25+ Stage Performances to Watch March 29-30
Monday, March 29
ABT Incubator: The Unforeseen
On Monday at noon ET, American Ballet Theatre kicks off its Incubator series, featuring brand-new digital dance works created by emerging choreographers during quarantine. First up is The Unforeseen by ABT soloist Zhong-Jing Fang, a haunting pas de deux set to Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre starring company members Andrii Ishchuk and Fangqi Li. Watch for free on ABT’s YouTube channel.
SCOWL: Digital Defenestration
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, TDF’s multitalented Tyler Riley is one of the theatre artists behind SCOWL, a queer NYC-based stage combat and comedy troupe that presents monthly Digital Defenestration smackdowns. Expect punches, punch lines and plenty of puns in the ongoing saga of John Jacob “Formerly The Jingle Hammer” Schmidt, who’s being plagued by mimes. Plus, local everyman Steve goes on his first date with SCOWL’s horrifying spider lady Tarantulass. Watch for free on SCOWL’s Facebook page.
The Metropolitan Opera: Norma
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Bellini’s Norma featuring Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role. Joyce DiDonato, Joseph Calleja and Matthew Rose costar in this 2017 staging by Sir David McVicar. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Der Fliegende Holländer, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Bindlestiff Family Cirkus: Open Stage Variety Show: Quarantine Edition
On Monday at 8 p.m. ET, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus continues its live weekly variety show hosted by adorkable ringmaster Keith Nelson. Tonight’s awe-inspiring lineup includes aerialist Heather Meyer, clown Bill Robison, the Acrobatics Circus Family and hand balancer Anna Kaye. Watch for free on Bindlestiff’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
Tuesday, March 30
The Metropolitan Opera: Capriccio
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents John Cox‘s roaring ’20s-set Capriccio, Strauss‘ love triangle featuring Renée Fleming as a countess courted by a composer (Joseph Kaiser) and a poet (Russell Braun). Sarah Connolly, Morten Frank Larsen and Peter Rose costar in 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, Norma, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
On Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, Mark Morris presents a quartet of video dances created remotely by the choreographer. One is a reinvention of a preexisting piece, Lonely Fugue, featuring 16 dancers from four different points of view. The three premieres are Flesh Study set to Philip Glass’ Victor’s Lament; Kitten Lake, which features dancers with their pets; and Fandango, which was created in person in a studio with social distance. Register to receive the free viewing link; a $20 donation is suggested.
Available to Watch Both Days
Goodman Theater: Pedro Páramo
Chicago’s lauded Goodman Theatre gives audiences a peek at its archives with a recording of Pedro Páramo. Based on Juan Rulfo’s influential 1955 novel of the same name, the production was created by Cuba’s Teatro Buendía and presented at the Goodman in 2013 featuring a cast of Chicago and Cuban actors. A pioneering work of magical realism, the play centers on a young man who travels to his recently deceased mother’s hometown to track down his long-lost father. The show is performed in Spanish with closed captioning in English and Spanish. Reservations are required to receive the free viewing link and the recording is viewable until Sunday, April 11.
New York City Center: Matthew Bourne’s Romeo and Juliet
New York City Center continues its New Adventures Festival of Matthew Bourne ballets with Romeo and Juliet. The visionary choreographer presents a powerful take on the old tragedy, set in a not-too-distant dystopian future with the star-crossed couple stuck as inmates in the oppressive Verona Institute. Cordelia Braithwaite and Paris Fitzpatrick headline the production, which was filmed on stage at Sadler’s Wells Theatre in London in 2019. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.
New York City Center: American Theatre Ballet: A Ratmansky Celebration
New York City Center presents an evening of works by American Ballet Theatre‘s celebrated resident choreographer Alexei Ratmansky. The program was recorded live on stage at City Center sans audience and features excerpts from The Seasons, Seven Sonatas and The Sleeping Beauty, as well as the world premiere of Bernstein in a Bubble, set to music by Leonard Bernstein. Tickets are $25 and the recording is available until Sunday, April 18.
IAMA Theatre Company: Anyone But Me and The Oxy Complex
Los Angeles’ IAMA Theatre Company presents a pair of compelling solo shows by Latina performers. Sheila Carrasco‘s Anyone But Me explores the personas women create to get by in a patriarchal society. Anna LaMadrid‘s The Oxy Complex is set on the 500th day of quarantine (!!!) and examines how loneliness, trauma and the lack of oxytocin impact our well-being. Tickets are $15 per show, $20 for both. The recordings are viewable until Sunday, April 18.
Giles Terera: Black Matter
British actor and singer-songwriter Giles Terera, who won an Olivier Award for his powerful performance as Aaron Burr in the West End production of Hamilton, presents his new song cycle Black Matter, his response to the upheaval of the pandemic and the demands for social justice. The concert was filmed during lockdown at London’s Crazy Coqs cabaret, with Giles capturing the intense emotions of the past year, singing alone on stage with his piano and guitar. Tickets are £12, approximately $17 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday.
The Picture of Dorian Gray
Stream a starry, contemporary adaptation of Oscar Wilde’s classic novel The Picture of Dorian Gray. Written by Henry Filloux-Bennett and set in our screen-dominated world, this cautionary tale centers on a young influencer who makes a deal ensuring that his social media celebrity will never fade. But his picture-perfect life comes at a terrible cost. Tamara Harvey directs Fionn Whitehead as the title hedonist, alongside Tony nominees Joanna Lumley and Stephen Fry and stage favorite Russell Tovey. Tickets are £12, approximately $17. The recording is viewable until Saturday, April 17 and closed captions are available.
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RAVEN SNOOK