TDF Stages

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, Tuesday, September 1, from the comfort of your couch for free or at low cost.

A Come From Away Conversation 
At 1 p.m. ET, TDF reunites Come From Away castmates Caesar Samayoa and Kenita R. Miller for an intimate chat. Running on Broadway since 2017, the musical’s message of resilience, hope and togetherness speaks urgently to our current moment. We expect lots of laughs (and tears!) as these offstage pals discuss their funniest onstage mishaps, how they've been staying creative during the shutdown and what they think the future of theatre looks like. Watch on TDF’s Facebook page with hankies on hand.

Bedlam: Macbeth
At 6:30 p.m. ET, Bedlam, a NYC theatre company lauded for its reinventions of classics (Sense & Sensibility, The Crucible), presents a live reading of Macbeth directed by Ryan Quinn. The evening kicks off with a half hour of live music. Watch for free on the company's Facebook page though donations to The Black Women Playwrights' Group are encouraged.

Bucks County Playhouse: Dear Liar 
At 7 p.m. ET, Bucks County Playhouse presents a reading of Jerome Kitty’s Dear Liar starring four-time Oscar nominee Marsha Mason and Emmy winner Brian Cox, and directed by Broadway’s Mark Brokaw (How I Learned to Drive). Full of stinging wit and deep emotion, the play brings to life the stormy relationship between famed playwright George Bernard Shaw and Mrs. Pat, the actress for whom he created Eliza Doolittle in Pygmalion. Tickets are $35 and support the Bucks County Playhouse Pandemic Campaign. 

Broadway Buskers
At 7 p.m. ET, since 2018, the Times Square Alliance has been presenting Broadway Buskers, a summer concert series showcasing the songwriting talents of NYC theatre folk. This year the show goes online with live-streamed sets on Tuesday nights through October 27. This evening enjoy numbers by Jasmine Forsberg (Broadway Bounty Hunter), John Krause (Hadestown) and Josh Walker (Side Show). Watch for free on the Times Square Alliance website though donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and the Broadway Advocacy Coalition are encouraged.

American Ballet Theatre: Center Stage Reunion
At 7:30pm ET, the esteemed American Ballet Theatre reunites the stars of the cult classic film Center Stage in celebration of its 20th anniversary. Castmates Zoe Saldana, Amanda Schull, Ethan Stiefel and Sascha Radetsky are sure to revisit their time at the "American Ballet Academy" and chat about the film's impact on the ballet field. Watch for free on ABT's YouTube channel, or get tickets to the pre-show reception starting at 6:15 to benefit the #ABTCrisisReliefFund.

The Metropolitan Opera: Peter Grimes
At 7:30 p.m. ET, the Metropolitan Opera streams Benjamin Britten’s Peter Grimes, about an outsider fisherman’s persecution in a small Suffolk coastal village and his slow descent into madness. Part of this week’s showcase of innovative 20th and early 21st century compositions, watch for free for 23 hours after the start time on the Metropolitan Opera's website. You can still stream yesterday's opera, Elektra, until 6:30 p.m. ET today.

Stars in the House: Smokey Joe’s Café Reunion 
At 8 p.m. ET, Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley reunite the original Broadway cast of Smokey Joe’s Café, a 1995 musical revue showcasing 39 pop standards by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller (fun fact: the song "Smokey Joe's Café" was not one of them). We look forward to an appearance from Brenda Braxon. Watch for free on YouTube though donations to The Actors Fund are encouraged.

the cell: Tolerance Party: #1 "Ice-Breakers"
At 8 p.m. ET, the cell theatre premieres its serialized dark comedy, Tolerance Party. “Ice-Breakers,” the first piece of the series, features six strangers brought together in a video chat by an unknown entity. Audience members are encouraged to participate in a live chat that will help determine the fate of the characters in following episodes. With a running time of just a half-hour, the broadcast can be streamed on the company’s website; tickets range from $5-25. 

The Latino Theater Company: La Olla  
At 10 p.m. ET, The Latino Theater Company streams its 2016 production of La Olla. Written by Evelina Fernández and directed by José Luis Valenzuela, this modern take on the Plautus Roman Comedy A Pot of Gold tells the story of a bit player in a shady 1950s L.A. nightclub who finds a pot full of cash. Performed in English with Spanish subtitles, this production can be streamed on the company’s website.  

Available to Watch All Day

Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater: No Longer Silent
Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater presents No Longer Silent, an epic ensemble work by the troupe's artistic director, Robert Battle, set to Erwin Schulhoff's percussive score as dancers participate in a mysterious, militaristic ritual. The composer died in a Nazi concentration camp, and the 2015 Ailey debut of this work was timed to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the end of the Holocaust. Watch for free until Thursday, September 3 on the troupe's YouTube channel.

Rattlestick Playwrights Theater: SOLDIERGIRLS
Rattlestick Playwrights Theater presents a concert reading of songs and scenes from SOLDIERGIRLS, a new "lesbian musical sex comedy" by Em Weinstein and Emily Johnson-Erday. Inspired by real correspondence between members of the US Army's Women's Army Corps in World War II, the performance features Tony nominees Jenn Collela and Lilli Cooper, and Broadway vets Chilina Kennedy, Ezra Menas, Melanie Field and Jessie Shelton. Watch for free on Rattlestick's YouTube channel though donations to SPART*A (Service Members, Partners, Allies for Respect and Tolerance for All) are encouraged.

 

Elyse Orecchio is TDF's Online Presence Manager. Follow her on Instagram and on Twitter at @elyseo. Follow TDF at @TDFNYC. 

Top image: Come From Away castmates Caesar Samayoa and Kenita R. Miller