22 Stage Performances to Watch This Weekend, April 18-19
All Weekend
London’s Royal Court Theatre shares a recording of Cyprus Avenue, David Ireland’s violent drama about an angry not-so-young man played by Tony nominee Stephen Rea. The production was a smash in London and played briefly at New York’s Public Theater in 2018. Now you can watch it on Royal Court’s website through April 26.
Dave Malloy, the Tony-nominated creator of Natasha, Pierre & The Great Comet of 1812, posted a full-length recording of the 2015 mounting of his musical Ghost Quartet on YouTube. Now he’s sharing another one from his archives, the original 2011 Shotgun Players production of Beardo, which he describes as “a surreal retelling of the Rasputin myth.” Clearly Russia is his muse. Watch it for free on Vimeo.
London’s Hampstead Theatre continues its #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with a recording of its 2013 production of Drawing the Line, Harold Brenton’s historical epic about the behind-the-scenes drama leading to the world-changing Partition of India in 1947. Watch it for free anytime on the company’s website through Sunday.
Cutting-edge theatre collective Manual Cinema is streaming two of its eye-popping, genre-defying hour-long shows online: Ada/Ava, which was , and The Magic City. Watch them for free on the company’s website through Sunday.
Amazon Prime is streaming National Theatre’s live recording of Phoebe Waller-Bridge‘s critically acclaimed solo stage show Fleabag, the basis for her award-winning TV series of the same name. See how the uproariousness began on Amazon Prime anytime through Friday, April 24 for $5. Proceeds benefit front-line healthcare workers and creative freelancers.
Shakespeare’s Globe in London is streaming its 2018 production of Hamlet featuring artistic director Michelle Terry in the title role. Watch it for free on the theatre’s YouTube channel through Sunday.
At 8 p.m. EST on Saturday and Sunday, one of the most acclaimed regional theatres in the country, the Actors Theatre of Louisville, shares a recording of Where the Mountain Meets the Sea by lauded playwright Jeff Augustin (Little Children Dream of God at Roundabout Theatre Company, The New Englanders at Manhattan Theatre Club) with songs by The Bengsons (Hundred Days). An exploration of the complicated relationship between a Haitian immigrant and his American-born son, the show was commissioned by the theatre for its Humana Festival of New American Plays. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.
At 8 p.m. EST on Saturday and Sunday, Actors Theatre of Louisville shares a recording of Are You There?, a trio of new short works about socializing in the digital age that were commissioned for its annual Humana Festival of New American Plays. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.
Saturday, April 18
On Saturday at 2 p.m. EST, Stars in the House presents a live reading of Bakersfield Mist, a comedy about an unemployed bartender living in a trailer park who thinks she’s found a painting by Jackson Pollock. Inspired by a true story, Stephen Sachs’ two-hander stars Brooke Adams and her real-life husband, Tony winner Tony Shalhoub as a snooty art appraiser. Watch it for free on The Actors Fund’s YouTube channel.
On Saturday at 4 p.m. EST, parents, do you need a break? (Of course you do.) Then check out Peter Michael Marino’s Show Up, Kids!, a live-streamed interactive family romp. The solo artist has been performing this comedy for years in cities around the globe, and he’s spent weeks figuring out how it will work online. The show can’t go on without the kids, since they help determine everything from the story to the set design. Tickets are available online but TDF members get a discount.
On Saturday at 6:30 p.m. EST, cabaret haven Feinstein’s/54 Below continues its #54BelowatHome series with Steppin’ Out with Ben Vereen, a 2017 concert by the legendary Pippin Tony winner filled with songs and stories from his multi-decade career. Watch for free on the club’s YouTube channel.
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. EST, the Metropolitan Opera presents Cilea’s Adriana Lecouvreur, starring Anna Netrebko, Anita Rachvelishvili, Piotr Beczala and Ambrogio Maestri, and conducted by Gianandrea Noseda. The 2019 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 Friday’s opera, Madama Butterfly, until 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 19
On Sunday at 3 p.m. EST, marvel at a 22-foot puppet baby in Zara, an epic collaboration between three U.K. theatres about a mother with developmental disabilities fighting to protect her child. Staged outside of London’s Imperial War Museum last year, this one-of-a-kind spectacle features hundreds of everyday Britons alongside professional actors, musicians and puppeteers. Watch this singular production for free on YouTube.
On Sunday at 6:30 p.m. EST, cabaret haven Feinstein’s/54 Below continues its #54BelowatHome series with a recording of Ann Hampton Callaway: The Linda Ronstadt Songbook. The inimitable jazz singer pays tribute to the versatile Grammy winner, whose diverse catalog included rock, country and Latin tunes. Watch for free on the club’s YouTube channel.
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. EST, the Metropolitan Opera presents Strauss’ Der Rosenkavalier, starring Renée Fleming, Elina Garanca, Erin Morley and Günther Groissböck, and conducted by Sebastian Weigle. The 2017 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 opera, Adriana Lecouvreur, until 6:30 p.m.
On Sunday at 8 p.m. EST, Seth Rudetsky and his husband James Wesley welcome the legendary Chita Rivera to Stars in the House. What will the Tony-winning diva do? Why, anything she wants. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on the organization’s YouTube channel.
Remember to check out our roundup of performances you can watch online anytime.
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Top image: Ramin Karimloo and Sierra Boggess in The Phantom of the Opera 25th Anniversary. Photo courtesy of the Really Useful Group.
RAVEN SNOOK