Top 5 Stage Performances to Stream This Weekend April 24-26
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 24 to Sunday, April 26, for free or at low cost.
Live From 54 Below: Sondheim Unplugged: The Final Season
Live-streaming on Sunday, April 26 at 7 p.m. ET for $30.
After 15 years, this stripped-down concert series celebrating the late songwriting legend Stephen Sondheim is set to sign off. But they’re sending in the crooners a few more times! Talented vocalists perform Sondheim tunes accompanied solely by piano alongside special guest including Jeff Blumenkrantz from two different Broadway productions of Into the Woods, Ramona Mallory from the Broadway revival of A Little Night Music and Lucia Spina from the recent Into the Woods. Live-streaming from 54 Below’s swanky stage. If you prefer to attend in person, click here for info.
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PBS Great Performances: Shakespeare in the Park: Hamlet
Streaming until Thursday, April 30 for FREE.
The Public Theater’s FREE Shakespeare in the Park recently announced its summer shows. So it’s the perfect time to revisit productions past, like this Hamlet. Slave Play Tony nominee Ato Blankson-Wood stars as the moody monarch hell-bent on avenging his father’s murder. Directed by Tony winner Kenny Leon and recorded live in 2023, it’s a modern-day reimagining of the tragedy set in Georgia post-COVID. I quite admired it, especially Lorraine Toussaint as Hamlet’s mother and the riveting John Douglas Thompson as his uncle-turned-stepfather. The ghost scene will truly haunt you!
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The Wilma Theater: The Most Spectacularly Lamentable Trial of Miz Martha Washington
Streaming until Sunday, May 3 starting at $20.
Philadelphia’s Wilma Theater recently presented an acclaimed revival of Pulitzer Prize winner James Ijames’ breakthrough play, a fantastical portrait of the final days of America’s first First Lady as she’s forced to face the sins on which our country was built. A nonlinear romp about some very serious subjects.
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Common Denominator Featuring Gavin Creel
Streaming for FREE, email required.
In October 2023, less than a year before the beloved actor Gavin Creel died from a rare aggressive cancer, he filmed Common Denominator, a documentary about his mental health journey that also included songs from Walk on Through, his profoundly personal musical. That doc is finally available to stream for free for a limited time through its distributor, just enter your email to receive the link. Make sure tissues are handy. Love that Creel is still impacting lives even though he’s gone.
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MetLiveArts: Gavin Creel’s Walk on Through
Streaming on YouTube for FREE.
More incredible Creel! The Tony Award winner wasn’t just a beloved Broadway performer, he was also quite an accomplished songwriter, as his almost-solo show Walk on Through proves. Inspired by his visits to The Metropolitan Museum of Art and commissioned by the institution, the show premiered at The Met in 2021; a recording of the evening was uploaded to YouTube in his honor. I saw Walk on Through Off Broadway in 2023 and adored Creel’s heartfelt and humorous tribute to the art of appreciating art.
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