Top 5 Stage Performances to Stream This Weekend March 17-19
Even though in-person theatre and dance are back in full swing, in the name of accessibility, we’re continuing to round up performances to watch online from the comfort of home. Our carefully curated list spotlights the five best options to stream this weekend, Friday, March 17 to Sunday, March 19, for free or at low cost.
PBS Great Performances: The Hours
Airing on TV on PBS Thirteen on Friday, March 17 at 9 p.m. for FREE
A trio of divas, Renée Fleming, Kelli O’Hara and Joyce DiDonato, star in The Hours, which was recorded live at The Metropolitan Opera last fall. Based on Michael Cunningham’s acclaimed novel of the same name, which also inspired the 2002 Oscar-winning movie, this new opera by Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Kevin Puts follows three women in different eras, including legendary author Virginia Woolf, as they grapple with inner demons and dissatisfaction with their societal roles. Phelim McDermott directs. If you can’t watch on Friday evening, the opera is airing at other times throughout the month.
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PBS Great Performances: Remember This
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National Theatre at Home: Henry V
In 2020, London’s lauded National Theatre launched its own streaming service featuring professional stage captures of its productions. While you can buy a subscription, shows are also available to rent individually for 72 hours. New to the roster is a modern-day staging of Henry V starring Game of Thrones‘ Kit Harington as the title monarch in Shakespeare’s thrilling historical chronicle exploring nationalism, war and the psychology of power. Max Webster (Life of Pi) directed this live stage production, which was filmed at London’s Donmar Warehouse. Henry V costs $10 and captions are available. It’s just one of many fantastic National Theatre shows you can stream, so be sure to browse the entire list.
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Sondheim: A Musical Tribute
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EstroGenius Festival
Different shows live-streaming at different times at a sliding scale
The 22-year-old EstroGenius Festival—NYC’s longest-running fest showcasing the work of women, nonbinary, trans women and gender nonconforming artists—takes place over three weeks at four venues, and some of the participating shows are also live-streaming to at-home audiences. This weekend, you can stream Claire Ayoub’s autobiographical comedy The GynoKid (Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. ET) about growing up the child of small-town gynecologists, and Develop(ing) Together: BEAR (Sunday at 2 p.m. ET), a dance piece by c/s movement projects.
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Top image: David Strathairn in PBS Great Performances: Remember This, which streams this weekend for free. Photo by Jeff Hutchens.