35+ Stage Performances to Watch This Valentine’s Day Weekend February 12-15
Friday, February 12
Virtual Halston: Cady Huffman and Brad Oscar
On Friday at 5 p.m. ET, Julie Halston welcomes former Producers costars Cady Huffman and Brad Oscar to her weekly chatfest. Watch for free on YouTube.
The Metropolitan Opera: Akhnaten
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares Akhnaten, Philip Glass’ epic opera inspired by the life and religious convictions of the Egyptian pharaoh Akhenaten. This production was a sold-out smash in 2019, with jugglers and acrobats performing alongside stars Dísella Lárusdóttir, J’Nai Bridges, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Aaron Blake, Will Liverman, Richard Bernstein and Zachary James. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Un Ballo in Maschera, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
New Ohio Theatre: Hotel Good Luck
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, New Ohio Theatre and The Cherry Artists’ Collective present Hotel Good Luck, Alejandro Ricaño‘s surreal play about a late-night radio deejay who tumbles down a rabbit hole of alternate realities in search of what he has lost. Performed and streamed live from Ithaca’s State Theater, the show stars Seth Soulstein and is directed by Samuel Buggeln. Tickets start at $15.
Irish Repertory Theatre: A Touch of the Poet
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Tonight, catch Eugene O’Neill’s compelling immigrant drama A Touch of the Poet, featuring Tony nominee Robert Cuccioli as Con, an Irish-American inn owner near Boston in 1828, clinging to a gentlemanly past that never was. Ciarán O’Reilly directs a cast that includes Ciaran Byrne, Kate Forbes and Mary McCann. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
The Shared Screen: Tape
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, The Shared Screen presents a Zoom adaptation of Stephen Belber‘s mind-bending Tape, about the tense and toxic reunion of three high school friends whose troubled past bleeds into the present. Usually set in a motel room, this production reimagines the meeting as a video call. Register to receive the free viewing link and stick around for the post-show talkback—this play leaves you with a lot to discuss!
FLS Academy: Got Your Back III: Spread the Love
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, members of the improvisational hip-hop collective Freestyle Love Supreme and its namesake school rap up a present for Valentine’s Day: an hour-long holiday show invented on the spot using suggestions from the virtual audience. The lineup of talented performers includes alumni from , including Chris “Shockwave” Sullivan, Aneesa “Young Nees” Folds, Andrew “Jelly Donut” Bancroft and Tarik “Tardis Hardaway” Davis. Tickets are $15.
John Lloyd Young’s Vegas Valentine
On Friday at 9 p.m. ET, John Lloyd Young performs a live concert from The Space in Las Vegas in honor of Valentine’s Day. The perpetually boyish actor-singer won a Tony Award for his star-making turn as Frankie Valli in Jersey Boys. He’ll croon tunes from that musical in between romantic favorites, including “Unchained Melody,” “Since I Fell for You,” “Only You” and “My Eyes Adored You.” Tickets cost $30.
The Tank: Borders
On Friday at 9 p.m. ET, indie theatre incubator The Tank presents a live performance of Borders, Nimrod Danishman‘s timely play exploring the challenges of modern-day virtual romance, as two men from different countries fall for each other on Grindr. Eli M. Schoenfeld and Adrian Rifat star, and Michael R. Piazza directs. Tickets start at $10.
Saturday, February 13
The Tank: Borders
On Saturday at 3 p.m. ET, indie theatre incubator The Tank presents a live performance of Borders, Nimrod Danishman‘s timely play exploring the challenges of modern-day virtual romance, as two men from different countries fall for each other on Grindr. Eli M. Schoenfeld and Adrian Rifat star, and Michael R. Piazza directs. Tickets start at $10.
Play-PerView: Revenge Porn
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, Play-PerView presents a live reading of Revenge Porn, Carla Ching‘s unsettling drama about the phenomenon of public sexual shaming, as a woman considers whether to go after the ex who released an intimate video of her. Bernardo Cubría directs Tina Haung, Amy Hill, Kahyun Kim, Christopher Larkin, Ken Leung and Roland Ruiz. Tickets start at $5 and proceeds go to NYC’s Ma-Yi Theater Company. Can’t make the live performance? For $15, you can watch a recording until Wednesday, February 17 at 11:30 p.m. ET.
New Federal Theatre: When the Chickens Came Home to Roost
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, in honor of Black History Month, Woodie King Jr.’s half-century-old New Federal Theatre presents a series of readings of important plays from its past. First up is When the Chickens Came Home to Roost, Laurence Holder‘s 1981 two-hander about the relationship between Malcolm X and his mentor, Elijah Muhammad, longtime leader of the Nation of Islam. Ralph McCain directs Lawrence Winslow and Allie Woods. Watch for free until Monday on New Federal Theatre’s website though donations are encouraged.
Fabulous Fanny: The Songs and Stories of Fanny Brice
On Saturday at 7 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.
The Metropolitan Opera: Les Troyens
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Peter Wexler‘s staging of Les Troyens, Berlioz’s epic chronicling the aftermath of the Trojan War and the exploits of Aeneas, played by Plácido Domingo. Tatiana Troyanos, Jessye Norman and Allan Monk costar in this 1983 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Akhnaten, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
New Ohio Theatre: Hotel Good Luck
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, New Ohio Theatre and The Cherry Artists’ Collective present Hotel Good Luck, Alejandro Ricaño‘s surreal play about a late-night radio deejay who tumbles down a rabbit hole of alternate realities in search of what he has lost. Performed and streamed live from Ithaca’s State Theater, the show stars Seth Soulstein and is directed by Samuel Buggeln. Tickets start at $15.
Irish Repertory Theatre: Molly Sweeney
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Tonight, catch Molly Sweeney, Brian Friel’s popular drama about a woman blind since infancy whose sight is restored with unexpected consequences. Geraldine Hughes and Ciarán O’Reilly reprise their performances as Molly and her husband from the theatre’s hit 2011 production, alongside newcomer Paul O’Brien as the surgeon who changes the title character’s life. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
The Shared Screen: Tape
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, The Shared Screen presents a Zoom adaptation of Stephen Belber‘s mind-bending Tape, about the tense and toxic reunion of three high school friends whose troubled past bleeds into the present. Usually set in a motel room, this production reimagines the meeting as a video call. Register to receive the free viewing link and stick around for the post-show talkback—this play leaves you with a lot to discuss!
Metropolitan Playhouse: Enemies
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Metropolitan Playhouse, an Obie-winning company that revives forgotten works, presents Enemies, a 1916 comedy about the challenges of free love, written by married Greenwich Village bohemians Neith Boyce and Hutchins Hapgood. How’s that for Valentine’s Day realness? Laura Livingston directs Kersti Bryan and Nate Washburn. Watch for free on the company’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
Sunday, February 14
ACT of Connecticut: Stephen Schwartz’s Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook
ACT of Connecticut presents Snapshots: A Musical Scrapbook, a chamber musical featuring songs by Stephen Schwartz, the genius behind Wicked, Pippin, Godspell and multiple Disney movie musicals. His iconic hits are integrated into a fresh story about an estranged couple looking back on the decades they shared. The theatre’s artistic director, Daniel C. Levine, helms this intimate digital production. Tickets are $20 but if you’re a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Sunday, February 28.
Irish Repertory Theatre: YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom
On Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Today, catch YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom, Aedín Moloney‘s solo adaptation of the “Penelope episode” from James Joyce’s Ulysses. This monologue play was a hit at the theatre in 2019 and offers intimate insights into one woman’s desires and dreams, with brief musical interludes composed by Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
Irish Repertory Theatre: Love, Noël
On Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, this winter, the venerable Irish Rep is presenting encore streams of its entire digital season. Tonight, catch Love, Noël, a virtual reinvention of its 2019 celebration of playwright, songwriter and sparkling wit Noël Coward. Barry Day devised this two-person tribute featuring seasoned cabaret stars Steve Ross and KT Sullivan singing Coward’s songs, such as “Mad About the Boy,” “Together with Music” and “I’ll Follow My Secret Heart,” and channeling his famous friends, including Gertrude Lawrence, Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo and Elaine Stritch. Tickets are free but required to receive the viewing link; donations are encouraged.
Andrea Marcovicci: A Kern Valentine
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET, cabaret legend Andrea Marcovicci celebrates Valentine’s Day with a concert of romantic songs by the acclaimed composer Jerome Kern, whose oeuvre includes Show Boat, “A Fine Romance”, “Smoke Gets in Your Eyes” and “The Way You Look Tonight.” Watch for free until Saturday, February 20 on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner’s Ring cycle, with Brünnhilde defying her god father Wotan. Hildegard Behrens, Jessye Norman, Christa Ludwig, Gary Lakes, James Morris and Kurt Moll star in this 1989 Otto Schenk/Günther Schneider-Siemssen production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Les Troyens, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.
A Night with Josh Groban
On Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, celebrate Valentine’s Day with Josh Groban! The international recording sensation and Tony-nominated Great Comet star is performing a live online concert filled with love songs and longtime favorites. Tickets are $30 and a recording is viewable for 48 hours.
Monday, February 15
The Metropolitan Opera: La Bohème
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Franco Zeffirelli‘s staging of La Bohème, Puccini’s timeless romantic tragedy about love, bromance and art. Angela Gheorghiu and Ramón Vargas star as the ill-fated young couple. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera’s website. You can still stream yesterday’s opera, Die Walküre, 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 the magical Fiery Jack Family, cyr wheel masters Artists of Änver, juggler Edge and acrobats Mike and Frida. Watch for free on Bindlestiff’s YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.
All Weekend
Southwark Playhouse: The Last Five Years
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 mounting was filmed live on stage last fall at London’s Southwark Playhouse with a pair of actor-pianists, Oli Higginson and Molly Lynch, as the star-crossed couple. Tickets are $18 and the recording is viewable until Friday, February 19.
Mischief Movie Night In
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. ET, Mischief Theatre, the uproarious British troupe behind NYC’s long-running comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, presents a live improvised movie, with the audience tasked with suggesting the title, genre and setting. Beyond lots of laughs, no one has any idea of what to expect—not even the performers. Tickets are £10, approximately $14.
Romeo & Juliet 2021
On Saturday at 2:30 p.m., Sunday at 9:30 a.m. and 2:30 p.m., and Monday at 2:30 p.m. ET, fall in love with a brand-new digital mounting of Shakespeare’s romantic tragedy Romeo and Juliet. A stage-cinema hybrid filmed last year, the production stars Olivier Award winner Sam Tutty and Emily Redpath as the ill-fated lovers, and theatre legend Derek Jacobi as the narrator. Tickets are £20, approximately $28.
San Francisco Ballet
The celebrated San Francisco Ballet continues its digital season with a trio of works. Two are archival recordings: Dwight Rhoden‘s Let’s Begin at the End and Mark Morris‘s Sandpaper Ballet. The third, Colorforms, is a brand-new piece by troupe soloist Myles Thatcher, known for his politically charged performances. Tickets are $29 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday, March 3.
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Top image: Josh Groban, who’s performing a live online concert on Valentine’s Day.
RAVEN SNOOK