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In-person shows have been back for over a year now, but sometimes we want to get our theatre fix at home. Thankfully, there are still wonderful stage performances to watch online. Our carefully curated list spotlights the five best performances to stream this weekend, Friday, September 16 to Sunday, September 18, for free or at low cost.
Streaming for FREE
Greetings and salutations! The London production of Heathers the Musical begins streaming on Roku this Friday. Although the Off-Broadway production was short-lived, the tuner went on to become quite the cult hit, just like the 1989 dark comedy it's based on. The cautionary tale of Veronica Sawyer, a quippy teen who's accepted into the cool clique until her killer crush comes along, Heathers is a bloody humorous take on the old adolescent outcast story.
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National Theatre at Home: King Lear Starring Ian McKellen
Streaming for $10 all weekend
In 2020, London's lauded National Theatre launched its own streaming service featuring professional stage captures of its productions. While you can buy a subscription, shows are also available to rent individually for 72 hours. New to the roster is King Lear starring Ian McKellen as the tragic royal in Shakespeare's moving and violent masterpiece about a family and state divided. Recorded live on stage in 2017, this critically acclaimed mounting is directed by Johnathan Munby and features McKellen in an unforgettable and heartbreaking performance as the misguided monarch. King Lear 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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The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park: Much Ado About Nothing
Streaming for FREE
The Public Theater's Shakespeare in the Park season just ended, but you can revisit one of its most exuberant productions on All Arts' website: the 2019 mounting of Much Ado About Nothing. Directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon and featuring an all-Black cast led by the fabulous Danielle Brooks (The Color Purple, Orange Is the New Black, the upcoming The Piano Lesson) and Grantham Coleman, this is one of my favorite mountings of the Bard's romantic comedy, a production that is often hilarious but also highlights the ongoing battle for equality.
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Red Bull Theater: The Capulets and the Montagues (Castelvines y Monteses)
Streaming for $25 until Sunday
On Monday, NYC's Red Bull Theater partnered with UCLA's Diversifying the Classics to present a live reading of The Capulets and the Montagues (Castelvines y Monteses), and you can watch a recording through Sunday. Spanish Golden Age playwright Lope de Vega's surprising take on the old star-crossed lovers journey does not go where you expect. Melia Bensussen directs a diverse ensemble cast in this tragicomedy.
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Live From 54 Below: Sondheim Unplugged
Streaming on Sunday, September 18 at 7 p.m. ET for $25
Enjoy the latest installment of Sondheim Unplugged, cabaret impresario Phil Geoffrey Bond's stripped-down concert series celebrating the late songwriting legend. Talented vocalists will croon Sondheim tunes accompanied solely by piano alongside special guests Danielle Ferland (Into the Woods' original Little Red), Sarah Rice (Sweeney Todd's original Johanna), and Albert Guerzon and Lucia Spina from Broadway's current Into the Woods revival. Live-streaming from 54 Below's swanky stage. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.
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Raven Snook is the Editor of TDF Stages. Follow her at @RavenSnook. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC.
Top image: Heathers: The Musical, which begins streaming for free on Roku this Friday. Image courtesy of Roku.
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