21 Stage Performances to Watch This Weekend, April 25-26
All Weekend
Earlier this week, New York City Ballet kicked off its digital spring season, streaming performances from its archives every Tuesday and Friday. This weekend, you can catch Justin Peck’s Rotunda, a work for a dozen dancers that had its world premiere earlier this year, set to a score by composer Nico Muhly. Watch for free on NYCB’s YouTube channel through Monday at 8 p.m. ET
London’s National Theatre shares a recording of its mounting of Twelfth Night, Shakespeare’s beloved comedy of mistaken identity. The production was recorded for the National’s NT Live series, and Tamsin Greig is hilarious as Malvolia, a female take on the classic buffoon Malvolio. Watch for free on the theatre’s YouTube channel anytime through Wednesday, April 30.
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 Sunday, May 3 on the theatre’s YouTube channel.
Dave Malloy, the Tony-nominated creator of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, keeps sharing recordings of his early musicals online, and we are so thankful for his generosity. In addition to videos of Ghost Quartet from 2015 and Beardo from 2011, Beowulf: A Thousand Years of Baggage, a raucous riff on the epic poem, is now online. The show was mounted by Berkeley’s Shotgun Players in 2008 and the nonprofit theatre is using this as a fundraiser. The suggested ticket price is $20 though there are less expensive options.
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.
New York-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.
Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., mark a new milestone in our strange surreality as the adventurous HERE Arts Center presents a live performance of all decisions will be made by consensus, the first opera written for Zoom. Created by composer Kamala Sankaram, librettist Rob Handel and director Kristin Marting, it’s billed as a “15-minute operatic experiment” and centers on a group of activists holding a drama-filled video meeting. Watch for free on the theatre’s Facebook page.
Saturday, April 25
On Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents a live-streamed gala, with more than 40 stars singing from their homes around the globe. The stellar lineup includes Angel Blue, Renée Fleming, Sonya Yoncheva and Michael Volle, and you can peruse the full list of luminaries on the Met’s website. This is truly a one-of-a-kind, can’t-miss event for opera lovers! Watch for free on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. A recording of the event will be available to watch until 6:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.
On Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, Stars in the House presents a live reading of George Bernard Shaw’s anti-war satire Arms and the Man in conjunction with the Gingold Theatrical Group, which specializes in the playwright’s oeuvre. The cast includes Tony nominees Daniel Davis, Alison Fraser, Tom Hewitt and Phillipa Soo alongside Tony winner Santino Fontana. Watch for free on The Actors Fund’s YouTube channel. Note: this performance won’t be available after-the-fact so you have one chance to watch.
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, songwriter Drew Gasparini hosts a live concert in support of his new album, We Aren’t Kids Anymore, featuring Tootsie Tony nominee Lilli Cooper, Colton Ryan from Girl From the North Country and the phenomenal Bonnie Milligan, who stole the show in Head Over Heels. Watch for free on Playbill’s website.
On Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, Tribeca’s The Flea brings its popular SERIALS series online. Every Saturday night, five emerging playwrights will premiere shorts created to be performed online by The Bats, The Flea’s resident ensemble. Viewers will vote for their favorites and, next week, the top three will return with new installments with the same characters. Watch the playlets for free on the theatre’s YouTube channel.
Sunday, April 26
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. EST, the Metropolitan Opera presents Rossini’s La Cenerentola, starring Joyce DiDonato and Juan Diego Flórez, and conducted by Fabio Luisi. The 2014 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 Saturday’s star-studded Metropolitan Opera gala until 6:30 p.m. ET
On Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, GLAAD presents Together in Pride: You Are Not Alone, a benefit concert for LGBTQ community centers across the country. Hosted by the riotous Billy Eichner (I’ve adored him ever since I reviewed him in a New York Fringe Festival comedy 14 years ago!) and Lilly Singh, the event features appearances by lots of theatre stars, including Billy Porter, Matt Bomer, Mj Rodriguez, Wilson Cruz, Sean Hayes, Javier Muñoz, George Salazar and Alex Newell, plus the cast of Jagged Little Pill. Watch for free on GLAAD’s YouTube channel.
Remember to check out our roundup of performances you can watch online anytime.
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Top image: Anna O’Byrne and Ben Lewis in Love Never Dies. Photo by Jeff Busby.
RAVEN SNOOK