TDF Stages

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, Monday, April 20, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

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 it for free anytime through Sunday, April 26 on the company's website.

At 2 p.m. ET, 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 it for free anytime through Saturday, May 3 on the theatre's YouTube channel.

At 2 p.m. ET, cast members from Broadway's Mrs. Doubtfire, which started previews just a few days before the shutdown began , join Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley on Stars in the House. Guests include Tony nominee Rob McClure, who's taking on Robin Williams' film role as a divorced dad so desperate to see his kids he poses as a female nanny, plus costars Analise Scarpaci and Jenn Gambatese. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on the organization's YouTube channel.

At 6:30 p.m. ET, a reading of Jeff Cohen's The Soap Myth, a searing drama exploring whether Nazis turned the corpses of some of their Jewish victims into soap, is available to watch for free anytime on WNET's All Arts website. But in honor of Holocaust Remembrance Day, there will be a free panel discussion at 6:30 p.m. featuring stars Ed Asner and Tovah Feldshuh alongside Holocaust scholar Michael Berenbaum and anti-Semitism expert Ira Forman. Advance registration is required, and participants are encouraged to watch the play beforehand.

At 7 p.m. ET, CreateTheater.com, an online hub for play development, continues its live Monday Night Reading Series with Manuel Igrejas' Instimacy about a gay couple whose relationship is disrupted by a third party. The performance takes place on the free app Zoom, which you'll need to download in advance. Get a link to the event by requesting a free ticket.

At 7:30 p.m. ET, now that the union kerfuffle has been resolved, you can catch Red Bull Theater's live reading of 'Tis a Pity She's a Whore, John Ford's too-rarely mounted Jacobean tragedy, which was a hit for the company five years ago. Filled with illicit romances and vengeful murders, this event reunites the 2015 cast, including Matthew Amendt and Kelley Curran (who recently starred in Dracula Off Broadway), and downtown stage legend Everett Quinton. Watch for free on Red Bull's website.

At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares its 2016 mounting of Strauss's Elektra, starring Nina Stemme, Adrianne Pieczonka, Waltraud Meier and Eric Owens, and conducted by Esa-Pekka Salonen. 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, Der Rosenkavalier, until 6:30 p.m. today.

At 7:30 p.m. ET, run away with the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus at the troupe's weekly live-streamed variety show, hosted by adorkable ringmaster Keith Nelson. Enjoy a cavalcade of jaw-dropping acts, including hula hooper Honey Goodenough, tightwire walker Logan Kerr, Mark Lohr and his juggling family and aerialist Francis Stallings. Watch for free on Bindlestiff's Facebook page.

At 8 p.m. ET, it's a Difficult People reunion on Stars in the House. Many of the cast members of this Hulu cult comedy are NYC stage vets, including Derrick Baskin (Tony nominee for Ain't Too Proud), two-time Tony winner Andrea Martin, downtown stalwarts James Urbaniak and Cole Escola. Plus stars and series creators Billy Eichner and Julie Klausner are Broadway obsessed. 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, cabaret maven Jim Caruso welcomes renowned singers and up-and-comers at Cast Party, a live-streamed version of his popular weekly gatherings that have taken place at Birdland for decades. Tonight's lineup includes two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin, Aladdin's Telly Leung, jazz singer Veronica Swift, and country crooners and spouses Gary Burr and Georgia Middleman. Watch for free on YouTube, though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.

At 8 p.m. ET, Chicago's lauded Goodman Theatre shares a recording of its production of School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, Jocelyn Bioh's shrewd comedy about the pecking order at an elite boarding school in Ghana. The play was a hit in New York, with two Off-Broadway runs. Tickets are available to purchase from the theatre but TDF members get a discount.

And if you missed it over the weekend, 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 it for free anytime through Wednesday, April 22 on the theatre's YouTube channel.

Remember to check out our roundup of performances you can watch online anytime.

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

Top image: Rob McClure in Mrs. Doubtfire at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theatre. Photo courtesy of the theatre.