TDF Stages

With in-person theatre still a rarity, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch this Monday, June 14 and Tuesday, June 15, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

Monday, June 14

The Drama League's 2021 DirectorFest: Unf*ckwithable
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, The Drama League continues the virtual edition of its annual DirectorFest, showcasing the talents of four New York Directing Fellows. The third offering is Eliana Pipes' Unf*ckwithable, directed by Cristina Angeles, about a Black girl trying to claw her way up who gets into trouble on a cross-country road trip. RSVP to receive the free viewing link though a $15 donation is encouraged. The recording is available until Monday, June 21.

Red Bull Theater: Volpone, or the Fox
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, NYC's Red Bull Theater, known for reimagining classics, presents a live reading of Volpone, or the Fox, Ben Jonson's Jacobean-era comedy about the wily title character, who dupes his wealthy pals out of their riches. Jesse Berger directs an all-star cast led by Tony winner André De Shields as Volpone, alongside Broadway vets Peter Francis James, Hamish Linklater, Roberta Maxwell, Kristine Nielsen and Mary Testa. Watch for free on Red Bull's YouTube channel though a $25 donation is suggested. A recording will be available until Friday at 7 p.m. ET.

Irish Repertory Theatre: The Indomitable Irishry: An Online Celebration
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the intrepid Irish Rep hosts an online gala honoring Bill Irwin and featuring performances by Broadway favorites Len Cariou, Michael Cerveris, Melissa Errico, Max von Essen and others. The theatre's artistic director Charlotte Moore directs the evening, which also includes appearances by Matthew Broderick, Gabriel Byrne, John Douglas Thompson and Riverdance composer Bill Whelan. RSVP to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged.

The Metropolitan Opera: Simon Boccanegra
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Verdi's Simon Boccanegra, featuring Plácido Domingo as a man in love with the daughter (Kiri Te Kanawa) of his sworn enemy, the doge of Genoa (Vladimir Chernov). Giancarlo Del Monaco staged this 1995 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Così fan tutte, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Jim Caruso's Pajama Cast Party
On Monday 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 years. Tonight's lineup includes Chicago alum Raena White, New Zealand singer Hayden Tee and musical theatre performer Christina Jones. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.

Tuesday, June 15

George Street Playhouse: It's Only a Play
Starting on Tuesday, New Jersey's George Street Playhouse presents It's Only a Play, Terrence McNally's popular comedy set at a dramatic party where a Broadway producer, playwright, director, cast and pals anxiously await their opening night reviews. Funnyman Kevin Cahoon directed this mounting, which was filmed live on stage at the theatre. Tootsie Tony nominee Andy Grotelueschen, Greg Cuellar, Julie Halston, Doug Harris, Christine Toy Johnson, Triney Sandoval and Zach Shaffer star. Tickets are $33 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Sunday, July 4. Closed captions and audio description are available.

New Federal Theatre: A Soft Escape
On Tuesday at 7 p.m. ET, Woodie King Jr.'s half-century-old New Federal Theatre continues its annual Ntozake Shange Reading Series spotlighting undersung plays by Black dramatists. The second offering is A Soft Escape by S.M. Shephard-Massat, about a long-married couple who share secrets about love and loss on their last night together. John Scutchins directs Count Stovall, Elain Graham and Paris Crayton III. Join the Zoom by 6:45 p.m. ET in order to watch. Donations are encouraged.

The Metropolitan Opera: Die Walküre
On Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Die Walküre, the second opera in Wagner's "Ring" cycle, with Brünnhilde defying her god father Wotan. Christine Goerke, Eva-Maria Westbroek, Jamie Barton, Stuart Skelton, Greer Grimsley and Günther Groissböck star in this 2019 mounting of Robert Lepage's high-tech staging. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Simon Boccanegra, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Stars in the House: Brenda Braxton Guest Hosts
On Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET, Smokey Joe's Cafe Tony nominee Brenda Braxton guest hosts Stars in the House and she's inviting two of her Broadway pals: Bianca Marroquín and Gabriela Garcia. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Available to Watch Both Days

American Theatre Wing Centennial Concert
Back in 2017, the American Theatre Wing celebrated its 100th anniversary with a starry concert. In honor of what should have been Tony Awards time, the nonprofit is streaming the special for free. Watch Brian Stokes Mitchell croon "Being Alive" from Company, Heather Headley belt out "What I Did for Love" from A Chorus Line, Norm Lewis sing "The Music of the Night" from The Phantom of the Opera and Beth Malone performing from Fun Home, plus Santino Fontana, the late Rebecca Luker, Laura Osnes and others. Watch for free until Saturday on BroadwayHD.

The Old Vic: Home?
London's lauded Old Vic presents Home?, a trio of monologues created by refugee artists, curated by Harry Potter and the Cursed Child Tony nominee Noma Dumezweni, who arrived in England as a refugee herself. Then and Now, written by Women for Refugee Women founder Natasha Walter, is performed by British stage legend Harriet Walter; Dina Nayeri's Now I'm Gonna Get Paid is done by Betsabeh Emran; and Viet Thanh Nguyen's The Displaced is essayed by four actors: Elizabeth Chan, Taheen Modak, John Pfumojena and Michael Phong Le. Watch for free until Sunday on The Old Vic's website.

Signature Theatre: After Midnight
Virginia's lauded Signature Theatre presents After Midnight, an enthralling celebration of the legendary Cotton Club that was nominated for seven 2014 Tony Awards. Recorded on stage during quarantine, this new production is headlined by Hamilton Tony nominee Christopher Jackson and Nova Y. Payton, and is directed and choreographed by Jared Grimes, who appeared in the show on Broadway. Evocative renditions of Langston Hughes poems provide the framework for eye-popping tap-dance numbers set to the swinging songs of Duke Ellington, Jimmy McHugh, Dorothy Fields, Harold Arlen and other big band-era greats. Tickets are $35 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday, August 4.

Play-PerView: Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Living Document
On Saturday, Play-PerView presented a live reading of Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Living Document and you can watch a recording until Wednesday. In Dianne Nora's inventive bio-play, a cast of nine women and nonbinary performers conjure the life of the late, great Supreme Court Justice. Kristina Valada-Viars directs Tony winner Blair Brown, Sadieh Rifai, Karen Aldridge, Kirsten Fitzgerald, Sara Sevigny, Esteban Andres Cruz, Fawzia Mirza, Delia Kropp and Cheryl Lynn Bruce in this unconventional drama about a singular woman. Tickets are $20.

Show of Titles
Dozens of Broadway stars hit the virtual stage to sing the title tunes from more than 20 beloved musicals. Enjoy performances by Annaleigh Ashford, Glenn Close, Len Cariou, Gavin Creel, Darren Criss, Santino Fontana, Jake Gyllenhaal, Norm Lewis, Patti LuPone, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Kelli O'Hara, Laura Osnes, Steven Pasquale, Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo, Will Swenson, Aaron Tveit, Leslie Uggams, Vanessa Williams, Patrick Wilson and more, along with special appearances by Danny Burstein, Bryan Cranston, Sheldon Harnick, John Kander, Angela Lansbury, John Leguizamo, John Lithgow, Phylicia Rashad and BD Wong. Tickets are $39 and the recording is viewable until Thursday. Proceeds benefit The Actors Fund.

Lincoln Center Theater: Marys Seacole
Lincoln Center Theater presents Marys Seacole, Pulitzer Prize winner Jackie Sibblies Drury's critically acclaimed play about an ambitious Jamaican woman whose adventures span many countries and eras, from the Crimean War to a modern-day nursing home. A profound exploration of women who are paid to look after others, this fantasia is inspired by the real-life 19th-century nurse and healer Mary Seacole as well as all the caregivers who came after her. This Lincoln Center Theater/LCT3 production was recorded on stage in 2019, with Lileana Blain-Cruz directing Quincy Tyler Bernstine, Gabby Beans, Marceline Hugot, Karen Kandel, Ismenia Mendes and Lucy Taylor. Register on Broadway on Demand to receive the free viewing link. The recording is viewable until Sunday, July 4.

North Coast Repertory Theatre: Becoming Dr. Ruth
California's North Coast Repertory Theatre presents four-time Tony nominee Tovah Feldshuh in Becoming Dr. Ruth, Mark St. Germain's inspiring one-woman bio play about the cheery sex therapist and her compelling past, including losing her family in the Holocaust, working as a sniper for the Haganah and finally finding Mr. Right after two divorces. David Ellenstein directs the production, which was filmed live on stage at Bay Street Theater, a co-producer of the show. Tickets start at $35 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, July 11.

Love, Linda: The Life of Mrs. Cole Porter
Singer and actor Stevie Holland conjures the glamorous life and marriage of Mr. and Mrs. Cole Porter in Love, Linda. Cowritten by Holland and her real-life husband, Gary William Friedman, this one-woman musical chronicles the unconventional couple's 35-year union, as Southern belle Linda Lee Thomas stands by and inspires her talented man, songwriter Cole Porter, even though he was gay. Richard Maltby, Jr. directed this unorthodox love story. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday, June 23.

The Joyce Theater: Ballez: Giselle of Loneliness
Chelsea dance haven The Joyce wraps up its digital season with a world premiere from Ballez, a company dedicated to radically reinventing classic ballets. The troupe will perform Giselle of Loneliness, a queer reimagining of the 19th-century romantic tragedy that examines what dancers give up for their art. Tickets are $25 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Wednesday, June 23.

New York City Ballet: George Balanchine's Vienna Waltzes
New York City Ballet wraps up its digital spring season with George Balanchine's 1977 epic Vienna Waltzes, set to music by Johann Strauss II, Franz Lehár and Richard Strauss and featuring more than 50 dancers. This performance was filmed in 2013 and stars Rebecca Krohn, Tyler Angle, Megan Fairchild, Anthony Huxley, Erica Pereira, Sean Suozzi, Teresa Reichlen, Ask la Cour, Maria Kowroski and Jared Angle weaving through Rouben Ter-Arutunian's evolving scenery. Watch for free until Thursday on NYCB's YouTube channel.

Feinstein's/54 Below: Marilyn Maye: Broadway, the Maye Way
Feinstein's/54 Below presents cabaret great Marilyn Maye in her brand-new concert Broadway, the Maye Way. Recorded at the club in April around Maye's 93rd birthday, the show features the legend singing numbers from the Golden Age of Broadway backed by her world-class jazz trio. Tickets are $35 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Saturday.

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

Top image: André De Shields, who stars in Red Bull Theater's Volpone on Monday. Photo by Lia Chang.