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Paapa Essiedu and Taylor Russell in The Effect, which is streaming courtesy of National Theatre at Home. Photo by Marc Brenner.
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 curated list spotlights the five best options to stream this weekend, Friday, April 19 to Sunday, April 21, for free or at low cost.
Streaming until Friday, April 19 at 7 p.m. ET for £15, approximately $19
James Lance (Trent Crimm from Ted Lasso) headlines Orange Tree Theatre's Uncle Vanya, which was filmed live on stage in the UK earlier this spring. Adapted and directed by the legendary Trevor Nunn, this chamber mounting of Anton Chekhov's tragicomedy of loneliness, longing and soul-killing work earned stunning reviews. A fantastic chance to see some of the superb drama happening on the other side of the pond.
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Streaming Saturday, April 20 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. for FREE
In honor of Earth Day, stage stars celebrate our planet with a no-cost concert on Broadway and 46th Street. The lineup includes The King and I Tony winner Ruthie Ann Miles, The Notebook's John Cardoza, Fun Home Tony nominee Emily Skeggs, Almost Famous Tony nominee Anika Larsen, How to Dance in Ohio's Liam Pearce, Back to the Future's Jelani Remy and Nik Walker from Spamalot alongside environmental activists. If you can't make it in person, the performance will be live-streamed to at-home audiences courtesy of Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley Jackson's Stars in the House.
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Live-streaming Sunday, April 21 at 7 p.m. ET for $28.50
Back in the 2000s, longtime collaborators Gretchen Cryer and Nancy Ford (I'm Getting My Act Together and Taking It On the Road, Anne of Green Gables) wrote not one but two American Girl Doll musicals. Now cast members from Circle of Friends: An American Girls Musical and The American Girls Revue are reuniting for this one-night-only concert of songs from these family-friendly shows, including the numbers "Fly Like the Wind," "Flying Solo" and "Follow Your Heart." It's sure to be a nostalgia trip for millennials! Streaming live from the cabaret club's swanky stage. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.
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Streaming for $10
If you missed the critically acclaimed revival of The Effect that recently played at The Shed, you can watch a recording of the production courtesy of National Theatre at Home. Jamie Lloyd's stripped-down staging of this thought-provoking drama by Lucy Prebble (Succession, Enron) asks what truly motivates us as a pair of participants in an antidepressant drug trial find themselves falling in love. Is it organic chemistry or chemically engineered? Paapa Essiedu (I May Destroy You) and Taylor Russell (Bones and All) star. A 72-hour rental costs $10 and captions are available. It's just one of many fantastic National Theatre shows you can stream, so be sure to browse the entire list.
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Streaming for free to MAX subscribers.
After celebrated runs downtown, regionally and on Broadway, comedian Alex Edelman's award-winning solo show comes to TV. For much of his career, Edelman didn't like to get political on stage. But some upsetting anti-Semitic tweets and a public invitation to a white nationalist meeting in Queens prompted him to change trajectory. The result is Just for Us, a hilarious and harrowing one-man comedy about coming face-to-face with hate. It's insightful standup that makes you want to stand up to intolerance everywhere.
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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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