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11 Stage Performances to Watch Today, April 21

By: RAVEN SNOOK
Date: Apr 21, 2020
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With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many performers from Broadway and beyond are sharing their talents online. Below are performances you can watch today, Tuesday, April 21, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

At 2 p.m. ET, it's a Urinetown reunion on Stars in the House. The Tony-winning, post-apocalyptic musical was the first Broadway show to open after September 11, so original cast members Hunter Foster, Spencer Kayden, Jeff McCarthy, Nancy Opel and Jennifer Laura Thompson are sure to have a lot of insightful things to say about what it's like performing during a time of crisis. Bonus: Hosts Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley will also announce the nominees for the 65th annual Drama Desk Awards, which honor theatre both on Broadway and off. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on the organization's YouTube channel.

At 3 p.m. ET, Carnegie Hall continues its live-streaming series with a performance by Ute Lemper, who appeared as Velma Kelly in Chicago on Broadway and has headlined many musicals in Europe. The German-born, internationally renowned chanteuse will mark the 75th anniversary of the liberation of concentration camps by crooning songs of rebellion and uplift that were written during the Holocaust. Other guests include Orly Beigel and Elisha Wiesel, who will speak about being the children of Holocaust survivors. Watch for free on Carnegie Hall's Facebook page.

At 6 p.m. ET, the folks behind The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues try something new: Viral Musicals! Every 20 minutes from 6 p.m. until midnight, well-known performers—including Broadway's Jelani Alladin, Tony winner Daveed Diggs and John Gallagher Jr.—will perform tailor-made mini musicals about our new reality, all created within the last 24 hours. Participating writers include Eli Bolin, Adam Gwon, Aimee Mann, Jonathan Marc Sherman and Rona Siddiqui. Watch on Instagram at instagram.com/24hourplays.

At 7 p.m. ET, dance haven The Joyce Theater shares archival recordings of performances by the Trisha Brown Dance Company, including Aeros (1990) and Groove and Countermove (2017). Watch for free on the Joyce's YouTube channel, where you can also find BalletBoyz's Deluxe streaming for no fee.

At 7 p.m. ET, go avant-garde with Café La MaMa Live: Take 3, a smorgasbord of short performances that experiment with form. This week, catch work by puppeteer Leah Ogawa, dancers Zui Gomez and Ryan Szelong, composer Sugar Vendil, pianist Adam Narimatsu and singer Jazmin Yvonne. Watch for free on La MaMa's website, though donations are encouraged.

At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2018 mounting of Puccini's Tosca, starring Sonya Yoncheva, Vittorio Grigolo and Željko Lucic, and conducted by Emmanuel Villaume. The production was filmed for the company's Live in HD series, and is available to watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Elektra, until 6:30 p.m. today.

At 8 p.m. ET, Hey you guys!: Cast members of the sitcom One Day at a Time are the Stars in the House, including Tony winner, West Side Story Oscar winner and Electric Company diva Rita Moreno and Tony nominee Stephen Tobolowsky. We can't wait to hear from Moreno. She's a hoot plus we hope she'll dish about Steven Spielberg's upcoming West Side Story remake, which she's in. This twice daily series hosted by Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on the organization's YouTube channel.

At 8 p.m. ET, New York City Ballet kicks off its new online series on what should have been its spring season's opening night. The dance company will share new videos every Tuesday and Friday; first up is a 2017 performance of George Balanchine's Allegro Brillante featuring Tiler Peck and Andrew Veyette. Watch for free on NYCB's YouTube channel through Friday at 8 p.m.

London's National Theatre shares a recording of its dynamic stage adaptation of Robert Louis Stevenson's Treasure Island. Olivier winner Patsy Ferran (a celebrated actress across the pond who was scheduled to make her Broadway debut in the now-cancelled Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?) and Dr. Who's Arthur Darvill star in the play, which was recorded for the National's NT Live series. Watch for free anytime through Wednesday, April 22 on the theatre's YouTube channel.

Shakespeare's Globe in London shares a recording of its 2009 mounting of Romeo & Juliet, directed by Dominic Dromgoole and starring Ellie Kendrick and Adetomiwa Edun. Watch for free anytime through Saturday, May 3 on the theatre's YouTube channel.

London's Hampstead Theatre continues its #HampsteadTheatreAtHome series with a recording of its 2014 production of Tiger Country, Nina Raine's play about the behind-the-scenes drama in a busy hospital over the holidays. It's eerily timely. Watch for free anytime through Sunday, April 26 on the company's website.

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

Top image: Rita Moreno.

RAVEN SNOOK