TDF Stages

While in-person theatre is back in NYC, there are still wonderful shows to stream at home. Below are performances you can watch online this weekend, Friday, June 17 to Monday, June 20, for free or at low cost.

Friday, June 17

The Green Room 42: Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla in Babe!
On Friday at 7 p.m. ET, lauded cabaret club The Green Room 42 is now streaming many of its in-person performances to at-home audiences. Tonight, catch The Prom stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla in concert. The duo played secret lovers in the Broadway musical and became BFFs during the run. This evening indulges their penchant for weirdness with eclectic show tunes, questionable arrangements of pop songs and off-the-wall banter. Tickets are $19. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Fake Friends: Circle Jerk
On Friday at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. ET, the virtual premiere of Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley's Circle Jerk was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize. Now the playwright-performers are mounting an in-person production of their critically acclaimed satire at the Connelly Theater that will also be streamed to at-home audiences. A cavalcade of pop and Internet culture references fly in this romp about two white gay Internet trolls plotting to take back what isn't theirs by creating total chaos via cancellations, meme schemes, and political and erotic machinations. The cast of three plays nine kooky roles in this live-streamed descent into online hell. Tickets start at $5. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Live from Feinstein's/54 Below: The Swamp: A Celebration of the Shrek Movies and Musical
On Friday at 9:45 p.m. ET, even though Feinstein's/54 Below has reopened for in-person performances, the swanky cabaret club continues to stream select shows live from its stage. Tonight, catch The Swamp, a concert celebrating all things Shrek, the musical, the movie and the original picture book. A cast of talented young fans, including Larry Saperstein from High School Musical: The Musical - The Series, share their obsession. Tickets are $15. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Saturday, June 18

Fake Friends: Circle Jerk
On Saturday at 7:30 and 10:30 p.m. ET, the virtual premiere of Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley's Circle Jerk was a finalist for the 2021 Pulitzer Prize. Now the playwright-performers are mounting an in-person production of their critically acclaimed satire at the Connelly Theater that will also be streamed to at-home audiences. A cavalcade of pop and Internet culture references fly in this romp about two white gay Internet trolls plotting to take back what isn't theirs by creating total chaos via cancellations, meme schemes, and political and erotic machinations. The cast of three plays nine kooky roles in this live-streamed descent into online hell. Tickets start at $5. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Sunday, June 19

The Green Room 42: Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla in Babe!
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, lauded cabaret club The Green Room 42 is now streaming many of its in-person performances to at-home audiences. Tonight, catch The Prom stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla in concert. The duo played secret lovers in the Broadway musical and became BFFs during the run. This evening indulges their penchant for weirdness with eclectic show tunes, questionable arrangements of pop songs and off-the-wall banter. Tickets are $19. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Live from Feinstein's/54 Below: The Function: A Juneteenth Concert Celebration
On Sunday at 9:45 p.m. ET, even though Feinstein's/54 Below has reopened for in-person performances, the swanky cabaret club continues to stream select shows live from its stage. Tonight, mark Juneteenth at this queer-centered celebration of Black history and the holiday. The lineup of performers includes Alex Newell (Once on this Island, Zoey's Extraordinary Playlist), Asmeret Ghebremichael (Broadway's The Book of Mormon), Khalifa White (Caroline, or Change and other Black stage, TV and recording stars. Tickets are $15. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Monday, June 20

Antonyo Award Nominations
On Monday at 5 p.m. ET, Broadway Black, a media outlet devoted to Black theatre artists, presents the second annual Antonyo Award Nominations. The private in-person event will also be live-streamed to at-home audiences as they honor Black excellence on Broadway and off this past season. Details are sparse, but last year they had quite a few surprises. Watch for free on the Antonyo Awards' site.

New Federal Theatre: Gong Lum's Legacy
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, earlier this year, one of the oldest and most acclaimed Black theatre companies in NYC, New Federal Theatre, presented an in-person production of Charles L. White's Gong Lum's Legacy and now you can watch a recording online. Helmed by New Federal's artistic director Elizabeth Van Dyke, who took over from founder Woodie King Jr. last year, the play uses a real-life court case, Gong Lum v Rice, as the backdrop for an interracial romance between Joe Ting, a Chinese immigrant and Lucy Simms, a Black school teacher in the Jim Crow South. In the Mississippi Delta in 1924 with Asians seemingly poised to attain the same rights as whites, Joe's small-minded father works to undermine the couple's relationship. A compelling little-known history lesson. Tickets are $10 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, June 26.

The Green Room 42: At This Performance
On Monday at 7 p.m. ET, lauded cabaret club The Green Room 42 is now streaming many of its in-person performances to at-home audiences. Tonight, catch At This Performance, a cabaret featuring songs and stories delivered by Broadway's heroic swings and understudies. Casting director Stephen DeAngelis hosts. Tickets are $19. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Broadway Advocacy Coalition: Broadway Vs
On Monday at 7:30 p.m. ET, Tony nominees Norm Lewis and Joshua Henry go head-to-head in Broadway Advocacy Coalition's Broadway Vs. Hosted by Amber Iman from New World Stages, the evening features the legendary performers crooning signature songs from their respective careers—Once on This Island and The Phantom of the Opera for Lewis, Carousel and The Scottsboro Boys for Henry, and Porgy and Bess for both—and sharing backstage stories. Register to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged.

The Green Room 42: Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla in Babe!
On Monday at 9:30 p.m. ET, lauded cabaret club The Green Room 42 is now streaming many of its in-person performances to at-home audiences. Tonight, catch The Prom stars Caitlin Kinnunen and Isabelle McCalla in concert. The duo played secret lovers in the Broadway musical and became BFFs during the run. This evening indulges their penchant for weirdness with eclectic show tunes, questionable arrangements of pop songs and off-the-wall banter. Tickets are $19. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

All Weekend

Jane Anger
Talk about coming full circle: Talene Monahon's comedy Jane Anger was a digital hit during the shutdown, and then received a live staging in NYC last fall. Now you can watch a recording of that in-person production. It's 1606 and William Shakespeare is stuck in quarantine with his unpaid assistant Francis and a killer case of writer's block. Then inspiration comes knocking... actually, she climbs through the window in the form of Jane Anger, the Cunning Woman, who's determined to make history. Stage and screen star Michael Urie portrays the Bard, Ryan Spahn is Francis, playwright Monahon is Shakespeare's wife Anne Hathaway and Amelia Workman is the smart lady of the title who changes their lives. Jess Chayes directs. Tickets start at $15.50 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, June 26.

The Orchard
On Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 and 7 p.m. ET, there are two ways to experience The Orchard, theatre director Igor Golyak's mind-blowing riff on Anton Chekhov's The Cherry Orchard. In-person audiences at the Baryshnikov Arts Center will see Mikhail Baryshnikov and Tony nominee Jessica Hecht in this classic tale of a Russian family contemplating the demise of their estate and way of life. Streaming audiences experience the play in a totally different way, with Baryshnikov portraying Chekhov, who takes you on a virtual tour of the theatre where each space holds a different memory. Oh, and did I mention the 12-foot robotic arm that's programmed to cater to the characters? If this all sounds confounding, I encourage you to read the feature in The New York Times, which gives a nice backstory on Golyak and his Massachusetts-based Arlekin Players Theatre, who have been creating exciting virtual works via their Zero Gravity (zero-G) lab throughout the pandemic. Golyak is a Russian theatre trained Ukrainian immigrant, so his take on this Chekhov classic is personal, political and heartbreaking. Tickets for the streaming experience are $29. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

PBS: True Colors: LGBTQ+ Our Stories, Our Songs
Celebrate Pride Month with a colorful concert and LGBTQ+ history lesson featuring Broadway stars André De Shields and Peppermint performing alongside the Indigo Girls, Glee's Chris Colfer and other out-and-proud artists. Two-time Tony winner Cynthia Nixon also appears. Watch for free until Saturday, July 2 on PBS' website. Captions are available.

The New Victory Theater: Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster
The New Victory Theater is currently presenting an in-person production of Leonardo! A Wonderful Show About a Terrible Monster but you can also stream a recording at home. Officially, this hour-long romp inspired by Mo Willems' popular picture book of the same name is aimed at theatregoers ages 4 to 7. But fans of the endlessly inventive multimedia collective Manual Cinema won't want to miss this eye-popping piece of theatre for young audiences, even if they fall outside the target demo. Using surprisingly expressive paper puppets, projections and live music, the troupe conjures the tale of a monster who's terrified he's not scary enough. So, he sets out to find the most sensitive kid in the world. But will he end up frightening him or befriending him? Tickets are $15 and the recording is viewable until Thursday, June 30. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.

Baltimore Center Stage: Bakhai
On Friday and Saturday at 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, Baltimore Center Stage is currently presenting an in-person production of Bakhai that's also being live-streamed to at-home audiences. A raucous update of the iconic Greek tragedy, this adaptation features original music, debauchery and a whole lot of wine as Dionysus incites the women of the land to raise hell. Bakkhai is a cautionary tale about the consequences of a civilization’s fear of the unknown. Tickets are $20.

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: Revelations
Last chance! Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presents the namesake choreographer's enduring masterpiece Revelations. Recorded live on stage at last year's opening night gala, this breathtaking piece explores African-American history, grief and joy through movement set to spirituals, song-sermons, gospel and blues. Watch for free until Sunday on Ailey's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

Alley Theatre: Born with Teeth
Last chance! Houston's celebrated Alley Theatre recently presented the world premiere of Born with Teeth and now you can stream a recording online. Written by Liz Duffy Adams, the two-hander centers on a pair of Elizabethan poets, the legendary Christopher Marlowe and up-and-comer William Shakespeare, as they meet in the backroom of a pub to collaborate on a history play cycle, navigate the challenges of art under a totalitarian regime and flirt mercilessly. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.

PBS: American Masters: Joe Papp in Five Acts
American Masters profiles the inimitable Joseph Papp, founder of The Public Theater and Free Shakespeare in the Park. A champion of bringing the performing arts to everyone who produced groundbreaking shows such as Hair, A Chorus Line and for colored girls..., Papp was a cultural change agent for half a century. This 90-minute documentary features rare footage of the man as well as interviews with James Earl Jones, Kevin Kline, Larry Kramer, Mandy Patinkin, Martin Sheen, Meryl Streep, Christopher Walken and George C. Wolfe. Watch for free until Saturday, July 2 on PBS' website. Captions are available.

PBS Great Performances: Keeping Company with Sondheim
PBS Great Performances presents Keeping Company with Sondheim, a new documentary about director Marianne Elliott's gender-swapped revival of Company, which is nominated for nine 2022 Tony Awards. Filmed over two years, the doc features rehearsal and performance footage from pre- and post-(fingers crossed!) pandemic, plus interviews with Elliott, the late, great Stephen Sondheim, stars Katrina Lenk and Patti LuPone, and members of the musical's original 1970 cast. Watch for free until Friday, June 24 on PBS' website.

Roe v. Wade 2.0
Last month, Margaret Vandenburg presented a reading of her "theatrical rallying cry" Roe v. Wade 2.0, and you can watch a recording through June. A satire about women's reproductive rights (or lack thereof), the play dramatizes the Dobbs vs. Jackson Women's Health Organization oral arguments from December 2021 that may be used to overturn Roe v. Wade. Carrie Preston (True Blood), Joel de la Fuente (The Man in the High Castle) and Florencia Lozano (One Life to Live) lead the cast. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish and the recording is viewable until Friday, July 1.

Broadway on Demand: Allegiance
Broadway on Demand presents Allegiance, a landmark musical about an American family forced by the US government into a Japanese internment camp during World War II. The show is loosely based on the life of Star Trek's George Takei, who stars alongside Katie Rose Clarke, Telly Leung and Tony winner Lea Salonga. A 48-hour rental costs $12 and the recording is viewable until Tuesday, July 5 at 10:30 p.m. ET.

All Arts: The First Twenty: Beauty Size & Color
All Arts presents the half-hour documentary Beauty Size & Color as part of its series The First Twenty. Join choreographer and educator Hope Boykin as she questions and challenges the beauty standards of the present and past through artistic inquiry and conversations. Watch for free on All Arts' website. Audio description and captions are available.

TimeLine Theatre Company: The Chinese Lady
Last chance! Chicago's TimeLine Theatre Company is currently presenting an in-person production of The Chinese Lady, but you can also watch a recording at home. LLoyd Suh's critically acclaimed drama is inspired by the real-life story of Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to come to America in the 19th century. The play sees our nation through her 16-year-old eyes as she's exoticized and exhibited to gawkers around the country. Tickets start at $35 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.

All Arts: King Lear Starring James Earl Jones
Here's a gem from the vaults: All Arts is streaming a 1974 mounting of King Lear headlined by James Earl Jones! Filmed live on stage at the Delacorte Theater for the New York Shakespeare Festival (now known as Shakespeare in the Park), the production also features Raul Julia, Rosalind Cash and Paul Sorvino. A great way to get psyched for the upcoming Shakespeare in the Park season! Watch for free on All Arts' website.

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

Top image: Talene Monahon and Michael Urie in Jane Anger, which is streaming this weekend. Photo by Valerie Terranova.