25+ Stage Performances to Watch April 21-22
Wednesday, April 21
The Metropolitan Opera: La Fille du Régiment
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 the Met’s 2019 mounting of La Fille du Régiment, Gaetano Donizetti’s beloved romantic comedy about an orphan girl raised by French soldiers who ends up falling for a rebel. The production stars Pretty Yende, Stephanie Blythe, Javier Camarena and Maurizio Muraro, and Oscar-nominated actress Kathleen Turner makes a non-singing cameo as the Duchess of Krakenthorp. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
Ballet Hispánico: Stages
On Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET, Ballet Hispánico presents a 1992 performance of Stages, choreographer Graciela Daniele‘s tribute to the company’s founder, Tina Ramirez, which chronicles her development as a mover and shaker. Stick around for a post-performance Q&A with Ballet Hispánico’s current artistic director, Eduardo Vilaro, and a trio of former company members. Watch for free on the dance company’s Facebook page.
New York Theatre Workshop: The In Between of Fullness
On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, New York Theatre Workshop continues its innovative digital season with a one-night performance of The In Between of Fullness, a multimedia meditation on race and racism created and performed by the People’s Theatre Project‘s Luna Ensemble, which is entirely made up of emerging immigrant artists ages 17 to 24. Hear what Gen Z has to say about the way forward. The hour-long piece is followed by a 20-minute facilitated discussion. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link.
The Metropolitan Opera: La Fanciulla del West
On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents 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. Deborah Voigt and Marcello Giordani headline this 2011 mounting. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, La Clemenza di Tito, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Thursday, April 22
Lincoln Center Theater: The Royale
On Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, Lincoln Center Theater shares a recording of The Royale, Marco Ramirez‘s powerful pugilist play inspired by the real-life experiences of Jack Johnson, the first African-American heavyweight world champion. Rachel Chavkin won a well-deserved Obie Award for her visionary direction of the show at Lincoln Center’s Mitzi Newhouse Theater in 2016, and Khris Davis earned kudos for his breathtaking performance as a boxer who’s always fighting—even outside the ring. Montego Glover, John Lavelle, McKinley Belcher III and Clarke Peters costar. . The recording is viewable until Sunday, May 16.
A Letter to Harvey Milk
On Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, catch the uplifting musical A Letter to Harvey Milk about an unexpected friendship between a widower and a writing teacher that inspires them to confront long-standing issues with humor and heart. The . This digital reimagining reunites original stars Adam Heller, Cheryl Stern and Julia Knitel. Evan Pappas once again directs. Tickets start at $10 and the recording is viewable until Sunday. Proceeds benefit The Actors Fund and HIAS.
The Metropolitan Opera: Simon Boccanegra
On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares a gem from its vaults: Tito Capobianco‘s dramatic 1984 production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, with Sherrill Milnes as the conflicted title character, Anna Tomowa-Sintow as his long-lost daughter and Vasile Moldoveanu as his sworn enemy. 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.
San Francisco Ballet
On Thursday at 9 p.m. ET, California’s acclaimed San Francisco Ballet presents a trio of archival recordings: artistic director Helgi Tomasson‘s neoclassical work 7 for Eight; Cathy Marston‘s Snowblind inspired by Edith Wharton’s novella Ethan Frome; and David Dawson‘s physically demanding Anima Animus. Tickets are $29 and the recording is viewable until Saturday, May 15.
Available to Watch Both Days
The Shows Must Go On!: The Car Man
The Shows Must Go On! presents Matthew Bourne‘s The Car Man, the visionary choreographer’s dazzling dance tribute to film noir. 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 movie 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. Watch for free until Friday at 2 p.m. ET on YouTube.
Dixon Place: MINE
On Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, downtown’s invaluable Dixon Place presents Shayna Strype‘s surreal dramedy Mine, which will be performed in person at the theatre and also streamed to an at-home audience. Fusing puppetry, projections and stop-motion animation, this solo show explores the aftermath of a family’s divorce, as the lonely house, their discarded belongings and a hoarding groundhog sift through their history. Tickets start at $12.
Manhattan Theatre Club: Neat
Manhattan Theatre Club continues its Curtain Call series spotlighting important plays from its past with a reading of Neat. This autobiographical coming-of-age tale by the multitalented Charlayne Woodard examines the impact of racism on her family, notably her disabled aunt Neat. MTC presented the play back in 1997 and Woodard reprises her critically acclaimed performance, complemented by original music by Rolling Stones bassist Darryl Jones. Reservations are required to receive the free viewing link. The recording is viewable until Sunday and closed captions are available.
WP Theater: Weightless
WP Theater wraps up its digital spring season with Weightless, a theatrical rock musical by married duo The Kilbanes inspired by the ancient myth of devoted sisters Philomela and Procne from Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Helmed by Tamilla Woodard, Yale Repertory Theatre’s newly appointed resident director, and filmed outdoors in the Bay Area, this production is a multimedia hybrid of live concert, storytelling and visual art. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish. The recording is viewable until Sunday, May 30.
TheaterWorks: The Sound Inside
TheaterWorks in Hartford presents a digital reimagining of The Sound Inside, Adam Rapp’s enigmatic Tony-nominated play about an ailing literature professor who forms an unexpected relationship with a precocious but mysterious student. Maggie Bofill and Ephraim Birney star in this twisty two-hander, which was directed by Rob Ruggiero and Pedro Bermudez. 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 Friday, April 30 and ASL interpretation is available.
Chelsea dance haven The Joyce continues its digital season with Odeon, a buoyant new work from choreographer Ephrat Asherie fusing breaking, hip-hop, house and vogue, set to music by 20th-century Brazilian composer Ernesto Nazareth. Filmed on the Joyce stage, the performance features a group of dynamic dancers accompanied by live musicians. 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 Wednesday, April 28.
John Cullum: An Accidental Star
Two-time Tony winner John Cullum reflects on his 65-year career in An Accidental Star. He’ll croon songs from the shows he’s known for, such as Shenandoah, On the Twentieth Century, The Scottsboro Boys and Urinetown, and share never-before-heard stories about working with stars like Julie Andrews, Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton. Coproduced by three theatres he has longstanding relationships with—The Vineyard Theatre, Goodspeed Opera House and Irish Rep where it was filmed—this intimate and inspiring solo show is a must-see for theatre history buffs. Tickets start at $28.75 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Thursday, May 6.
Molière in the Park: pen/man/ship
On Wednesday at 2 p.m. and Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, Molière in the Park, which usually mounts productions by its namesake playwright in Prospect Park, presents pen/man/ship, its first new play. Written by Christina Anderson and helmed by the company’s artistic director Lucie Tiberghien, the drama is set in 1896 and centers on a young Black woman who flees the American South by boarding a ship to Liberia. But liberation turns out to be a rocky journey. Crystal Lucas-Perry and Kevin Mambo headline this production, which is performed live online. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link.
Out of the Box Theatrics: The Last Five Years
On Wednesday and Thursday at 7:30 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.
TADA! Youth Theater: The Little House of Cookies
TADA!, NYC’s 36-year-old, Drama Desk Award-winning youth company whose alums include Jordan Peele and Kerry Washington, is sharing recordings of its original shows for families. Recorded in 2009, The Little House of Cookies is the heartwarming tale of two lonely girls and an older neighbor who band together to open a treat shop in a mysterious abandoned building. Based on Eleanor Clymer’s book The Tiny Little House and featuring a book by troupe founder Janine Nina Trevens and songs by Joel Gelpe, the musical was the first show TADA! ever produced back in 1984. For this 25th anniversary revival, the company invited grown-up alums to play the adult characters alongside the main cast made up of TADA!’s Resident Youth Ensemble, talented tykes ages 8 to 18. Watch for free on TADA!’s YouTube channel.
—
Top image: Jimmy Smits, who’s starring in a digital production of Nilo Cruz’s Two Sisters and a Piano, which begins streaming on Wednesday evening.
RAVEN SNOOK