Theater News

5 Shows to Check Out This Weekend, Plus Find Out What Else Is Streaming Soon

Julianne Moore stars in ”The Glorias”, and the Broadway cast of ”The Boys in the Band” come to Netflix.

With theaters closed around the country, some companies are making their productions available online. Below, you'll find our weekly update of productions, videos, and other theater-related streaming content from across the US and elsewhere. Some streams are free, while others may charge a fee or request a donation. Either way, you're sure to find something to scratch your theater itch. Theaters may be dark, but the shows go on.


This Weekend

1. Netflix has released Joe Mantello's film remake of Mart Crowley's The Boys in the Band. The company is made up of Jim Parsons (Michael), Zachary Quinto (Harold), Matt Bomer (Donald), Andrew Rannells (Larry), Charlie Carver (Cowboy), Robin De Jesús (Emory), Brian Hutchison (Alan), Michael Benjamin Washington (Bernard), and Tuc Watkins (Hank). In the video below, explore why The Boys in the Band continues to remain relevant today:

2. Amazon Prime has released Julie Taymor's Gloria Steinem biopic The Glorias, written by Taymor and Sarah Ruhl, on its Prime Video platform. Spanning five decades, the film has multiple actors playing Steinem at various ages: Ryan Kira Armstrong as Young Gloria, Lulu Wilson as Teen Gloria, Alicia Vikander as Gloria ages 20-40, and Julianne Moore as Steinem through the present. The cast also includes Bette Midler as Bella Abzug, Janelle Monáe as Dorothy Pitman Hughes, Timothy Hutton as Leo Steinem, Lorraine Toussaint as Florynce Kennedy, Enid Graham as Ruth, Kimberly Guerrero as Wilma Mankiller, Monica Sanchez as Dolores Huerta, and Margo Moorer as Barbara Jordan. To watch, click here.

Julianne Moore in The Glorias
Julianne Moore in The Glorias
(© Dan McFadden)

3. Barrington Stage will stream an encore of Eleanor, which was filmed earlier this month without an audience at BSC's Boyd-Quinson Mainstage, on October 3 and 4 at 7:30pm ET. Tickets ($15) can be ordered here, and a link will then be sent to the ticket holder within 24 hours of the scheduled performance. Eleanor stars Tony winner Harriet Harris in the title role.

Harriet Harris
Harriet Harris
courtesy of Barrington Stage Company

4. Potomac Theatre Project's 34th repertory season, Virtual(ly) PTP/NYC, continues this week with Howard Barker's Don't Exaggerate (desire and abuse), directed by Richard Romagnoli. The stream will be available through October 4. Upcoming streams will include Dan O'Brien's The House in Scarsdale: A Memoir for the Stage, directed by Christian Parker, and Caryl Churchill's Far Away, directed by Cheryl Faraone. For more information, click here.

5. West End, Broadway, and television stars will join Shakespeare@'s radio play production of Shakespeare's The Tempest, which launches Thursday, October 1, at 7pm ET and is free to download and stream. The Tempest will air in four weekly parts. To see the cast and learn more, click here. Debut dates for parts 2, 3 and 4 are subsequent Thursdays in October at 7pm ET (October 8, 15, and 22). Donations are welcome and encouraged.


Upcoming

* A digital Australian production of the musical Who's Your Baghdaddy, or How I Started the Iraq War is available to stream online now. You can stream the production here.

* The Shows Must Go On channel on YouTube will present a re-broadcast of Andrew Lloyd Webber's The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall for free this weekend. Filmed in 2011 in celebration of the show's 25th anniversary, the production stars Ramin Karimloo as the Phantom, Sierra Boggess as Christine, and Hadley Fraser as Raoul. It will stream beginning at 2pm ET on Friday, October 9, and will remain on YouTube for 48 hours. Go to YouTube here.

A scene from The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall
A scene from The Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall
(image provided by Think Jam)

* Under the Greenwood Tree, which chronicles the Public Works production of Shaina Taub's As You Like It, will stream here beginning October 8. Watch the trailer below:

* Goodspeed Musicals joins arts organizations around the nation to present the virtual concert event Get Happy: Angela Ingersoll Sings Judy Garland, streaming live from Chicago, Sunday, October 11 at 7pm ET. Patrons may purchase one ticket per household to watch live but may choose to support Goodspeed and the performers by purchasing tickets for all those who will be enjoying the concert. The link to watch will be sent in advance via confirmation email. For more information, click here.

* St. Ann's Warehouse will stream Phyllida Lloyd's all-female Shakespeare trilogy. Julius Caesar will run October 9-15, Henry IV will air October 16-22, and The Tempest will run October 23-29. It will also be seen over the course of one marathon weekend, October 30-November 1. For tickets and more information, click here.

* Ken Davenport presents The Doo Wop Project: Live In Your Living Room, a virtual theatrical concert, broadcast live from Shubert Studios, on Sunday, October 25, at 7pm. For tickets and more infomation, click here.

Atlantic Theater Company's Fall Reunion Reading Series launches October 22 and will include broadcasts of Skeleton Crew by MacArthur Genius Grant recipient Dominique Morisseau, and Lortel and Obie Award winner Guards at the Taj by Pulitzer Prize finalist Rajiv Joseph. Tickets to the readings, which will be broadcast via Atlantic Theater Company's YouTube channel, are free and available to reserve here, with a suggested donation of $25 per viewer.


More Streaming Channels

* Lin-Manuel Miranda's blockbuster musical Hamilton streams on Disney Plus, featuring the original cast, led by Miranda as Hamilton, Leslie Odom Jr. as Aaron Burr, Daveed Diggs as Marquis de Lafayette/Thomas Jefferson, Renée Elise Goldsberry as Angelica Schuyler, Christopher Jackson as George Washington, Jonathan Groff as King George, Phillipa Soo as Eliza Hamilton, Jasmine Cephas Jones as Peggy Schuyler/Maria Reynolds, Okieriete Onaodowan as Hercules Mulligan/James Madison, and Anthony Ramos as John Laurens/Philip Hamilton. To find out how to watch, click here.