TDF Stages

In-person theatre is back in NYC, both on Broadway and beyond. But there are still wonderful shows to stream at home. Below are performances you can watch online this holiday weekend, Friday, October 8 to Monday, October 11, for free or at low cost.

Sunday, October 10

The Seth Concert Series: Justin Guarini
On Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, even though show-tune savant Seth Rudetsky is back doing shows in person, he hasn't completely abandoned the virtual realm. In fact, he's relaunched his weekly online live-streamed concert series! Tonight, catch original American Idol runner-up-turned-Broadway baby Justin Guarini. His stage credits include starring roles in American Idiot, Wicked and In Transit, so expect songs from his career as well as pop favorites and perhaps some Kelly Clarkson gossip. Tickets are $25.

Monday, October 11

Live from Feinstein's/54 Below: Bonnie Milligan and Natalie Walker Celebrate Fifty Years of Friendship
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, even though Feinstein's/54 Below has reopened for in-person performances, the swanky cabaret club is continuing to stream select shows live from its stage. Tonight, catch belting BFFs Bonnie Milligan and Natalie Walker. Both performers were on the rise pre-pandemic, with Milligan stealing scenes in Broadway's Head Over Heels and Walker appearing in Off Broadway's Alice By Heart. If you combine their ages, they're over 50, but the hyperbolic title actually refers to how old they feel post-shutdown. Their 2019 cabaret, the equally whimsically titled Bonnie Milligan and Natalie Walker Were Always Supposed to Do a Show on September 6th and Have Been Planning it For Months, was fabulous. Here's to another awesome evening of powerhouse vocals and outrageous humor. Tickets are $15. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

All Weekend

PBS: Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It
Hey you guuuuuys! PBS presents Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, Mariem Pérez Riera's critically acclaimed documentary about the legendary EGOT winner, whose groundbreaking 70-year career included starring roles on stage and screen. This 90-minute film chronicles her entire life, from her early years in Puerto Rico, to being typecast as various "exotic" ethnicities in Hollywood, to her Oscar-winning performance in West Side Story, to becoming a little-kid icon on The Electric Company. At age 89 she's still working—her sitcom One Day at a Time wrapped last year and she's appearing in Steven Spielberg's upcoming remake of West Side Story—and she's still got a lot to say about the sexism and racism she's encountered in the entertainment industry. In addition to interviews with Moreno and her famous friends, including Gloria Estefan, Morgan Freeman, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Longoria, Terrence McNally, Karen Olivo, Norman Lear and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the film features footage from some of her iconic performances. Watch for free until Wednesday, October 20 on PBS' website.

Center Theatre Group: Chavez Ravine: In 9 Innings
Los Angeles' Center Theatre Group presents Chavez Ravine: In 9 Innings, a virtual reimagining of a 2003 play about the small, tight-knit LA neighborhood that was razed so Dodger Stadium could rise. Devised by the collective Culture Clash, this digital production features scenes from the original script filmed at LA's Kirk Douglas Theatre and on location around the city, incorporating music, archival videos and photos, and new interviews. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Monday, December 6.

Lantern Theater Company: The Plague
Philadelphia's Lantern Theater Company presents The Plague, Neil Bartlett's adaptation of Albert Camus' existentialist classic La Peste about a disease upending a city. Talk about timely! Charles McMahon directs this production, which was filmed live on stage this past summer. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, November 7.

Alvin Ailey: Jamar Roberts' Holding Space
The incomparable Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presents Holding Space, a dance for film created by resident choreographer Jamar Roberts. Inspired by the ongoing fight for racial justice and inclusion, the piece examines the ways we can make room for each other. Watch for free until Tuesday, October 19 at 7 p.m. ET on Ailey's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged. Note: This work will make its in-person debut this December during the troupe's annual City Center run!

PlayCo and Por Piedad Teatro: Django in Pain
An adult fable co-presented by PlayCo and Por Piedad Teatro, Django in Pain centers on the misadventures of a suicidal man and a three-legged dog. Hand-made puppets inhabiting a vibrant tabletop world star in this tale of despair, loyalty and hope. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Tuesday, October 19.

PBS: The Kennedy Center at 50
PBS presents The Kennedy Center at 50, a star-studded concert that was recorded last month at the DC institution. Hosted by six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald, the 90-minute celebration features performances by many Broadway stars, including Renée Fleming, Darren Criss, Tony Yazbeck, Joshua Henry and Kelli O'Hara, plus the cast of David Henry Hwang and Jeanine Tesori's Soft Power. Plenty of non-theatre folks also fete the Kennedy Center in song, including Common, Ben Folds and the Punch Brothers. Watch for free until Friday, October 29 on PBS' website.

Steppenwolf Theatre Company: Three Short Plays by Tracy Letts
Chicago's invaluable Steppenwolf Theatre Company presents a triptych of playlets by Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts (August: Osage County, Linda Vista). The virtual offering received a rave review in The New York Times and consists of Night Safari, a monologue performed by Rainn Wilson as the world's most depressing animal tour guide; The Old Country, in which two wizened men are portrayed by puppets voiced by William Petersen and Mike Nussbaum; and The Stretch, starring Letts as a man parsing this horse race we call life. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Friday, October 15.

Colt Coeur: Polylogues
One of Off-Off Broadway's most thrilling theatre companies, Colt Coeur, is currently presenting the premiere of Polylogues in person at the HERE Arts Center. But you can also watch performer-playwright Xandra Nur Clark's interview-based solo show about nonmonogamy online. This one-act is a no-holds-barred examination of open sexual relationships and their impact on loved ones. Tickets are $20-$25 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday.

PBS: Matthew Bourne's The Red Shoes
PBS Great Performances presents Matthew Bourne's Olivier Award-winning stage adaptation of the legendary 1948 movie The Red Shoes, based on the Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale of the same name. An eye-popping examination of obsession, possession and the hard choices artists make in their pursuit of perfection, the production stars Ashley Shaw as a rising ballerina torn between Adam Cooper's imperious impresario and Dominic North's intense composer. The dance production was filmed live on stage at Sadler's Wells Theatre in London. Watch for free until Friday October 15 on PBS' website.

New Normal Rep: F.I.R.E.
New Normal Rep presents F.I.R.E., a story of corporate intrigue and greed by Julia Blauvelt. A diverse ensemble portrays lowly accountants at a high-end hedge fund trying to wrap up an emergency audit so they can go party with the bigwigs at a swanky soiree. Heather Arnson directs. 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, October 20.

Primary Stages: BadAss GalBoss Power Hour (Mandatory Meeting – 11/18/2020)
Primary Stages plans to return to in-person productions next spring. In the interim, the renowned Off-Broadway theatre is presenting some intriguing virtual fare, starting with BadAss GalBoss Power Hour (Mandatory Meeting – 11/18/2020), written by and starring the fabulous Kate Hamill. Celebrated for her witty page-to-stage adaptations (Sense and Sensibility, Little Women), Hamill crafted this new hour-long comedy specifically for Zoom as a multi-level marketing company attempts to use a feminist agenda to sell defective beauty products. Hand to God Tony nominee Moritz von Stuelpnagel directs a crackerjack ensemble cast. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish and the recording is viewable until Wednesday.

Center Theatre Group: Canyon
LA's Center Theatre Group presents Canyon, a timely new play by Jonathan Caren about a thirtysomething couple whose progressive ideals are challenged when they hire a Mexican father and son to renovate a deck and the job goes awry. Filmed at the Kirk Douglas Theatre and directed by rising star Whitney White, the show was coproduced by IAMA Theatre Company and The Latino Theater Company. Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Friday, October 22.

Lantern Theater Company: Me and the Devil
Renaissance man Steve H. Broadnax III, who's currently making his Broadway debut as the director of Thoughts of a Colored Man, cowrote, costars and helms Me and the Devil, a new play with music about blues great Robert Johnson. According to legend, the guitarist, singer and songwriter made a deal with the Devil for his talents. Broadnax plays Lucifer and Lawrence Stallings is his mark in this show, which finds Johnson trying to extract himself from the contract to save his soul. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, October 17.

New York Theatre Workshop: Semblance
In August, Off Broadway's invaluable New York Theatre Workshop reopened with Semblance, a filmed theatrical experience by Obie-winning writer-director Whitney White examining how Black women are perceived. Now a streaming version of the show is available, challenging viewers to consider how they see and interact with Black women. Nikiya Mathis (Skeleton Crew) embodies all the characters. Tickets are $10 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, October 24.

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

Top image: Rita Moreno, who's the subject of the documentary Rita Moreno: Just a Girl Who Decided to Go For It, currently available to stream on PBS.