25+ Stage Performances to Watch December 9-10
Wednesday, December 9
Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol
On Wednesday at 11 a.m. ET, yes, there are a lot of virtual Christmas Carols this season. But the one by Manual Cinema, a company acclaimed for combining shadow puppetry and filmic elements, is surely the most original. Performed live from the troupe’s Chicago studio, the production uses hundreds of paper puppets, miniatures, silhouettes and a live original score to conjure Dickens’ holiday redemption tale. Tickets start at $15.
A Jagged Little Pill Conversation
On Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET, Jagged Little Pill costars Celia Rose Gooding and Lauren Patten reunite for a candid conversation on TDF’s Facebook page. In the musical inspired by Alanis Morissette’s album of the same name, they play high schoolers with an “it’s complicated” relationship status. But you’ll see there’s nothing complicated about their off-stage friendship as they chat about this weekend’s Jagged Little Pill reunion concert and their funniest Alanis stories. Watch for free on TDF’s Facebook page.
This Is Who I Am
On Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and NYC’s PlayCo present This Is Who I Am, Amir Nizar Zuabi‘s touching two-hander about a father in Ramallah and his son in New York trying to bridge their geographical and emotional divide by cooking together via Zoom. Performed live, the play stars Ramsey Faragallah and Yousof Sultani, and is directed by Evren Odcikin. Tickets start at $16.
The Metropolitan Opera: Eugene Onegin
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 at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week’s offering is Tchaikovsky’s romantic tragedy Eugene Onegin, with Peter Mattei as the title character, the object of affection for Anna Netrebko‘s Tatiana. Elena Maximova, Alexey Dolgov and Štefan Kocán costar in this 2017 mounting. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera’s website.
HERE Arts Center: International Puppet Parlor
On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, avid theatregoers know that puppetry isn’t just child’s play, and one of the best destinations in NYC for grown-up puppet productions is HERE Arts Center. Tonight, the theatre’s annual celebration of puppetry goes online, with an international lineup featuring Franco-Finnish company Théâtre d’Illusia, paper marionette troupe Silencio Blanco, life-size puppet outfit Plexus Polaire, Rasputin Marionettes and MacArthur “genius grant” winner Basil Twist. Tickets start at $5.
The Metropolitan Opera: Peter Grimes
On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Tony winner John Doyle‘s moving mounting of Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, about an outcast fisherman (Anthony Dean Griffey) unjustly believed to be a murderer by his neighbors. Patricia Racette and Anthony Michaels-Moore 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, Doctor Atomic, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
NBC: Dr. Seuss’ The Grinch Musical
On Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, Tony nominee Matthew Morrison stars as the mean green holiday hater in The Grinch Musical, based on Dr. Seuss’ beloved book and animated TV special How the Grinch Stole Christmas! In pre-pandemic times, this Scrooge-inspired musical was a seasonal staple in NYC and on tour, featuring new songs as well as “You’re a Mean One, Mr. Grinch” and “Welcome, Christmas” from the original 1966 special. This year, the show goes on TV, with this production filmed at London’s Troubadour Theatre and costarring Tony winner Denis O’Hare, Booboo Stewart and Amelia Minto. Watch for free on NBC TV.
New Works Virtual Festival: In the Gutter
On Wednesday at 8 p.m. ET, the ambitious New Works Virtual Festival showcases 20 plays in 20 days, with a debut every evening at 8 p.m. ET through Christmas. Tonight is In the Gutter, John Morogiello‘s Double Indemnity-esque dark comedy about an insurance agent-turned-gutter salesman, who’s enlisted to murder the husband of a client. Tony nominee Jeff McCarthy, Larry Joe Campbell, Brittany Baratz and Mary Stout star. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Thursday, December 10
Williamstown Theatre Festival: Photograph 51
Although the celebrated Williamstown Theatre Festival had to cancel its in-person summer season, some of the scheduled productions were reimagined and recorded as audio plays, a genre that has exploded during the pandemic. The second release is an audio mounting of Photograph 51, Anna Ziegler’s history play about chemist Rosalind Franklin, who unlocked secrets about DNA while battling 20th-century sexism in science. Anna Chlumsky stars as Franklin, and David Corenswet, Aasif Mandvi and Omar Metwally play some of the men who undermined her achievements. The recording costs $8.
Inside the Wild Heart
On Thursday at 7 p.m. ET, two years ago at the Clara Aich Photography in Gramercy Park, Group.BR staged Inside the Wild Heart, an immersive, choose-your-own-adventure-style spectacle based on the work of 20th-century Brazilian novelist Clarice Lispector. A recording was made of that production and transformed into an interactive online experience, as viewers virtually navigate three floors and 11 different journeys in this hybrid of film, music, performance art and technology. Tickets start at $20.
Live with Carnegie Hall: Michael Feinstein
On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Carnegie Hall reruns a delightful program from June, featuring pianist and singer Michael Feinstein celebrating the work of songwriter Irving Berlin (“There’s No Business Like Show Business,” “God Bless America,” Annie Get Your Gun) with a little help from his friends: The King and I Tony winner Kelli O’Hara, two-time Tony nominee Cheyenne Jackson and Tony Yazbeck. Watch for free on Carnegie Hall’s Facebook page.
The Metropolitan Opera: The Exterminating Angel
On Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents The Exterminating Angel, Thomas Adès’ adaptation of filmmaker Luis Buñuel’s surrealist masterpiece of the same name, about wealthy guests at a lavish dinner party who realize they’re unable to leave. Librettist Tom Cairns directs a large ensemble cast. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Peter Grimes, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Manual Cinema’s Christmas Carol
On Thursday at 8 p.m. ET, yes, there are a lot of virtual Christmas Carols this season. But the one by Manual Cinema, a company acclaimed for combining shadow puppetry and filmic elements, is surely the most original. Performed live from the troupe’s Chicago studio, the production uses hundreds of paper puppets, miniatures, silhouettes and a live original score to conjure Dickens’ holiday redemption tale. Tickets start at $15.
This Is Who I Am
On Thursday at 8:30 p.m. ET, D.C.’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company and NYC’s PlayCo present This Is Who I Am, Amir Nizar Zuabi‘s touching two-hander about a father in Ramallah and his son in New York trying to bridge their geographical and emotional divide by cooking together via Zoom. Performed live, the play stars Ramsey Faragallah and Yousof Sultani, and is directed by Evren Odcikin. Tickets start at $16.
Available to Watch Both Days
Classical Theatre of Harlem: A Christmas Carol in Harlem
While there’s a cornucopia of Christmas Carols streaming this season, the Classical Theatre of Harlem‘s version offers a modern-day, gospel-infused spin on Charles Dickens’ holiday redemption tale. Recorded at Aaron Davis Hall last year, the show cleverly examines the ramifications of gentrification, making the story feel more urgent and poignant than ever. Watch for free until Sunday, January 3, 2021 on the theatre’s website though donations are encouraged.
Williamstown Theatre Festival: A Streetcar Named Desire
Although the celebrated Williamstown Theatre Festival had to cancel its in-person summer season, some of the scheduled productions were reimagined and recorded as audio plays, a genre that has exploded during the pandemic. The first release is an audio mounting of Tennessee Williams’ A Streetcar Named Desire starring six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald as the fragile Blanche DuBois, Carla Gugino as her sister, Stella, and Ariel Shafir as Stanley Kowalski, the man who upends their tenuous lives. Tony nominee Robert O’Hara directs. The recording costs $8.
JoyceStream
Chelsea dance haven The Joyce Theater continues its virtual season with five eclectic recordings available for four weeks: STREB‘s Massive Rotations; a program of short works by the Native American troupe Indigenous Enterprise; excerpts from Vanessa Sanchez & La Mezcla‘s tap piece Pachuquísmo; fabulous drag dance troupe Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo in Paquita; and a triple bill from Rennie Harris Puremovement, Soul Maggot, A Day in the Life and Black Promises. Watch for free until Sunday, January 3, 2021 on The Joyce’s website.
Folksbiene Chanukah Spectacular
On Tuesday, the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene threw an early Hanukkah extravaganza, and you can watch the recording until Saturday. The troupe welcomes stars of stage and screen for seasonal greetings, stories and songs, including Carol Burnett, Mayim Bialik, Billy Crystal, Tovah Feldshuh, Beanie Feldstein, Joel Grey, Jackie Hoffman, Carol Kane, Barry Manilow, Mandy Patinkin, Itzhak Perlman, Neil Sedaka, Dr. Ruth Westheimer and Jerry Zaks, though Folksbiene regulars to do most of the entertaining. If you saw Yiddish Fiddler, Amerike – The Golden Land or any of the company’s other glorious musicals, you know that’s a mitzvah! Watch for free on Folksbiene’s website but donations are encouraged.
92nd Street Y: Lyrics & Lyricists: Jule Styne and His Many Lyricists: Distant Memory
The 92nd Street Y‘s popular Lyrics & Lyricists concert series continues with a program dedicated to the prolific Jule Styne, who wrote more than 1.500 songs with dozens of lyricists. Gypsy, Funny Girl and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes are just a few of the musicals he created with collaborators such as Stephen Sondheim, Bob Merrill and Leo Robin. Musical theatre vets Farah Alvin, Allison Blackwell, Nikki Renée Daniels, Jeff Kready, Julia Murney, Zachary Noah Piser, Zachary Prince, Pearl Sun and Mariand Torres croon a wide array of his tunes. Tickets are $15 and the recording remains available through Thursday, December 31.
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: The Gett: A Young Wife’s Tale
On Tuesday, Rattlestick Playwrights Theater presented a live reading of The Gett: A Young Wife’s Tale and you can watch a recording until Saturday. Liba Vaynberg‘s play examines the ancient ritual of religious Jewish divorce and features four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh, Peter Mark Kendall, Alfredo Narciso and Miriam Silverman. Daniella Topol directs. Watch for free on Rattlestick’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
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Top image: Audra McDonald, who’s performing a concert in support of New York City Center on Wednesday. Photo by Allison Michael Orenstein.
RAVEN SNOOK