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Sara Bareilles in concert at the Kennedy Center, which is streaming on New Year's Eve. Photo by Mauricio Castro.
Even though in-person theatre and dance are back in full swing, in the name of accessibility we're continuing to round up performances to watch online from the comfort of home. Our carefully curated list spotlights the ten best performances to stream over the holidays, Friday, December 20 to Wednesday, January 1, 2025, for free or at low cost.
Streaming from Friday, December 20 at noon until Monday, December 23 at noon ET for $20.
This whimsical deconstruction of the Tchaikovsky ballet returns to 92NY for three performances this month, but if you can't make it in person, a recording will be available to stream for 72 hours. Choreographed by David Parker for his troupe The Bang Group, Nut/Cracked is not for purists. He takes a playful approach to this old chestnut filled with tap, disco and vaudeville performed to jazzy arrangements of the score by Duke Ellington and Glenn Miller.
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Live-streaming Friday, 20 December, Saturday, December 21 and Monday, December 23 at 1:30 and 3:30 p.m.; Sunday, December 22 at 9:30 p.m. and 12:30 p.m. ET for £15-£25, approximately $19-$32.
Mischief Theatre, the uproarious British troupe behind NYC's long-running comedy The Play That Goes Wrong, presents a live improvised movie, with the audience tasked with suggesting the title, genre and setting. Beyond lots of laughs, no one has any idea of what to expect—not even the performers. Live-streamed directly from London's Sadler's Wells Theatre.
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Live-streaming Friday, December 20 at 8 p.m.; Saturday, December 21 at 2:30 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, December 22 at 2:30 p.m. ET for $39.
Houston's celebrated Alley Theatre is presenting its spirited take on Charles Dickens' heartwarming holiday ghost story of redemption and you can watch this weekend's performances at home courtesy of The League of Live Stream Theater. Enjoy this traditional take on the classic set in Victorian England.
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Live-streaming Monday, December 23 at 9:45 p.m. ET for $28.50.
Forbidden Broadway favorite Christine Pedi channels a dozens divas of Christmas in this seasonal songfest. Barbra Streisand, Patti LuPone, Liza Minnelli, Julie Andrews and Carol Channing are just some of the Broadway icons she convincingly conjures. Streaming live from the cabaret hub's swanky stage. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.
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Live-streaming Sunday, December 29 at 7 p.m. ET for $28.50.
The luminous Broadway soprano Melissa Errico presents a between holidays happening with singer-pianist Billy Stritch. They'll celebrate with festive American songbook standards and share insights about why all the best Christmas songs are written in summer. Streaming live from the cabaret hub's swanky stage. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.
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Streaming until Monday, December 30 for a suggested donation of $25 or more
Every December, John Kevin Jones stars in this singular solo adaptation of Charles Dickens' holiday classic mounted at the 19th-century Merchant's House Museum in the East Village. In this historic setting, he plays Dickens performing all the characters, just like the Victorian author did back in the day. If you can't make it to the in-person production this season, you can stream a recording at home.
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Airing on TV on PBS Thirteen on Tuesday, December 31 at 8 p.m. for FREE. Streaming until Tuesday, January 28.
Pop star, Waitress creator and Into the Woods Tony nominee Sara Bareilles performed a career-spanning concert at DC's Kennedy Center back in September and you can catch a recording on New Year's Eve. The 90-minute performance includes all of her hits and special guest appearances by Rufus Wainwright and Hamilton Tony winner Renée Elise Goldsberry. Busy on December 31? The program will be rebroadcast several times throughout the week and is also available to steam online.
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Streaming until Thursday, January 2, 2025 for FREE.
This beloved annual tradition returns to PBS for the holidays. Michael Maliakel, who played the title character in Aladdin on Broadway for three years, and Downton Abbey's Lesley Nicol join the 500-member Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square for this seasonal celebration featuring classic Christmas carols, hymns and an uplifting story of service.
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Streaming on Tubi for FREE throughout the holidays.
Recorded in 2020 during the shutdown, this modern-day musical take on the Christmas classic comes from John Caird and Paul Gordon, the team behind Broadway's Jane Eyre, and incorporates popular characters and plot lines from multiple Charles Dickens' novels. Betsy Wolfe (& Juliet) is the title character, a ruthless real estate mogul, who heads to her hometown for the holidays to foreclose on a hotel for the homeless run by her childhood sweetheart, Philip "Pip" Nickleby (Clifton Duncan). But soon three spirits arrive to scare her sweet. Jagged Little Pill Tony winner Lauren Patten, Moulin Rouge! Tony winner Danny Burstein and Hadestown's Patrick Page costar.
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Available to rent on Amazon for $5.
Tony winner Jefferson Mays plays all the characters in this thrilling, one-man adaptation of Charles Dickens' holiday tale, from Scrooge to Tiny Tim. Originally mounted at LA's Geffen Playhouse in 2018 and then on Broadway in 2022, the production was reimagined for digital consumption by Tony-winning director Michael Arden and costume and set designer Dane Laffrey, who restaged and recorded it during quarantine at the stunning United Palace theatre in Washington Heights. The result is a fresh and intimate take on Dickens' timeless tale featuring Mays in a tour-de-force performance—make that performances.
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Raven Snook is the Editor of TDF Stages. Follow her on Facebook at @Raven.Snook. Follow TDF on Facebook at @TDFNYC.
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