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, Tuesday, October 6, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

Folksbiene! Live: Tatiana Wechsler's Anywhere I Wander
At 1 p.m. ET, Tatiana Wechsler, one of the stars of the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene's The Golden Bride, presents a concert in honor of the Jewish holiday of Sukkot, which celebrates the gathering of the harvest. The soprano will perform favorites in Yiddish as well as original tunes exploring themes of home, autumn and traditions. Watch for free on Folksbiene's website.

New York Theatre Workshop: What the Hell Is a Republic, Anyway? Episode 2
At 7 p.m. ET, New York Theatre Workshop continues its series What the Hell Is a Republic, Anyway?, a four-part interactive online experience from Tony winner Denis O'Hare and director-writer Lisa Peterson. The duo previously mounted the Obie-winning An Iliad at NYTW. Now they're inviting audiences into their creative process as they deconstruct democracy by parsing the rise and fall of the Roman Republic and the challenges of successfully collaborating on anything, be it a play or politics. This second episode is titled "Citizenship," and Sonia Sabnis, a professor of Classics and Humanities at Reed College, is their special guest. Log on ready to participate! Tickets are $10.

Broadway Buskers
At 7 p.m. ET, since 2018, the Times Square Alliance has been presenting Broadway Buskers, a concert series showcasing the songwriting talents of NYC theatre folk. This year the show goes online with live-streamed sets on Tuesday nights through October 27. This evening enjoy numbers by Ari Afsar, who wrote the songs for Jeannette, a pop musical about America's first congresswoman, Jeannette Rankin; and Billy Recce, who penned the numbers for A Musical About Star Wars. Watch for free on the Times Square Alliance website though donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition are encouraged.

Working Theater: American Dreams
At 7 p.m. ET, Working Theatre presents American Dreams, a darkly clever theatrical game show in which contestants vie for instant citizenship—and the audience decides who wins. The timely work is the brainchild of playwright Leila Buck and director Tamilla Woodard, who's the co-artistic director of Working Theatre, which is mounting this piece in conjunction with a host of regional companies. Tonight's performance is coproduced with Maryland's Round House Theatre. Log on ready to vote! Tickets are $30.

The Metropolitan Opera: Tannhäuser
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera's week of Wagner favorites continues with Tannhäuser, an early romantic work featuring Johan Botha as the title character, who's torn between lust and love. Eva-Maria Westbroek, Michelle DeYoung, Peter Mattei and Günther Groissböck costar in this 2015 mounting, staged by Otto Schenk. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Tristan und Isolde, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Stars in the House: Yiddish Fidler Reunion
At 8 p.m. ET, get ready to kvell when Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley host a Fiddler on the Roof in Yiddish reunion on Stars in the House! Originally produced downtown by the National Yiddish Theatre Folksbiene before transferring Off-Broadway, this Yiddish-language production of the legendary musical became a surprise critical and commercial smash. Cast members Steven Skybell, Samantha Hahn, Jackie Hoffman and Rachel Zatcoff will be joined by director Joel Grey (yes, that Joel Grey!). Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

New York City Ballet
At 8 p.m. ET, New York City Ballet continues its virtual fall season with an eclectic lineup of classics. This week's stream features two works by George Balanchine, Kammermusik No. 2 (First Movement) and Movements for Piano and Orchestra; a pair of pieces by Jerome Robbins, Opus 19/The Dreamer (First Movement) and Glass Pieces (Third Movement); Chiaroscuro by Lynne Taylor-Corbett and Red Angels by Ulysses Dove. Dancers include principals Sara Mearns, Maria Kowroski, Teresa Reichlen, Jared Angle, Adrian Danchig-Waring, Gonzalo Garcia, Ask la Cour and Andrew Veyette. Watch for free on NYCB's YouTube channel.

Vineyard Theatre: Lessons in Survival Episode 1
At 8:30 p.m. ET, Off Broadway's invaluable Vineyard Theatre launches an intriguing new project, Lessons in Survival, featuring a collective of 40 theatre artists sharing historic conversations, interviews and speeches by listening to the original speakers in an earpiece while repeating their words verbatim. Conceived by actors Marin Ireland, Peter Mark Kendall and Reggie D. White and director Tyler Thomas, this singular series kicks off tonight with an episode titled "Survival Is Not a One Time Decision," featuring Nicole Lewis, Kalyne Coleman, Myra Lucretia Taylor and Deirdre O'Connell channeling the 1964 words of singer-songwriter-civil rights activist Nina Simone, A Raisin in the Sun playwright Lorraine Hansberry, and a 1982 interview with writer and feminist Audre Lorde. Tickets start at $5.

Latino Theater Co.: A Mexican Trilogy, Part 1: Faith
At 10 p.m. ET, Los Angeles' Latino Theater Co. presents a recording of part 1 of Evelina Fernández's epic A Mexican Trilogy, chronicling the lives of the Mexican-American Morales family over multiple decades of the 20th century. The initial installment is titled "Faith" and set in a small mining town in Arizona during World War II. Esperanza America, Robert Beltran, Evelina Fernández, Sam Golzari, Kenneth Lopez, Sal Lopez, Julio Macias, Xavi Moreno, Geoffrey Rivas, Lucy Rodriguez, Elia Saldana and Olivia Delgado Young bring this saga about immigration and the American Dream to life. José Luis Valenzuela directed this 2012 production. Parts II and III will stream later this month. Watch for free on the company's YouTube channel.

Available to Watch All Day

Dramatists Play Service: The Party Hop
On Saturday, Dramatists Play Service premiered this star-studded reading of Natalie Margolin's The Party Hop, and you can watch a recording today. A dark comedy set three years into COVID-19 quarantine (oy!), it centers on three Zoom-party hopping college sophomores yearning for in-person contact. The cast includes young Broadway and Hollywood favorites Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein, Ashley Park, Noah Galvin, Kathryn Gallagher, Ayo Edebiri, Kaitlyn Dever and Catherine Cohen. Watch for free on Dramatists Play Service's YouTube channel.

Play-PerView: Title and Deed Starring Will Eno
On Saturday, Play-PerView presented a live reading of Title and Deed starring the playwright himself, Will Eno, and you can watch a recording through Wednesday, October 21. The Pulitzer Prize finalist plays a nameless traveler seeking solace and connection in an unknown country. Eno's favorite Beckettian themes of mortality, isolation and loneliness are all present! Tickets are pay what you wish and proceeds benefit RAICES in Texas.

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

Top image: the cast of Yiddish Fiddler on the Roof. Photo by Matthew Murphy.