TDF Stages

With in-person theatre still a rarity for the time being, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch this weekend, Friday, May 21 to Sunday, May 23, for free or at low cost.

Friday, May 21

Soho Theatre: Herding Cats
On Friday at 2:30 and 6 p.m. ET, a groundbreaking stage-cinema hybrid, this production of Lucinda Coxon's drama Herding Cats features Jassa Ahluwalia and Sophie Melville in person at London's Soho Playhouse, with Grey's Anatomy star Greg Germann performing live via video from New York. This high-tech setup suits the story about two millennial roommates, Justine and Michael, struggling to navigate their disconnected lives. Michael earns his living by chatting with strangers online, including boomer Saddo, who's grappling with his own intimacy issues. What's left to say when words can't bridge the gap? Tickets start at $19.

TDF Young Playwrights: The 24 Hour Plays: Viral Monologues
On Friday at 6 p.m. ET, the New York City high school students in TDF's Young Playwrights Group present their own Viral Monologues, inspired by The 24 Hour Plays' series featuring brief but biting solos about how we're living today. All the pieces were penned, rehearsed and recorded by professional actors in the past 24 hours. Watch the premiere for free on TDF's Instagram.

The Metropolitan Opera: Nabucco
On Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Verdi's Nabucco, featuring Plácido Domingo as the tormented title king of Babylon. Liudmyla Monastyrska, Jamie Barton, Russell Thomas and Dmitry Belosselskiy costar in this 2017 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, La Sonnambula, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

The Joyce Theater: Tap Family Reunion
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, Chelsea dance haven The Joyce continues its digital season with a Tap Family Reunion featuring three titans of tap, Dormeshia, Jason Samuels Smith and Derick K. Grant, in The Mayor of Harlem, a celebration of Bill "Bojangles" Robinson's birthday and National Tap Dance Day. 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 Thursday, June 3.

Stars in the House: Annie Reunion
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, they got Annies—it's an Annie reunion on Stars in the House! Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcome cast members from the original Broadway production, including the Tony-nominated star Andrea McArdle, two of her replacements, Sarah Jessica Parker and Shelley Bruce, plus fellow orphans Danielle Brisebois (Molly), Diana Barrows (Tessie), Robyn Finn (Pepper), Donna Graham (Duffy) and Janine Ruane (July). Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Broadway Stories & Songs: Elizabeth Stanley
On Friday at 8 p.m. ET, Tony-winning orchestrator and music director, Ted Sperling, continues his live online concert series Broadway Stories & Songs, showcasing the talents and tales of New York stage favorites. This weekend's guest is Elizabeth Stanley, who earned a Tony nomination for her powerful performance as a struggling matriarch in Jagged Little Pill. Expect songs from her career, including roles in the 2014 revival of On the Town and the 2006 revival of Company. Tickets are $25.

Saturday, May 22

Metropolitan Opera Stars Live in Concert: Three Divas
On Saturday at 1 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents a trio of powerhouse vocalists, sopranos Ailyn Pérez and Nadine Sierra and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard, in a live concert streamed from the Royal Opera of Versailles in France. Accompanied by piano and guitar, the stars will sings selections from Gounod's Roméo et Juliette, Mozart's Don Giovanni and Le Nozze di Figaro, Offenbach's Les Contes d'Hoffmann, Bellini's Norma and other beloved operas. Tickets are $20 and a recording will be viewable until Friday, June 4.

Broadway Stories & Songs: Elizabeth Stanley
On Saturday at 2 p.m. ET, Tony-winning orchestrator and music director, Ted Sperling, continues his online concert series Broadway Stories & Songs, showcasing the talents and tales of New York stage favorites. This weekend's guest is Elizabeth Stanley, who earned a Tony nomination for her powerful performance as a struggling matriarch in Jagged Little Pill. Expect songs from her career, including roles in the 2014 revival of On the Town and the 2006 revival of Company. Tickets are $25. Note: this is a replay of Friday night's live concert.

Soho Theatre: Herding Cats
On Saturday at 2:30 and 6 p.m. ET, a groundbreaking stage-cinema hybrid, this production of Lucinda Coxon's drama Herding Cats features Jassa Ahluwalia and Sophie Melville in person at London's Soho Playhouse, with Grey's Anatomy star Greg Germann performing live via video from New York. This high-tech setup suits the story about two millennial roommates, Justine and Michael, struggling to navigate their disconnected lives. Michael earns his living by chatting with strangers online, including boomer Saddo, who's grappling with his own intimacy issues. What's left to say when words can't bridge the gap? Tickets start at $19.

Play-PerView: AYA or Dear Lover
On Saturday at 7 p.m. ET, Play-PerView presents a live reading of AYA or Dear Lover, Fernanda Coppel's drama about a man who's lost everything (his career, his wife, his mental health), so he heads to the Amazonian jungle to escape his problems by drinking the mind-bending Ayahuasca. How will his trip alter his life's journey? Raul Castillo, Tina Huang and Roxana Ortega star, and Estefania Fadul directs. Tickets start at $5 and proceeds go to the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Can't make the live performance? For $20, you can watch a recording until Thursday, May 27.

The Metropolitan Opera: Lucia di Lammermoor
On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Donizetti's Lucia di Lammermoor featuring Joan Sutherland in her star-making turn as the tragic title character, who's driven mad because she cannot marry the man she loves. Alfredo Kraus, Pablo Elvira and Paul Plishka costar in this 1982 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Nabucco, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Stars in the House: Godspell Reunion
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, bless the lord—it's a Godspell 50th anniversary reunion on Stars in the House! Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley welcome creator Stephen Schwartz alongside some of the players who introduced his songs Off Broadway in 1971, including Peggy Gordon ("By My Side"), Joanne Jonas ("Bless the Lord"), Gilmer McCormick ("Learn Your Lessons Well") and Stephen Nathan, who played Jesus. George Salazar from the musical's 2011 Broadway revival will also drop by. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Colt Coeur: Grey Matters
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Colt Coeur presents Grey Matters, a new drama by Eden Marryshow about the challenges faced by an interracial couple who start a family in '70s Brooklyn. Steve H Broadnax III directs JaBen Early, Russell G. Jones, Chantal Jean-Pierre, Cesa Pledger, Logan Ricket and Laila Robins in this heartfelt play inspired by real-life events. Tickets start at $5 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday, May 26.

20 & Under Sing 20 & Over: Act II
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, this clever concept concert features up-and-comers under 20 crooning songs from shows written before they were born alongside performers who've done those musicals. The lineup of Broadway pros includes Paige Davis, Ali Ewoldt, Beth Leavel, Kara Lindsay, Ashley Spencer and NaTasha Yvette Williams, and the whole shebang is produced by 17-year-old Jorden Amir (keep an eye on him). Register to receive the free viewing link but donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Company of Fools: Gruesome Playground Injuries
On Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, Company of Fools presents an in-person production of Gruesome Playground Injuries, which will also be streamed to at-home viewers. Written by Tony nominee Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) and directed by TDF's own Tyler Riley, this two-hander chronicles the 30-year relationship between a dysfunctional pair of pals, who are bonded by pain and suffering. Tickets are $30 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.

Sunday, May 23

The Seth Concert Series: Chuck and Lilli Cooper
On Sunday at 3 p.m. ET, apparently, hosting a daily online talk show and a Sirius XM Satellite Radio series isn't enough for the multitalented Seth Rudetsky. Well-known for his skills as a pianist, musical director and interviewer, he's hosted a series of intimate live concerts with Broadway stars for the past decade. This year he brings the show online and today's headliners are Broadway stars Chuck Cooper and his daughter Lilli Cooper. Lilli was just six years old when her father won a Tony Award for his menacing turn as a pimp in The Life. A veteran of more than a dozen Broadway shows, he's used his booming baritone in both musicals and plays, most recently Choir Boy and The Prince of Broadway. His daughter made her Broadway debut in the original production of Spring Awakening, and went on to appear as Elphaba in Wicked and Sandy Cheeks in SpongeBob SquarePants, and earned a Tony nomination for her charming turn in Tootsie. Tonight, this dynamic duo performs songs from their careers as well as family favorites. Tickets are $25. The 3 p.m. performance is live; 8 p.m. is the replay.

Broadway Barks Across America
On Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, Bernadette Peters' annual pet adoption event, Broadway Barks, goes virtual for the second year in a row, but the dogs and cats looking for forever homes are as adorable as ever! The Tony winner hosts the evening and welcomes a cavalcade of her animal-loving Broadway peers, including Sebastian Arcelus, Annaleigh Ashford, Alec Baldwin, Christine Baranski, Stephanie J. Block, Carol Burnett, Victoria Clark, Glenn Close, Lily Collins, Harry Connick Jr., Jason Danieley, Ariana DeBose, Daveed Diggs, Gloria Estefan, Harvey Fierstein, Whoopi Goldberg, Josh Groban, Megan Hilty, James Monroe Iglehart, Hugh Jackman, Christopher Jackson, Alison Janney, Nathan Lane, Audra McDonald, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bebe Neuwirth, Mandy Patinkin, David Hyde Pierce, Chita Rivera, Lea Salonga, Phillipa Soo and Will Swenson. Watch for free with an open heart on Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS's YouTube channel.

Liz and Ann Hampton Callaway in Concert
On Sunday at 7 p.m. ET, two Tony-nominated sisters, jazz singer Ann Hampton Callaway, who wrote and performed the beloved theme to The Nanny, and Broadway Baby Liz Callaway, who voiced a number of cinematic princesses, team up for a live Zoom concert. The siblings are well-known for their family cabarets, and this evening will include numbers from their acclaimed sister acts Sibling Revelry, Boom! and Broadway the Calla-way! Tickets are $25 and a recording will be viewable until Monday, May 31.

The Metropolitan Opera: The Queen of Spades
On Sunday at 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera presents Elijah Moshinsky's powerful staging of The Queen of Spades, Tchaikovsky's passionate adaptation of Pushkin's novel of the same name. Plácido Domingo is the self-destructive antihero and Galina Gorchakova is the woman he loves. Elisabeth Söderström, Dmitri Hvorostovsky and Nikolai Putilin costar in this 1999 production. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Lucia di Lammermoor, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Company of Fools: Gruesome Playground Injuries
On Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, Company of Fools presents an in-person production of Gruesome Playground Injuries, which will also be streamed to at-home viewers. Written by Tony nominee Rajiv Joseph (Bengal Tiger at the Baghdad Zoo) and directed by TDF's own Tyler Riley, this two-hander chronicles the 30-year relationship between a dysfunctional pair of pals, who are bonded by pain and suffering. Tickets are $30 but if you're a TDF member, log in to your account to purchase them at a discount.

All Weekend

Broadway's Best Shows Spotlight on Plays: The Sisters Rosensweig
Since spring of 2020, Broadway's Best Shows has presented performances of important plays featuring big stars acting from their respective homes. The series continues with Wendy Wasserstein's Tony-nominated comedy The Sisters Rosensweig about three very different siblings who reunite after a lengthy separation to celebrate the eldest's birthday. Kathryn Hahn (WandaVision), Lisa Edelstein (House) and Tracee Chimo Pallero play the titular sisters, and their party guests include Tony winner Jason Alexander (Seinfeld) and Tootsie's John Behlmann. Tony winner Anna D. Shapiro directs. Tickets are $18. The recording is viewable until Monday at 6 p.m. ET and a portion of the proceeds benefits TDF's Wendy Wasserstein Program.

Manhattan Theatre Club: Camille A. Brown – A Glimpse Behind The Curtain
Manhattan Theatre Club continues its Snapshots series with an intimate look at the creative process of Tony-nominated choreographer and director Camille A. Brown (Once on This Island, MTC's Choir Boy on Broadway). This episode spotlights her work as she prepares for her re-envisioned mounting of the musical Ain't Misbehavin', which will be presented regionally soon. RSVP to receive the free viewing link. The recording is viewable until Sunday and closed captions are available.

FourthWall Theatrical: This American Wife
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 8 p.m. ET, Tony-nominated Slave Play playwright Jeremy O. Harris is one of the producers of this virtual reimagining of This American Wife, created by his Yale School of Drama pals Michael Breslin and Patrick Foley, the duo behind the digital smash Circle Jerk. Like that production, This American Wife is also a live Internet show as Breslin, Foley and Jakeem Dante Powell present an amusing multimedia meditation on theReal Housewives phenomenon and its cultural influence. Tickets start at $25.

Broadway Advocacy Coalition: The Fellowship Hall
Broadway Advocacy Coalition, a nonprofit dedicated to dismantling the systems that perpetuate racism through the power of storytelling, presents The Fellowship Hall, a festival spotlighting the work of the Black artists chosen for the org's inaugural Artivism Fellows program. From Friday to Sunday, catch brand-new performances created by the recipients. Visit the website for the full schedule and to register for each free event.

Lights on the Radio Tower
Five OHM Productions and Indie Theatrical present Lights on the Radio Tower, a new rock musical by Emily Goodson and Kevin James Thornton about an estranged brother and sister who reunite after their father's death to sift through the truama of their childhood. Tony nominee Gabriel Barre directs Broadway vet Carrie Manolakos (Dear Evan Hansen) and Max Sangerman in this two-hander about making up and moving on. Tickets are $15.

The Tank: Capricorn 29
Indie theatre incubator The Tank presents Capricorn 29, a new hour-long musical by Alex Hare and Julia Izumia about a millennial on the cusp of 29 who uncovers a secret plot by the powers that be to eliminate unsuccessful 30-year-olds. A tuneful skewering of the arbitrary nature of age-based milestones, this show features songs by Laura Galindo, brothers Daniel and Patrick Lazour, Stompcat and Storm Thomas. Tickets start at $10 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, May 30.

Lar Lubovitch Dance Company
Tony-nominated choreographer Lar Lubovitch presents a digital program of highlights from three of his seminal works: the duet from Concerto Six Twenty-Two performed by his eponymous dance company; Othello danced by San Francisco Ballet; and The Planets, created for an ensemble of ice-skaters and dancers. RSVP to receive the free viewing link. The recording is viewable until Sunday, May 30.

Ma-Yi Theater Company: Once Upon a (korean) Time
Ma-Yi Theater Company, one of NYC's leading Asian-American troupes, presents Daniel K. Isaac's Once Upon a (korean) Time, which fuses traditional Korean fables with the horrors of the Korean War to explore the experiences of the Korean-American diaspora. Ma-Yi's artistic director, Ralph B. Peña, helms the work, and Diana Oh, Jon Norman Schneider, James Seol, David Shih and Shannon Tyo star. Tickets start at $5 and the recording is viewable until Sunday at 7 p.m. ET.

Mint Theater Company: The Fatal Weakness
Off Broadway's esteemed Mint Theater Company, which has been unearthing forgotten plays since 1992, presents a recording of The Fatal Weakness, George Kelly's last produced drama about a die-hard romantic who discovers her longtime husband is a lying cheat. Kristin Griffith, Victoria Mack and Cliff Bemis star in this 2014 production, which was the play's first New York revival in 68 years. Watch for free until Sunday, June 27 on the Mint's website by clicking on the photo and entering your email address, no password required. Donations are encouraged and closed captions are available.

San Francisco Ballet: Swan Lake
California's acclaimed San Francisco Ballet presents Swan Lake choreographed by the troupe's artistic director, Helgi Tomasson, and featuring sets and costumes by Tony-nominated designer Jonathan Fensom. Fall in love with Tchaikovsky's ballet all over again with this sumptuous production. Tickets are $29 and the recording is viewable until Wednesday, June 9.

Theatre Project: Scenes From 73* Years
Baltimore's Theatre Project and the Medina Theater Collective present Scenes From 73* Years, Hannah Khalil's portrait of the people of Palestine, based on real-life accounts from the playwright's family and friends. Najla Said and Rohina Malik codirected this digital production. Tickets are $20 and the recording is viewable until Sunday, June 20.

New Normal Rep: Two Sisters and a Piano
It's your last chance to watch New Normal Rep's Two Sisters and a Piano. Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Nilo Cruz's drama centers on two sisters under house arrest in Cuba in 1991. Maria Celia is a writer whose works led to the pair's imprisonment, and Sofia is a pianist. Passion and politics collide when the lieutenant assigned to the sisters' case visits their home. Daphne Rubin-Vega (Rent) and Gary Perez originally appeared in this drama at Off Broadway's Public Theater in 2000. For this digital production directed by the playwright, they're joined by Jimmy Smits (L.A. Law, NYPD Blue, God of Carnage) and Florencia Lozano. 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

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

Top image: Bernadette Peters, who's hosting the national pet adoption event Broadway Barks Across America on Sunday.