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 this Tuesday, January 19 and Wednesday, January 20, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

Tuesday, January 19

Opéra-Comique in Paris: Titon et l'Aurore
On Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET, here's something you don't see every day, a brand-new production streamed directly from Opéra-Comique in Paris! Puppet master Basil Twist (Symphonie Fantastique) stages Jean-Joseph Cassanéa de Mondonville's rarely seen 1753 fable Titon et l'Aurore, about the relationship between a shepherd (Reinoud Van Mechelen) and a goddess (Gwendoline Blondeel). Although the opera's in-person run this month was canceled due to COVID, the venue produced it live on stage to an empty house and recorded the performance. Watch for free on Medici TV though you need to create an account.

The Vineyard Theatre: Gloria Original Cast Benefit Reading
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, Off Broadway's Vineyard Theatre presents a reading of Branden Jacobs-Jenkins' pitch-black comedy Gloria, which was a huge hit for the company in 2015 and went on to be short-listed for the Pulitzer Prize. While Jacobs-Jenkins is best known for his searing plays about race (An Octoroon, Appropriate), Gloria starts out as an office comedy about editorial peons with big literary dreams and then goes in a shockingly dark direction. Ultimately, it's a biting exploration of who gets to tell their own story. This performance reunites the original Vineyard cast, Kyle Beltran, Catherine Combs, Michael Crane, Jennifer Kim, Jeanine Serralles and the invaluable Ryan Spahn, with director Evan Cabnet. Tickets start at $25 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording will be viewable until Sunday, January 24.

Fabulous Fanny: The Songs and Stories of Fanny Brice
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, if you only know Fanny Brice as Barbra Streisand's character in Funny Girl, time to get schooled. Kimberly Faye Greenberg portrays the legendary Jewish singer, comedian and Ziegfeld Follies star in this solo show, which delves into her incredible career and dramatic life. Expect torch songs, old-school shtick and Baby Snooks! (No relation to yours truly.) Tickets are $10.

Theater Accident: Saint Joe
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, Theater Accident presents a live reading of Saint Joe, a clever spin on the old nativity play as seen through Joseph's eyes, a regular Joe just trying to do the right thing. Written by longtime Time Out New York theatre editor David Cote, the play stars Tom Staggs in this examination of adoptive families and the challenges of being divine. To receive the free Zoom link, email theateraccident@gmail.com.

La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, avant-garde haven La MaMa presents an online edition of its La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival featuring new pieces created specifically for digital consumption. Nicky Paraiso curated and hosts the four-episode series, which kicks off tonight with work by Kevin Augustine and Anabella Lenzu. Tickets start at $5.

The Metropolitan Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Tony winner Mary Zimmerman's mounting of Lucia di Lammermoor, starring Anna Netrebko as the tragic title character, who's driven mad because she cannot marry the man she loves. Piotr Beczala, Mariusz Kwiecien and Ildar Abdrazakov costar in this 2009 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Carmen, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Stars in the House: Alice Ripley and Joely Fisher
On Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley host one of their popular Game Nights on Stars in the House. Tonight's players include Tony winner Alice Ripley, Joely Fisher, Paul Castree and Stephen Spadaro. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Origin 1st Irish Theatre Festival: Mustard
On Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, since 2008, Origin Theatre Company has presented the annual Origin 1st Irish Festival featuring readings, productions and panels. This year the event goes virtual with daily offerings through the end of the month. Tonight, Dublin's Fishamble theatre presents Mustard, Eva O'Connor's solo show about heartbreak and heartburn. Hildegard Ryan directs. Tickets are $10.

Wednesday, January 20

Old Vic: Michael Sheen in Faith Healer
On Wednesday at 2:30 p.m. ET, last year, London's Old Vic presented a series of starry shows performed live on stage to an empty auditorium; now the theatre is offering encore streams. Today, catch Brian Friel's Faith Healer, a powerful play about the dramatic life of Hardy, portrayed by Michael Sheen. This story about faith and fragility unfolds through a series of monologues delivered by Hardy, his wife (Indira Varma) and his longtime manager (David Threlfall). Tickets start at £10, approximately $14. Audio description and closed captions are available.

The Metropolitan Opera: Carmen
On Wednesday at 5 p.m. ET, ever since the shutdown began, the Metropolitan Opera has been sharing productions from its Live in HD series nightly at 7:30 p.m. ET. But it also presents weekly student streams that debut on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. ET. These productions have been specially selected for families, and Zoom education sessions leading up to the screening teach school-age kids about opera. This week's offering is Richard Eyre's thrilling mounting of Bizet's Carmen, featuring Elina Garanca as the title character, who captivates all the men around her. Filmed in 2010, the production was choreographed by Christopher Wheeldon, and costars Barbara Frittoli, Roberto Alagna and Teddy Tahu Rhodes. Watch for free until Friday at 5 p.m. ET on the Metropolitan Opera's website.

La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival
On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, avant-garde haven La MaMa continues the online edition of its La MaMa Moves! Dance Festival featuring new pieces created specifically for digital consumption. Nicky Paraiso curated and hosts the four-episode series, which showcases work by Anabella Lenzu and Kari Hoaas this evening. Tickets start at $5.

New York Theatre Barn: New Works Series
On Wednesday at 7 p.m. ET, for the past 14 years, New York Theatre Barn has showcased musicals in progress in its New Works Series. That initiative has now gone virtual, with 40-minute peeks at two new projects a week. Tonight, Be More Chill Tony nominee Joe Iconis presents excerpts of Love in Hate Nation, set in a '60s reformatory for girls; and The Lightning Thief songwriter Rob Rokicki and Sarah Beth Pfeifer share numbers from their Sapphic rock musical Experience Marianas. Watch for free on New York Theatre Barn's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

The Metropolitan Opera: Norma
On Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Bellini's Norma, featuring Sondra Radvanovsky in the title role. Joyce DiDonato, Joseph Calleja and Matthew Rose costar in this 2017 staging by Sir David McVicar. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Available to Watch Both Days

New York Theatre Workshop: The Wright Stuff
New York Theatre Workshop presents The Wright Stuff, Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Doug Wright's new interview series of one-on-one chats with some of the most insightful and hilarious political commentators of our time: comedians. The five-episode series features talks with New Yorker satirist Andy Borowitz, Daily Show alum Aasif Mandvi, CBS Sunday Morning special correspondent Nancy Giles, irreverent stage and screen scribe Paul Rudnick, and Late Night with Seth Meyers' writer Jenny Hagel. Watch the series for free on NYTW's YouTube channel.

PBS: In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl: Musicals and the Movies
PBS' new series In Concert at the Hollywood Bowl presents Musicals and the Movies, a compilation of uplifting past performances celebrating classic songs from the stage and cinema. The lineup includes Kristin Chenoweth singing "Over the Rainbow," Audra McDonald crooning "Moon River," and Sutton Foster and Brian Stokes Mitchell performing "On the Town," all backed by the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Watch for free on PBS' website.

MasterVoices: Myths and Hymns: Flight
MasterVoices presents Flight, the first installment of the four-part theatrical song cycle Myths and Hymns by Light in the Piazza Tony winner Adam Guettel. Inspired by Greek myths and 19th-century Presbyterian hymns, the 1998 work explores the nature of faith and longing in our secular society. Released as digital chapters conjured by multimedia artists, this first section features the MasterVoices choir, a cappella gospel group Take 6, and Broadway vets Renée Fleming, Joshua Henry, Capathia Jenkins, Mykal Kilgore, Norm Lewis, Jose Llana, Kelli O'Hara and Elizabeth Stanley. Watch for free on MasterVoices' YouTube channel; the other three parts will be released in the coming months.

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

Top image: Michael Sheen in Faith Healer at the Old Vic. Photo by Manuel Harlan.