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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 weekend, Friday, July 30 to Sunday, August 1, for free or at low cost.
Friday, July 30
Bryant Park: Adrienne Warren and Friends in Concert
On Friday at 7 p.m. ET, Bryant Park and Carnegie Hall present a concert by Broadway powerhouse Adrienne Warren, whose blazing performance as Tina Turner in Tina is practically guaranteed to win her a Tony Award this fall. In addition to being a popular artist whose other credits include Shuffle Along, Dreamgirls and Bring It On, Warren is an outspoken activist and a cofounder of Broadway Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to dismantling the systems that perpetuate racism through the power of storytelling. This evening, she'll be joined by some of her talented pals in Bryant Park for songs, stories and calls to action. Watch for free on Bryant Park's YouTube channel or arrive at the green space early to watch in person. Entry is first come, first served, and proof of vaccination or recent negative COVID test required.
The Tank: and come apart
On Friday at 7 p.m. ET, indie theatre incubator The Tank presents and come apart as part of its Dark Fest. Eric Marlin's immersive audio drama is being performed live on stage in total darkness, but will also be streamed to at-home audiences who are asked to don blindfolds while hearing the tale of a Jewish matriarch on her deathbed, whose dramatic family history recalls hundreds of years of harrowing immigrant stories. Tickets start at $15.
Weathervane Theatre: Buyer & Cellar
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, New Hampshire's Weathervane Theatre presents a virtual production of Buyer & Cellar, Jonathan Tolins' uproarious one-man play about an out-of-work actor who lands an insane job curating the tchotchkes in Barbra Streisand's basement. Nathaniel P. Claridad directs Jorge Donoso in this laugh-out-loud comedy. Tickets start at $22.50 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
ALMA NYC: Places
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, dance company ALMA NYC presents Places, a documentary about the troupe emerging from the pandemic featuring interviews, behind-the-scenes footage and site-specific performances around the city choreographed by Zanza Steinberg. Tickets start at $20 and the recording is available until Monday, August 9.
Stars in the House: Jagged Little Pill Reunion
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley are on a well-deserved vacation, during which they're presenting encore streams of popular episodes. Tonight, catch a Jagged Little Pill Broadway reunion from April 2020 featuring Elizabeth Stanley, Lauren Patten, Celia Rose Gooding and Kathryn Gallagher. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
The Shakesolo Festival: To Thine Own Self
On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, Frigid New York's The Shakesolo Festival, showcasing Bard-inspired solo performances, continues with To Thine Own Self, Dani Herd's meditation on identity, Internet personality quizzes and Shakespeare. Subtitled "Your taste in pancakes will reveal which Shakespearean heroine you are (maybe)," the one-woman comedy is being performed in person at the Kraine Theater, but will also be streamed to at-home audiences. Tickets are $13.
The Actors Gang: We Live On: Part II
On Friday at 10 p.m. ET, LA's innovative theatre company The Actors' Gang, led by Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins, presents We Live On, a three-part performance inspired by Studs Terkel's epic Hard Times, in which Americans from all walks of life shared what it was like surviving the Great Depression. In April 2020, Robbins and his company started working on a virtual adaptation of this nonfiction classic, dramatizing 30 different stories, some from the original book, others from the family history of cast members. Part II opens tonight and tickets are pay-what-you-wish. Parts I and III run later this week and all the installments are performed live online.
Saturday, July 31
The Shakesolo Festival
Frigid New York's The Shakesolo Festival, showcasing Bard-inspired solo performances, wraps up this Saturday with a pair of offerings performed in-person at the Kraine Theater that are also live-streamed to at-home audiences.
The Tank: and come apart
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, indie theatre incubator The Tank presents and come apart as part of its Dark Fest. Eric Marlin's immersive audio drama is being performed live on stage in total darkness, but will also be streamed to at-home audiences who are asked to don blindfolds while hearing the tale of a Jewish matriarch on her deathbed, whose dramatic family history recalls hundreds of years of harrowing immigrant stories. Tickets start at $15.
Stars in the House: The Cher Show Reunion
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley are on a well-deserved vacation, during which they're presenting encore streams of popular episodes. Tonight, catch a Cher Show Broadway reunion from August 2020 featuring Stephanie J. Block, Micaela Diamond and Teal Wicks. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.
The Actors Gang: We Live On: Parts I, II and III
On Saturday at 8 p.m., 9:30 p.m. and 11 p.m. ET, LA's innovative theatre company The Actors' Gang, led by Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins, presents We Live On, a three-part performance inspired by Studs Terkel's epic Hard Times, in which Americans from all walks of life shared what it was like surviving the Great Depression. In April 2020, Robbins and his company started working on a virtual adaptation of this nonfiction classic, dramatizing 30 different stories, some from the original book, others from the family history of cast members. You can watch Parts I, II and III consecutively tonight with all installments performed live online. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish.
Lake Tahoe Dance Festival
On Saturday at 9 p.m. ET, earlier this week, the ninth annual Lake Tahoe Dance Festival took place in person, but this weekend you can watch a recording of the performance. Enjoy commissions by choreographers Constantine Baecher, Durante Verzola, Jack Blackmon, Jehbreal Jackson, Marco Pelle and Tony winner Christopher Wheeldon. Watch for free on the festival's website though donations are encouraged. The recording is viewable until Monday.
Sunday, August 1
The Actors Gang: We Live On: Parts I, II and III
On Sunday at noon, 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. ET, LA's innovative theatre company The Actors' Gang, led by Oscar-winning actor Tim Robbins, presents We Live On, a three-part performance inspired by Studs Terkel's epic Hard Times, in which Americans from all walks of life shared what it was like surviving the Great Depression. In April 2020, Robbins and his company started working on a virtual adaptation of this nonfiction classic, dramatizing 30 different stories, some from the original book, others from the family history of cast members. You can watch previously recorded performances of Parts I, II and III consecutively today. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish.
All Weekend
New York Stage and Film: Sanctuary
Billy Porter may be best known for his fabulous, award-winning turns in Broadway's Kinky Boots and TV's Pose. But he's also a talented writer whose works include the semiautobiographical drama While I Yet Live and the gospel musical Ghetto Superstar. This week, you can catch recorded segments from his brand-new show Sanctuary, which is being developed at New York Stage and Film this summer. With a book by Porter and songs by Kurt Carr, the musical celebrates the power and fellowship of an inclusive, loving God through gospel music. Deborah Cox, Bryan Terrell Clark, Ledisi and Virginia Woodruff star alongside Broadway Inspirational Voices. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link; the recording is viewable until Monday.
St. Louis Shakespeare Festival: King Lear
Performer André De Shields made his name in Broadway musicals, notably The Wiz, The Full Monty and his Tony-winning turn as Hermes in Hadestown, but he's also a fabulous classical actor who's put his indelible stamp on Shakespeare roles, including King Lear. In 2006, he starred in the tragedy at the Classical Theatre of Harlem, and this past June he played the complicated monarch at the St. Louis Shakespeare Festival. Now audiences everywhere can stream a recording of that acclaimed production, directed by Carl Cofield and featuring a cast of actors of color. Register to receive the free viewing link though donations are encouraged. The recording is viewable until Sunday.
Barrington Stage Company: Judgment Day
Barrington Stage Company presents an encore stream of Judgment Day, an over-the-top comedy by veteran TV writer/producer Rob Ulin. Jason Alexander stars as a shady lawyer who's scared into trying to change by a domineering angel, played by an acerbic Patti LuPone. Santino Fontana costars as a priest in crisis, and the rest of the cast includes Loretta Devine, Elizabeth Stanley and Michael McKean. If this trailer is any indication, prepare for irreverent laughs. Tickets are $9 and the recording is viewable until Sunday.
Irish Repertory Theatre: The Cordelia Dream
On Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 3 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, NYC's venerable Irish Rep presents The Cordelia Dream, Marina Carr's psychologically complex two-hander about the fraught interactions between a Woman and a Man which recall the dysfunctional relationship between Cordelia and King Lear. Director Joe O'Byrne's production was filmed live on stage at Dublin's New Theatre and stars Stephen Brennan and Danielle Ryan. Tickets are required to receive the free viewing link; a $25 donation is suggested.
Mabou Mines: Vs.
On Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, venerable avant-garde theatre company Mabou Mines brings its experimentation to Zoom with Vs., an interactive experience in which viewers join a philosophical tribunal to acquit or prosecute crimes against humanity. Mallory Catlett directs Becca Blackwell, Mildred Ruiz-Sapp, David Thomson and Perry Yung in Carl Hancock Rux's brainteaser. Tickets are pay-what-you-wish though a $10 donation is suggested.
The Great Filter
Jason Ralph and Trevor Einhorn from the Syfy series The Magicians star in The Great Filter, an out-of-this-world thriller about a pair of astronauts returning to Earth after a failed mission who realize the planet may be in crisis. Equal parts sci-fi and comedy, this one-act was written and directed by Frank Winters and filmed live on stage earlier this summer at the Wild Project in the East Village. Tickets are $18 and the recording is viewable until Thursday, August 26.
Lincoln Center Theater: The Wolves
Lincoln Center Theater shares a never-before-seen treat: a recording of The Wolves, Sarah DeLappe's Pulitzer finalist play about nine high school juniors on a soccer field exchanging ideas, thoughts and confidences as they pass the ball back and forth. The chatter is incessant but insightful, offering a glimpse into the insular and messy world of American teenage girls as they candidly discuss everything from periods to politics. Directed by Lila Neugebauer, this Obie-winning production stars Lauren Patten, Sarah Mezzanotte, Susannah Perkins, Tedra Millan and other up-and-comers, and was filmed live on stage at Lincoln Center's Mitzi E. Newhouse Theater in 2017. Register on Broadway on Demand to receive the free viewing link; the recording is viewable until Sunday, August 15.
Baltimore Center Stage: A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction
On Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. ET, Baltimore Center Stage presents A Play for the Living in a Time of Extinction, a dark comedy by Miranda Rose Hall about a theatre company putting on a show about climate change that goes awry. So the stage manager/light board operator/dramaturg comes up with some unexpected ways to engage the audience. Log on ready to participate in this communal experience. Tickets start at $25 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.
New Normal Rep: Lines in the Dust
New Normal Rep presents Lines in the Dust by Obie winner and Pulitzer Prize finalist Nikkole Salter. Set in Newark in 2010, this moving drama centers on a working-class single mother desperate to find an alternative to the underperforming zoned school for her bright young daughter. How much will she risk to give her kid a leg up? Awoye Timpo directs Lisa Rosetta Strum, Melissa Joyner and Jeffrey Bean. 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 Sunday, August 8 and closed captions are available.
Signature Theatre: After Midnight
It's your last chance to watch Signature Theatre's 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 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount. The recording is viewable until Wednesday.
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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 and Nicole King, who star as the title monarch and his daughter Cordelia in St. Louis Shakespeare Festival's King Lear, which is being streamed this weekend. Photo by Phillip Hamer Photography.
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