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, May 11, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

Andréa Burns Guest Hosts Stars in the House
At 2 p.m. ET, On Your Feet! star Andréa Burns returns to guest host Stars in the House, and she's welcoming two dear friends: songwriters and spouses Jason Robert Brown (Parade, Bridges of Madison County) and Georgia Stitt. Burns just sang a track on Stitt's brand-new album A Quiet Revolution, so expect plenty of songs and stories. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on YouTube.

San Francisco Ballet: Romeo & Juliet
At 5:30 p.m. ET, Lincoln Center shares a 2015 recording of Romeo and Juliet by San Francisco Ballet. Davit Karapetyan and Maria Kochetkova star as the ill-fated lovers, and the troupe's artistic director Helgi Tomasson choreographed Shakespeare's tragedy to Sergei Prokofiev's emotional score. Watch for free on Lincoln Center's Facebook page.

The Wedding Singer Reunion Concert at Feinstein's/54 Below
At 6:30 p.m. ET, cabaret haven Feinstein's/54 Below invites you to party like it's 1985 with The Wedding Singer Reunion Concert. Constantine Maroulis, Amy Spanger, Felicia Finley, Matt Saldivar and other Broadway cast members croon tunes from Matt Sklar and Chad Beguelin's Tony-nominated score, and you can watch for free on the club's YouTube channel. This performance won't be available after-the-fact.

The Metropolitan Opera: Werther
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares Massenet's Werther, starring Lisette Oropesa, Sophie Koch, Jonas Kaufmann and David Bižic, conducted by Alain Altinoglu. The production was filmed for the company's Live in HD series in 2014, 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 double bill of Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana and Leoncavallo's Pagliacci until 6:30 p.m. today.

Robin Hood: Rise Up New York
At 7 p.m. ET, iHeartMedia and poverty-fighting organization Robin Hood team up for a telethon to help vulnerable New Yorkers struggling during the pandemic. NYC's own Tina Fey hosts and guests include lots of Broadway vets, including Tony winners Lin-Manuel Miranda, Sutton Foster, Ben Platt, Bette Midler and Idina Menzel, plus Barbra Streisand, Chris Rock, Christopher Jackson, Jake Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Lopez, Robert De Niro, Spike Lee, Billy Joel, Sting and more. Watch for free on multiple TV channels.

Jeff Daniels Online & Unplugged
At 7:30 p.m. ET, three-time Tony nominee Jeff Daniels, most recently seen on Broadway in To Kill a Mockingbird, is performing a series of live acoustic concert in support of Michigan's Purple Rose Theatre Company, which he founded back in 1991. Watch for free on YouTube though donations are encouraged.

Bindlestiff Open Stage: Quarantine Edition
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 Nicole Taylor, aerialist Pio, slapstick masters Parallel Exit, juggler Curtis Carlyle and acrobat Richard Maguire. Watch for free on Bindlestiff's Facebook page though donations are encouraged.

The Civilians: A Shining Light
At 8 p.m. ET, invaluable Off-Broadway theatre company The Civilians, whose documentary-inspired productions include multiple musicals with the late, lamented Michael Friedman (Gone Missing, This Beautiful City, Pretty Filthy), is hosting an online gala. A donation of any size gets you access to the incredibly cool concert, which is hosted by Jo Lampert and includes Tony winner Harriet Harris, Rebecca Naomi Jones (Oklahoma!), Lesli Margherita (Matilda the Musical), singer-songwriter Grace McLean (In the Green), Mary Testa and composer Duncan Sheik, whose new musical Whisper House was set to be produced by The Civilians this spring. While you can watch for free on YouTube, please support this amazing company by giving whatever you can.

Wayne Brady on Stars in the House
At 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcome stage and screen star Wayne Brady to Stars in the House. Brady recently wrapped up a run in Broadway's Freestyle Love Supreme and is known for stealing the spotlight on the improv show Who's Line Is It Anyway?, so we expect free-flowing laughs. This twice daily series supports The Actors Fund, and you can watch for free on YouTube.

Arizona Theatre Company: The White Chip
At 8 p.m. ET, Arizona Theatre Company presents of The White Chip, Sean Daniels' autobiographical dark comedy about an alcohol theatre-maker, which had a well-reviewed run Off Broadway last fall. The cast of that production returns for this live-streamed perfomance. Watch for free on the theatre's YouTube channel though donations 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 decades. Tonight's lineup includes Summer Tony nominee Ariana DeBose, who's playing Anita in Steven Spielberg's upcoming West Side Story reboot, one-legged tap-dancer and singer Evan Ruggiero, jazz singer-sax player Curtis Stigers, Judy Garland impersonator Debbie Wileman and Max Bartos, who was poised to make his Broadway debut in Sing Street when theatres shut down. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.

Available to Watch All Day

Blackeyed Theatre: Jane Eyre
Lauded UK touring company Blackeyed Theatre shares its critically acclaimed production of Jane Eyre, Nick Lane's stage adaptation of Charlotte Brontë's beloved novel about the unlikely relationship between an orphaned governess and her imposing employer Mr. Rochester. A great option for families with tweens or teens. Watch for free on the theatre's YouTube channel.

Broadway Does Mother's Day
If you missed this starry variety show on Sunday, you still have a few days to watch the A-list lineup, including Annaleigh Ashford, Victor Garber, Jennifer Holliday, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bernadette Peters, Kate Baldwin, Laura Benanti, Betty Buckley, Carolee Carmello, Victoria Clark, Chuck Cooper, Harvey Fierstein, James Monroe Iglehart, Judy Kaye, Celia Keenan-Bolger, Vanessa Williams and LaChanze (some joined by their progeny), plus sketches from the Broadway casts of Moulin Rouge! The Musical, Jagged Little Pill, Company, Beetlejuice, Tina, Mean Girls, Six, Sing Street and more. Watch for free through Thursday, May 14 on the event's website though donations to Broadway Cares' COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund are encouraged.

Antony and Cleopatra with Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo
London's National Theatre shares its acclaimed 2018 production of Shakespeare's Antony and Cleopatra, starring Tony winners Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo as the Roman general and the Egyptian queen torn between love and war. Simon Godwin directs this politically charged epic, which you can watch for free through Thursday, May 14 at 2 p.m. ET on the National Theatre's YouTube channel.

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

Top image: Wayne Brady