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11 Stage Performances to Watch Today, October 5

By: RAVEN SNOOK
Date: Oct 05, 2020
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With in-person theatre out of commission for the foreseeable future, many companies and performers from Broadway and beyond are showcasing their work online. Below are performances you can watch today, Monday, October 5, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

The Seth Concert Series: Orfeh and Andy Karl
At 3 p.m. ET, apparently, hosting a daily talk show online 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 summer he brings the show online. Last night's headliners were Tony nominees Orfeh and Andy Karl, and you can watch a recording today. The two met while performing in Saturday Night Fever and were married by the time they showed off their palpable chemistry in Legally Blonde the Musical. This intimate set features numbers from the shows they've done together, as well as personal favorites. Tickets are $25.

Keen After Hours: Kate Baldwin
At 6:30 p.m. ET, Off Broadway's lauded Keen Company launches its new interview series Keen After Hours showcasing NYC theatre stars. First up is two-time Tony nominee Kate Baldwin, who'll chat about her career, what she's been doing during the shutdown and even answer audience questions. Watch for free on Keen Company's YouTube channel.

The Boys in the Band in Conversation
At 7 p.m. ET (rescheduled from Friday), last week, Netflix began streaming The Boys in the Band, a film adaptation of Matt Crowley's groundbreaking 1968 play about a group of gay men at a party that devolves into a night of uncomfortable truth telling. Two years ago, Joe Mantello directed an ensemble of out and proud actors, including Jim Parsons, Zachary Quinto, Matt Bomer, Andrew Rannells and Robin De Jesús, in a production on Broadway, which won the Tony Award for best revival, and this movie features the same cast and creative team. Tonight, the 92nd Street Y streams a live conversation with Parsons, Quinto, Bomer and Mantello about the piece's place in gay history. Watch for free on the 92Y's website. And even if you don't have Netflix, you can still watch the film at no cost by signing up for a 30-day free trial.

Working Theater: American Dreams
At 7 p.m. ET, Working Theatre presents American Dreams, a darkly clever theatrical game show in which contestants vie for instant citizenship—and the audience decides who wins. The timely work is the brainchild of playwright Leila Buck and director Tamilla Woodard, who's the co-artistic director of Working Theatre, which is mounting this piece in conjunction with a host of regional theatres. Tonight's performance is co-produced with Maryland's Round House Theatre. Log on ready to vote! Tickets are $30.

The Metropolitan Opera: Tristan und Isolde
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera kicks off a week of Wagner favorites with Tristan und Isolde, featuring Nina Stemme and Stuart Skelton as the doomed title couple whose all-consuming love defies the law. Mariusz Trelinski's 2016 mounting costars Ekaterina Gubanova, Evgeny Nikitin and René Pape, and Sir Simon Rattle conducts. Watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Idomeneo, until 6:30 p.m. today.

Stars in the House: Brenda Braxton
At 8 p.m. ET, Smokey Joe's Cafe Tony nominee and Chicago vet Brenda Braxton guest hosts Stars in the House, and she's bringing some as-yet-unnamed friends with her. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

Jim Caruso's Pajama Cast Party
At 8 p.m. ET, cabaret maven Jim Caruso welcomes renowned singers and up-and-comers at Pajama Cast Party, a live-streamed version of his popular weekly Cast Party gatherings that have taken place at Birdland for years. Tonight's lineup includes Tony-nominated husband-and-wife songwriting team Nell Benjamin and Laurence O'Keefe (Legally Blonde), Hadestown's Kimberly Marable and French musical theatre star Marie Oppert. Watch for free on YouTube though tips via the Venmo app are appreciated.

Bindlestiff Open Stage: Quarantine Edition
At 8 p.m. ET, the Bindlestiff Family Cirkus leaps into fall with a new season of its weekly live-streamed variety show. Hosted by adorkable ringmaster Keith Nelson, this evening's cavalcade includes aerialist Sara "Zepe" Zepezauer, Eries and the Uganda Acrobatic Circus Troupe, magician Shreeyash Palishkar, ukulele master Sarah King and the indescribably hilarious ZeroBoy. Watch for free on Bindlestiff's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

Available to Watch All Day

Dramatists Play Service: The Party Hop
On Saturday, Dramatists Play Service premiered this star-studded reading of Natalie Margolin's The Party Hop, and you can watch a recording today. A dark comedy set three years into COVID-19 quarantine (oy!), it centers on three Zoom-party hopping college sophomores yearning for in-person contact. The cast includes young Broadway and Hollywood favorites Ben Platt, Beanie Feldstein, Ashley Park, Noah Galvin, Kathryn Gallagher, Ayo Edebiri, Kaitlyn Dever and Catherine Cohen. Watch for free on Dramatists Play Service's YouTube channel.

Play-PerView: Title and Deed Starring Will Eno
On Saturday, Play-PerView presented a live reading of Title and Deed, starring the playwright himself, Will Eno, and you can watch a recording through Wednesday, October 21. The Pulitzer Prize finalist plays a nameless traveler seeking solace and connection in an unknown country. Eno's favorite Beckettian themes of mortality, isolation and loneliness are all present! Tickets are pay what you wish and proceeds benefit RAICES in Texas.

¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices
It's your last chance to catch ¡Viva Broadway! Hear Our Voices, a concert celebrating Latinx artists and theatrical milestones. Sergio Trujillo directs and choreographs the evening, which is hosted by On Your Feet! diva Andréa Burns and features a reunion of Lin-Manuel Miranda's In the Heights; sneak peeks at John Leguizamo's musical Kiss My Aztec! and Antonio Banderas' in A Chorus Line in Spain; plus performances by Gloria Estefan, Raúl Esparza, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Ana Villafañe, Ariana DeBose, Shereen Pimentel, Caesar Samayoa and Josh Segarra. Watch for free until tonight on Playbill's YouTube channel though donations are encouraged.

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

Top image: Andy Karl and Orfeh.

RAVEN SNOOK