25+ Stage Performances to Watch This Easter Weekend April 2-4
Friday, April 2
The Shows Must Go On!: Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour
On Friday at 2 p.m. ET, The Shows Must Go On! celebrates Easter and its one-year anniversary with a restream of Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice’s iconic musical Jesus Christ Superstar. This over-the-top rock spectacle was filmed in 2012 and stars comedian/Matilda songwriter Tim Minchin as Judas Iscariot, former Spice Girl Melanie C as Mary Magdalene and Ben Forster as Jesus. That’s the buzz! Watch for free until Sunday at 2 p.m. ET on YouTube.
Virtual Halston: Harriet Harris and Edward Hibbert
On Friday at 5 p.m. ET, Julie Halston welcomes two of her hilarious peers to her chatfest: Tony winner Harriet Harris and superb second banana Edward Hibbert. The two costarred in the musical comedy It Shoulda Been You, and Harris worked with Halston in a revival of The Man Who Came to Dinner. We’re laughing just thinking about these three talking. Watch for free on YouTube.
Mike Daisey: What the Fuck Just Happened?
On Friday at 7 p.m. ET, starting today, NYC theatres are allowed to open at 33% capacity and it’s no surprise that master monologist Mike Daisey (The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs, If You See Something Say Something) is eager to be one of the first performers back on stage in front of a live audience. Thankfully, his brilliantly and bluntly titled What the Fuck Just Happened? is also being streamed to at-home viewers. Well-known for his insightful, no-holds-barred takes on our dysfunctional societal relationships to Amazon, Apple and the American defense industry, Daisey turns his attention to what we’ve all been through the past 12 months—as individuals and as a community. If you’re looking to start purging this collective trauma, digesting what Daisey has to say is a great first step! Tickets are $15.
The Metropolitan Opera: Werther
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Werther, Massenet’s adaptation of Goethe’s epistolary novel starring Jonas Kaufmann as the tortured title character, whose passion for Sophie Koch‘s Charlotte leads to tragedy. Lisette Oropesa, David Bižic and Jonathan Summers costar in Richard Eyre‘s 2014 mounting. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Il Trovatore, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Fabulous Fanny: The Songs and Stories of Fanny Brice
On Friday at 9 p.m. ET, if you only know Fanny Brice as Barbra Streisand’s character in Funny Girl, time to get schooled. Kimberly Faye Greenberg portrays the legendary Jewish singer, comedian and Ziegfeld Follies star in this solo show, which delves into her incredible career and dramatic life. Expect torch songs, old-school shtick and Baby Snooks! (No relation to yours truly.) Tickets are $10.
Saturday, April 3
The Metropolitan Opera: L’Elisir d’Amore
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents L’Elisir d’Amore, Donizetti’s charming rom-com about a spirited landowner, a lovesick peasant and a purported love potion that may lead to romance. Tony-winning director Bartlett Sher staged this 2012 mounting featuring Anna Netrebko, Matthew Polenzani, Mariusz Kwiecien and Ambrogio Maestri. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Werther, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
Metropolitan Playhouse: The Girl
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Metropolitan Playhouse, an Obie-winning company that revives forgotten works, presents a reading of The Girl, Edward Peple’s 1924 dramedy about a man who has everything except the woman he wants—but wooing her isn’t as easy as he thinks. Michael Hardart directs Timothy C. Goodwin, Luke Hofmaier and Perri Yaniv. Watch for free on the company’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
Stars in the House: DIVOS! Game Night
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley host one of their popular Game Nights on Stars in the House. Tonight, cast members from the cult movie DIVOS!, about high school theatre rivals, compete for glory! Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
Sunday, April 4
The Shows Must Go On!: The Railway Children
On Sunday at 10 a.m. ET, in honor of its first anniversary, The Shows Must Go On! presents a second weekend stream: the family show The Railway Children. Based on E. Nesbit’s classic children’s book, the Olivier Award-winning production centers on the adventures of three siblings, who move to a house near the railway after their father is wrongfully convicted of espionage. This eye-popping spectacle features an incredible steam locomotive on stage. Watch for free until Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET on YouTube.
The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Tristan und Isolde, featuring Nina Stemme and Stuart Skelton as the doomed title couple whose all-consuming love defies the law. Mariusz Trelinski‘s 2016 mounting costars Ekaterina Gubanova, Evgeny Nikitin and René Pape. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, L’Elisir d’Amore, until 6:30 p.m. today.
All Weekend
National Theatre Live: War Horse
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 1, 4, 7 and 10 p.m. ET, National Theatre Live presents War Horse, the profoundly moving tale of a boy searching for his beloved steed against the bloody backdrop of World War I. Based on Michael Morpurgo’s novel of the same name and adapted for the stage by Nick Stafford in association with the brilliant Handspring Puppet Company, the production was a smash, first at London’s National Theatre and where it won five 2011 Tony Awards, including Best Play. This mounting was filmed in London and is streaming to benefit independent cinemas around the US. Tickets are $15.
The Joyce Theater: Step Afrika!: Stono
Chelsea dance haven The Joyce continues its digital season with Step Afrika!‘s powerful Stono, which uses the troupe’s signature blend of percussive, traditional African and contemporary dance to evoke the little-known Stono slave rebellion of 1739 in South Carolina. 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 14.
San Francisco Ballet: Jewels
California’s acclaimed San Francisco Ballet presents George Balanchine’s glittering gem Jewels, a full-length abstract ballet featuring three separate sections: Emeralds, Rubies and Diamonds, set to music by Fauré, Stravinsky and Tchaikovsky. Tickets are $29 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 21.
Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company: Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran
Washington, DC’s Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company presents Rich Kids: A History of Shopping Malls in Tehran, Javaad Alipoor‘s multimedia exploration of the global class divide. The second installment of a trilogy examining identity in our high-tech age, this dark comedy fuses online performance and a live Instagram feed to examine entitlement, consumption and social media through the eyes of Iran’s elite. Tickets are $18 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, April 18.
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 American and Cuban actors. A pioneering work of magical realism, the story 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 wraps up 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.
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Top image: Ben Forster in Jesus Christ Superstar: Live Arena Tour, which is streaming this Easter weekend. Photo by Tristram Kenton.
RAVEN SNOOK