome, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, beloved character actors Harris Yulin and JoBeth Williams star in We Have to Hurry, a bittersweet romance by TV vet Dorothy Lyman about two septuagenarian neighbors in a Florida retirement community who just might have a chance at love… if only mandatory isolation weren’t keeping them apart. Patricia Vanstone directs. Tickets are $17. For $10 more you can also attend a post-performance talkback with the artists.
Sunday, July 11
On Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, beloved character actors Harris Yulin and JoBeth Williams star in We Have to Hurry, a bittersweet romance by TV vet Dorothy Lyman about two septuagenarian neighbors in a Florida retirement community who just might have a chance at love… if only mandatory isolation weren’t keeping them apart. Patricia Vanstone directs. Tickets are $17. For $10 more you can also attend a post-performance talkback with the artists.
The Metropolitan Opera: Der Rosenkavalier
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Der Rosenkavalier, Strauss’ comedy of love and errors. Renée Fleming, Susan Graham, Christine Schäfer and Kristinn Sigmund star in this 2010 mounting. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Arabella, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
All Weekend
New Normal Rep: Lines in the Dust
New Normal Rep presents Lines in the Dust by Obie winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Nikkole Salter. Set in Newark in 2010, this moving drama centers on a working-class single mother desperate to find an alternative to the underperforming zoned school for her bright young daughter. How much will she risk to give her kid a leg up? Awoye Timpo directs Lisa Rosetta Strum, Melissa Joyner and Jeffrey Bean. Tickets are $25 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Sunday, August 8.
Chance Theater: Sweat
On Friday at 10 p.m., Saturday at 5 and 10 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m. ET, Los Angeles’ Chance Theater presents a virtual production of Sweat, Lynn Nottage‘s Pulitzer Prize-winning drama about a tight-knit group of blue-collar coworkers who are torn apart due to the economic hardship of the early 21st century. Elina de Santos directs a diverse ensemble cast in this heartbreaker. Tickets start at $20 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
The Garden
On Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 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. 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.
North Coast Repertory Theatre: Becoming Dr. Ruth
It’s your last chance to watch North Coast Repertory Theatre‘s Becoming Dr. Ruth starring four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh. Mark St. Germain‘s inspiring one-woman bio play about the cheery sex therapist chronicles 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.
Westport Country Playhouse: Tiny House
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 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is available until Sunday, July 18.
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.
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Top image: Andrew Barth Feldman, who’s performing the live concert Park Map on Sunday night, which will also be streamed to at-home audiences.
RAVEN SNOOK