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, May 26, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

Judy Gold Guest Hosts Stars in the House
At 2 p.m. ET, the uproarious Judy Gold—a veteran stand-up whose solo show 25 Questions for a Jewish Mother enjoyed a long run Off Broadway—guest hosts Stars in the House, and she's bringing some friends with her. No word on who'll they'll be but we can guarantee they'll be hilarious! This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on YouTube.

The VT Show: Brandon Victor Dixon
At 5 p.m. ET, the celebrated Vineyard Theatre continues its weekly online chatfest with Tony-nominated performer Brandon Victor Dixon, who starred in the Kander and Ebb musical The Scottsboro Boys at the venue a decade ago. He'll share stories and songs from the shows he's been in, such as The Color Purple, Shuffle Along and Hamilton. Watch for free on the theatre's YouTube channel.

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues
At 6 p.m. EST, catch the latest installment of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, a six-hour series of solos about how we're living today. Every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. until midnight, well-known actors—including Jason Biggs, Beetlejuice's Alex Brightman and Sophia Anne Caruso, Tony nominees Johanna Day and Jessica Hecht, and two-time Tony winner Michael Cerveris— will perform tailor-made monologues, all penned and filmed within the last 24 hours. Participating playwrights include David Lindsay-Abaire, Donald Margulies, Itamar Moses, Alexis Scheer and Jonathan Marc Sherman. Watch on Instagram at instagram.com/24hourplays.

Another Opening, Another Debut! at Feinstein's/54 Below
At 6:30 p.m. ET, Feinstein's/54 Below presents Another Opening, Another Debut!, a showcase for performers who made their Broadway debuts during the 2017-2018 season. To paraphrase the old 42nd Street line, they all went out there youngsters, but many came back stars, including Jelani Alladin as the romantic lead Kristoff in Frozen, Hailey Kilgore and Isaac Powell, who were heartbreaking as an ill-fated couple in Once On This Island, and Ari'el Stachel, who ended up winning a Tony Award for his sensitive turn in The Band's Visit. Watch for free on the club's YouTube channel. This performance won't be available after-the-fact.

Café La MaMa Live
At 7 p.m. ET, go avant-garde with Café La MaMa Live: Take 7, a smorgasbord of short performances that experiment with form. In honor of Asian and Pacific Islander American Heritage Month, this week's lineup is an impressive roster of artists of those backgrounds, including comedian Kate Siahaan-Rigg, Hamilton cast member Marc de la Cruz, downtown diva Raven O, solo performer Kristina Wong and actor-singer EJ Zimmerman. Watch for free on La MaMa's website, though donations are encouraged.

Ernani at the Met
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2012 mounting of Verdi's Ernani, starring Angela Meade, Marcello Giordani, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Ferruccio Furlanetto, conducted by Marco Armiliato. 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, La Damnation de Faust, until 6:30 p.m. today.

Star Trek: Voyager Reunion on Stars in the House
At 8 p.m. ET, hosts Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcome the cast of Star Trek: Voyager to Stars in the House. Though they may have become famous because of the TV series, theatre fans will recognize many of them from their New York stage roles, including Obie winner Kate Mulgrew, seen last fall in The Half-Life of Marie Curie, Robert Picardo, who starred in Enter Laughing at the York Theatre Company last year and Broadway character actor Ethan Phillips, last seen in Junk. Picardo especially is known for bursting into song, even on Voyager as the musically inclined Emergency Holographic Doctor, so maybe there will be a tune or two in addition to sci-fi stories. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on YouTube.

New York City Ballet: George Balanchine's Donizetti Variations
At 8 p.m. ET, New York City Ballet presents the penultimate offering in its digital spring season: George Balanchine's Donizetti Variations, an uplifting 1960 piece set to music from the opera Dom Sébastien and featuring Ashley Bouder and Andrew Veyette. Watch for free on NYCB's YouTube channel through Friday at 8 p.m. ET.

Rent: a Sing-Along Part One
At 9 p.m. ET, if you're tired of watching others dominate the Zoom mics, get in on the action with this Rent sing-along organized by The Armory Comedy at The Tank. Email thearmorycomedy@gmail.com to join the party, which lasts two nights. This is just part one!

Available to Watch All Day

National Theatre: A Streetcar Named Desire
London's National Theatre presents A Streetcar Named Desire starring Gillian Anderson as the tragic Blanche DuBois opposite Ben Foster's unforgiving Stanley Kowalski. Directed by Benedict Andrews, this radical reimagining of Tennessee Williams' classic had a sold-out limited run at Brooklyn's St. Ann's Warehouse and features a slowly rotating set, fiery emotions and some truly brutal moments. Prepare to see this familiar play from a new perspective. Watch for free anytime through Thursday, May 28 at 2 p.m. ET on the National Theatre's YouTube channel.

Timon of Athens at the Stratford Festival
Ontario's venerable Stratford Festival continues its Shakespeare on Film series with one of the Bard's lesser produced tragedies, Timon of Athens, often labeled as one of his problem plays. Stratford vet Joseph Ziegler stars as the title character, a wealthy and generous man whose friends disappear with his funds. Watch for free anytime through Thursday, June 11 on the Stratford Festival's YouTube channel.

Neil LaBute Shorts
Prolific provocateur-playwright Neil LaBute (Bash, The Shape of Things) is sharing a half dozen short films online featuring some of his usual stage collaborators. The first two premiered last week—Sexting starring Julia Stiles and Double or Nothing with Keith David and Adam Brody—and this week brings The Mulberry Bush, a short play-turned-film featuring J.J. Kandel and Victor Slezak. Watch for free on Vimeo.

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

Top image: Kate Mulgrew.