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 today, Tuesday, June 16, from the comfort of your couch for free (or at very low cost).

Virtual Bloomsday on Broadway
At 8 a.m. ET, the Irish Arts Center and Symphony Space celebrate Bloomsday, an annual event that honors Irish author James Joyce and his character Leopold Bloom, the protagonist of his epic Ulysses, which takes place on June 16, 1904. For 13 hours, a cavalcade of performers, writers and musicians—including Stephen Colbert, Brian Cox, Hugh Dancy, Claire Danes, Kate Mulgrew, Cynthia Nixon and Fiona Shaw—will read sections from the modernist masterpiece. Watch for free on Symphony Space's YouTube channel.

Live with Carnegie Hall: Michael Feinstein
At 2 p.m. ET, Carnegie Hall welcomes the master of the American Songbook, pianist and singer Michael Feinstein, as he celebrates the work of songwriter Irving Berlin ("There's No Business Like Show Business," "God Bless America," Annie Get Your Gun) with a little help from his friends: The King and I Tony winner Kelli O'Hara, two-time Tony nominee Cheyenne Jackson and Tony Yazbeck, who starred in Irving Berlin's White Christmas on Broadway. Watch for free on Carnegie Hall's Facebook page.

The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues
At 6 p.m. ET, catch the latest installment of The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues, a six-hour series of solos about how we're living today. Every 15 minutes from 6 p.m. until midnight, well-known actors—including Frankie J. Alvarez, Raúl Castillo, Raúl Esparza, April Matthis and J. Smith-Cameron—will perform tailor-made monologues, all penned and filmed within the last 24 hours. Participating playwrights include David Lindsay-Abaire, Clay McLeod Chapman, David Cote, Chisa Hutchinson and Garlia Cornelia Jones. Watch on Instagram at instagram.com/24hourplays though donations to Minneapolis' Juxtaposition Arts are encouraged.

Repertorio Español: La paloma prisionera
At 6 p.m. ET, venerable Latinx theatre company Repertorio Español continues its live play readings with La paloma prisionera, inspired by the real-life story of incarcerated women selected as beauty contestants at a Colombian prison. This performance will be presented in Spanish and takes place on the free app Zoom, which you'll need to download in advance. Watch for free on Zoom.

New Federal Theatre: Looking for Leroy
At 7 p.m. ET, New Federal Theatre, one of NYC's leading Black companies, presents a reading of Larry Muhammad's acclaimed play Looking for Leroy, which premiered at the theatre last year. In this fictional two-hander, a young fan of late Black playwright and poet Amiri Baraka (née LeRoi Jones) argue about the nature of Black theatre and its responsibility to the Black community. The performance takes place on the free app Zoom, which you'll need to download in advance. Register to receive a link to watch the show for free.

Irish Repertory Theatre: YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom
At 7 p.m. ET, Irish Rep continues its digital summer season with YES! Reflections of Molly Bloom, Aedín Moloney's solo adaptation of the "Penelope episode" from James Joyce's Ulysses, offering intimate insights into one woman's desires and dreams, with brief musical interludes composed by the star's father, Paddy Moloney of The Chieftains. This monologue play was a hit at the theatre last year, and Moloney reimagined this performance for online viewing. Tickets are free but required in order to get the viewing link; donations are encouraged.

Café La MaMa Live: Rest Stop SOS Response
At 7 p.m. ET, downtown multidisciplinary artist Nicky Paraiso curates this week's edition of Café La MaMa, featuring the husband-and-wife team of composer Justin Hicks and Broadway vet Kenita Miller-Hicks, who'll share original songs exploring love in all its forms as a source of empowerment. Watch for free on La MaMa's website, though donations are encouraged.

Songs for Our City
At 7:05 p.m. ET, Broadway Sessions host Ben Cameron is behind the Songs for Our City competition, a week of live-streamed concerts featuring brand-new numbers written by Broadway actors and composers. Tonight, the contest features original tunes by Broadway performers John Arthur Greene (Tootsie), John Krause (Hadestown), Janet Krupin (If/Then) and The Great Comet's Heath Saunders, who recently penned a compelling essay for Medium about racism in theatre. Viewers can vote for their favorites online right after the performance, and the finalists will face off on Sunday in a concert judged by Tituss Burgess, Six creators Toby Marlow and Lucy Moss, Tony-nominated songwriter Andrew Lippa and Time Out New York theatre critic Adam Feldman. Watch for free on Times Square Alliance's YouTube channel.

The Metropolitan Opera: Semiramide
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera shares Rossini's Semiramide, starring Angela Meade, Elizabeth DeShong, Javier Camarena, Ildar Abdrazakov and Ryan Speedo Green, conducted by Maurizio Benini. The production was filmed for the company's Live in HD series in 2018, 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, Armida, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

The Tank: Godforsaken
At 7:30 p.m. ET, indie theatre incubator The Tank presents Godforsaken, Frank J. Avella's eerie black comedy about the last two men on Earth and the mutant who disrupts their lives. Watch for free on The Tank's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

Ma-Yi Theater Company: My H8 Letter To The Gr8 American Theatre
At 7:45 p.m. ET, the lauded Ma-Yi Theater Company presents a live reading of My H8 Letter To The Gr8 American Theatre, an indictment of racism in the theatre industry by genre-defying iconoclast Diana Oh. The performer, playwright, composer and truth teller developed the play at The Public Theater's Emerging Writers Group, and this event stars the same cast that read the show at that venue last year, including Ryan J. Haddad, TL Thompson, Alysia Reiner and Oh herself. Watch for free on HowlRound's website.

Christine Daaé Day on Stars in the House
At 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley celebrate the love interest of The Phantom of the Opera, Christine Daaé, by welcoming five performers who've played the iconic role: Sierra Boggess, Patti Cohenour, Ali Ewoldt, Gay Willis and three-time Tony nominee Rebecca Luker, who's sure to talk about her upcoming benefit concert on Wednesday when she'll raise awareness of and money for the fight against the neurodegenerative disease ALS, which she was diagnosed with last fall. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund are encouraged.

Guild Hall: Austin Pendleton in James Joyce: A Short Night's Odyssey From No to Yes
At 8 p.m. ET, in honor of Bloomsday, prolific performer, playwright, Tony-nominated director and teacher, Austin Pendleton inhabits James Joyce in Joe Beck's one-man play about the Irish author. Tickets are free but required in order to get the viewing link; donations are encouraged.

Available to Watch All Day

Shakespeare's Globe: A Midsummer Night's Dream
London's Shakespeare's Globe shares a recording of its 2013 mounting of A Midsummer Night's Dream, the Bard's beloved romantic comedy about fairies messing with lovesick humans lost in a magical forest. The recently departed artistic director of the company, Dominic Dromgoole, helms this Renaissance staging, which stars Olivier Award winner Michelle Terry and John Light as Titania and Oberon. Watch for free anytime through Sunday, June 28 on the theatre's YouTube channel.

TADA! Youth Theater: The Gumball Gang
TADA! Youth Theater, NYC's 35-year-old, Drama Desk Award-winning youth company whose alums include Jordan Peele and Kerry Washington, is sharing recordings of its original hour-long shows for families. Recorded in 2016, The Gumball Gang is a musical mystery as some crime-solving kids try to figure out who's stealing paintings from their school. The production stars talented tykes from ages 8 to 18 who are members of TADA!'s Resident Youth Ensemble. Watch for free on TADA!'s YouTube channel.

Classical Theatre of Harlem: The Bacchae
The Classical Theatre of Harlem, one of NYC's premiere Black companies, usually mounts a free production in Harlem's Marcus Garvey Park during the summer. Since that's not possible this year, the troupe is sharing a recording of its 2018 take on The Bacchae, which turns Euripides' play into an raucous, glitter-encrusted, rock-'n'-roll party... until that tragic ending of course. You can stream the production anytime through Friday, June 26 for $10 on Vimeo.

National Theatre: The Madness of George III
It's the penultimate day to catch London's National Theatre's The Madness of George III, Alan Bennett's fictionalized examination of the U.K.'s King George III, whose battle with mental illness plunged his court into disarray. Mark Gatiss, of Doctor Who and Sherlock fame, delivers a tour-de-force performance in the title role. Watch for free through Thursday, June 18 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: Diana Oh in {my lingerie play} 2017: THE CONCERT AND CALL TO ARMS!!!!!!!!! THE FINAL INSTALLATION. Photo by Jeremy Daniel..