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Audra McDonald at the London Palladium, which is streaming for free starting this Friday. Photo courtesy of David Treatman.
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, May 17 to Sunday, May 19, for free or at low cost.
Airing on TV on PBS Thirteen on Friday, May 17 at 9 p.m. ET for FREE. Streaming online until Friday, June 14.
In 2022, six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald performed a thrilling concert at The London Palladium; starting this Friday, you can watch a recording courtesy of PBS Great Performances. Backed by the 40-piece London Musical Theatre Orchestra, McDonald sings an array of beloved Broadway classics, including "I Am What I Am," "Cornet Man," "Summertime" and "I Could Have Danced All Night." A FREE must-see!
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Streaming Friday, May 17 to Sunday, June 30 for FREE.
Since The Public Theater is doing a massive renovation of the Delacorte Theater, there is no Shakespeare in the Park this summer. Happily, you can enjoy some fantastic productions from seasons past courtesy of PBS Great Performances. In addition to Hamlet and Much Ado About Nothing, which are already streaming, starting this Friday you can watch Merry Wives, Jocelyn Bioh's fabulous one-act adaptation of the Bard's The Merry Wives of Windsor. Set in modern-day Harlem with ladies' man Falstaff (Broadway vet Jacob Ming-Trent) attempting to woo two married West African immigrants, the show is an exuberant romp that celebrates broad comedy and Black joy. Saheem Ali directs an all-Black cast in this laugh-out-loud comedy, which I absolutely loved.
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Streaming until Sunday, June 30 for FREE
PBS Great Performances presents Sutton Foster in Cole Porter's effervescent musical comedy Anything Goes, which was recorded live on stage in London in 2021. After winning a 2011 Tony Award for her brassy performance as nightclub singer Reno Sweeney in director-choreographer Kathleen Marshall's critically acclaimed revival of this classic, Foster reprised the role on the West End opposite Felicity Kendal, Gary Wilmot and Tony winner Robert Lindsay. Marshall again oversaw this zany tale of romance and intrigue on the high seas featuring iconic songs, including "I Get a Kick Out of You," "You're the Top" and the title tune.
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Streaming until Sunday, June 30 for FREE
PBS Great Performances presents Lea Salonga's epic 2019 concert recorded live at the Sydney Opera House. Backed by a lavish orchestra, the Tony winner belts out numbers from her three-decade career, including "On My Own" from Les Misérables, "Why God Why?" from Miss Saigon and "A Whole New World" from Disney's animated movie Aladdin.
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Streaming for FREE through the end of the year.
This summer, the great Holland Taylor is making her long overdue return to the New York stage in N/A at Lincoln Center Theater. To celebrate, PBS Great Performances is streaming a past stage triumph: Ann, Taylor's one-woman bio play about the late Ann Richards, an outspoken Democrat who served as Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995. Taylor earned a Tony nomination for her compelling portrait of a woman who captivated as a politician and as a person.
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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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