TDF Stages

With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch today, Monday, September 28, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

New Federal Theater: She Speaks, He Speaks, Generations Speak: Black Words Matter
At 7 p.m. ET, New Federal Theatre, one of NYC's leading Black companies, presents a virtual poetry jam featuring artists of different ages speaking truth to injustice. Reverend and writer Rhonda (Akanke) McLean-Nu hosts and Petronia Paley directs. RSVP to receive the free viewing link; donations are encouraged.

The Metropolitan Opera: Le Nozze di Figaro
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera kicks off a week of Mozart favorites with Le Nozze di Figaro, his beloved romantic comedy about a day of marriage and madness. Richard Eyre's 2014 production sets the action in a manor house in 1930s Seville, with Ildar Abdrazakov as the wily Figaro who's always trying to outwit his womanizing master Count Almaviva, played by Peter Mattei. Amanda Majeski, Marlis Petersen and Isabel Leonard costar. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, La Bohème, until 6:30 p.m. today.

Stars in the House: Brenda Braxton
At 8 p.m. ET, Smokey Joe's Cafe Tony nominee and Chicago vet Brenda Braxton guest hosts Stars in the House, and she's bringing some as-yet-unnamed friends with her. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Jim Caruso's Pajama Cast Party
At 8 p.m. ET, cabaret maven Jim Caruso welcomes renowned singers and up-and-comers at Pajama Cast Party, a live-streamed version of his popular weekly Cast Party gatherings that have taken place at Birdland for years. Tonight's lineup includes Broadway legend Chita Rivera and her daughter, singer-dancer Lisa Mordente; Nashville crooner Gary Burr and Las Vegas luminary Frankie Moreno. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.

Bindlestiff Open Stage: Quarantine Edition
At 8 p.m. ET, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus leaps into fall with a new season of its weekly live-streamed variety show. Hosted by adorkable ringmaster Keith Nelson, this evening's cavalcade includes cyr wheel master Randy Kato, aerialist Elizabeth Munn, juggler Brian Koenig and sideshow great Murrugun the Mystic. Watch for free on Bindlestiff's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

Available to Watch All Day

The Joyce Theater
Chelsea dance haven The Joyce Theater kicks off its virtual fall season with four eclectic recordings available for four weeks: Calling Glenn choreographed by Danielle Agami for her Ate9 Dance Company; She Who: Frida, Mami & Me by the LA-based Contra-Tiempo; Indumba by Chicago's Deeply Rooted Dance Theater; and four short films by the London hip-hip troupe Far From the Norm. Watch for free on The Joyce's website.

Al Hirschfeld: West Wing Ha!
So this is an online exhibition, not a performance, but we couldn't resist sharing this wonderful collection of Al Hirschfeld caricatures of actual statesmen as well as actors playing politicians, including illustrations of the Broadway musicals 1776 and 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Check out the art for free online.

Kennedy Center: A Time to Sing: An Evening with Renée Fleming and Vanessa Williams
On Saturday, two beloved Tony-nominated divas—opera legend Renée Fleming and pop star Vanessa Williams—teamed up for a live concert at the Kennedy Center, and you can see a recording through the end of the year. Watch these vocalists croon an eclectic selection of tunes, including "Children Will Listen," "Stormy Weather" and a brand-new number by Andrew Lippa. Tickets are $15.

Long Wharf Theatre: New Haven Play Project
New Haven's Long Wharf Theatre presents the New Haven Play Project, a full-length film chronicling the lives of Muslim, immigrant and refugee artists who call the Connecticut city home. It's a bold launch of a community-centric season by the theatre's new artistic director, Jacob G. Padrón. Watch for free on Long Wharf's website.

Play-PerView: Hamlet in Bed
On Saturday, Play-PerView presented a live reading of Hamlet in Bed and you can watch a recording through Wednesday. The play is written by and stars Michael Laurence as an actor who casts a woman he thinks is his long-lost mother as Queen Gertrude opposite his Hamlet. Directed by Lisa Peterson, this event reunites the cast of the show's Rattlestick Playwrights Theater production: Laurence and Annette O'Toole, with the intriguing addition of John Glover. Tickets start at $15 and benefit Rattlestick Playwrights Theater.

---

Raven Snook is the Editor of TDF Stages. Follow her at @RavenSnook. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.

Top image: Chita Rivera. Photo by Laura Marie Duncan.