Top 5 Stage Performances to Stream This Weekend April 3-5
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 3 to Sunday, April 5, for free or at low cost.
Great Performances at the Met: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay
Streaming until Wednesday, September 30 for FREE.
Mason Bates and Gene Scheer’s opera based on Michael Chabon’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel was a smash for the Met last year, and now you can watch a recording at home. Tony winner Bartlett Sher stages this epic tale set shortly before World War II, as a pair of Jewish cousins concoct an anti-fascist superhero comic book. Baritone Andrzej Filończyk and tenor Miles Mykkanen star.
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National Theatre at Home: Mrs. Warren’s Profession
British stage legend Imelda Staunton and her real-life progeny Bessie Carter play mother and daughter in Bernard Shaw’s provocative 1893 comedy, which was banned in London for a decade! In an era when women have no legal rights and few job prospects, Mrs. Warren has made a fortune and some powerful friends running an international string of high-class brothels. But she’s kept her profession hidden from her daughter, who’s just graduated from university. When the truth is revealed, it rocks both their worlds and relationships. Recorded live in London last year, this is just one of many fantastic National Theatre shows you can stream, so be sure to browse the entire list. Captions are available for all offerings.
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Netflix: Jeff Ross: Take a Banana for the Ride
Streaming for free to Netflix subscribers.
Earlier this season, roast comedy king Jeff Ross made his Broadway debut with Take a Banana for the Ride, which was recorded live onstage for Netflix. In this poignant and personal solo show, Ross shares punch-line-filled portraits of the people (and pooches) who shaped him, including his deceased parents and grandfather as well as three late comic legends: Norm MacDonald, Bob Saget and Gilbert Gottfried. There are also profanity-laden songs and some impromptu audience insults!
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Jonathan Larson Grants Celebration Concert
Streaming for FREE.
Every year, the American Theatre Wing awards generous grants named in honor of late Rent writer Jonathan Larson to promising up-and-coming musical theatre creators. This year’s winners are Fouad Dakwar (Fouad of Nazareth), Dan Fishback (Rubble Rubble), Scott Gilmour & Claire McKenzie (Ceildh), Adam J. Rineer (A Trip to the Moon) and abs wilson (Lighthouse The Musical). A concert showcasing some of their songs was recorded live onstage at Joe’s Pub last week. Listen to the future of musical theatre right now!
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School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play
Streaming for FREE.
Manhattan Theatre Club recently announced that School Girls; Or, The African Mean Girls Play, which was a hit Off Broadway almost a decade ago, is coming to Broadway this fall. But you can watch the original MCC Theater mounting of Jocelyn Bioh’s shrewd comedy about the pecking order at an elite Ghana boarding school on YouTube today.
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