7 Shows to Check Out, Including Estella Scrooge, and Night of the Iguana With Phylicia Rashad
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, TV, and other 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 Week
1. Tennessee Williams's The Night of the Iguana will stream as a benefit for the Actors Fund December 2-6. The pre-recorded presentation will feature Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Dylan McDermott as Reverend Shannon, Emmy nominee and Tony Award winner Phylicia Rashad as Maxine, Roberta Maxwell as Miss Fellowes, Tony nominee, Obie and Drama Desk Award winner Austin Pendleton as Nonno, Jean Lichty as Hannah, with Keith Randolph Smith as Jake, Carmen Berkeley as Charlotte, Eliud Kauffman as Hank, Julio Macias as Pancho, Stephanie Schmiderer as Frau Fahrenkopf, Bradley James Tejeda as Pedro, and John Hans Tester as Herr Fahrenkopf. Tickets range from $10-$250. To purchase tickets and for more information, click here.
2. Book your Holi-date now to see Estella Scrooge: A New Broadway Musical With a Twist. Combining the excitement of live theater with the magic of movies, this new musical fare is sure to become a holiday favorite for the whole family. Starring Broadway favorites including Betsy Wolfe in the title role, Lauren Patten, Patrick Page, Clifton Duncan, and Danny Burstein. For tickets and more information, click here. Watch the trailer below:
3. The "Spotlight on Plays" series continues with a first-time reunion of the original Broadway Manhattan Theatre Club production of Donald Margulies's Time Stands Still on Thursday, December 3 at 8pm ET. It will be available until until Monday, December 7. The play stars Eric Bogosian, Brian d'Arcy James, Laura Linney, and Alicia Silverstone directed by Daniel Sullivan. For tickets, click here.
4. Snoop Dogg, Loretta Devine, and Joaquina Kalukango will star in a virtual reading of Katori Hall's Hurt Village, available December 4-8 on YouTube. The free reading is a benefit, with suggested donations going to the Actors Fund, presented by Cast Black Talent. For tickets, click here.
(© Thecomeupshow/Wikimedia Commons; David Gordon)
5. Porchlight Music Theatre will stream Burning Bluebeard, now in its ninth year, December 4-January 3. A magical story, told with music, clowning, tumbling, acrobatics, and dance, Burning Bluebeard' is a physical-performance phenomena inspired by the true story of Chicago's former Iroquois Theatre and the unforgettable events that resulted in tragedy for 600 theatergoers at Christmastime in 1903. For tickets, click here.
6. American Conservatory Theatre's A Christmas Carol: On Air will come to life as an enthralling radio play that the whole family can enjoy from the comfort of their home. A Christmas Carol: On Air will stream beginning Friday, December 4 at 9pm ET. For more information, click here.
7. The recent West End revival of 42nd Street will stream for free on YouTube this weekend as part of the Shows Must Go On! series. 42nd Street will be available for 48 hours beginning Friday, December 4, at 2pm ET. While the event is free, donations to Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS are requested.
You can watch below.
Upcoming
* International recording artist Brian Kennedy will announce the release of his latest single and return to host his 9th live concert event on Facebook on Saturday, December 5. A Night In With Brian Kennedy will feature a new set of songs, surprises, and chat streamed live from Dublin, Ireland at 3pm ET. To watch, click here.
* The National Theater Folksbiene will stream a star-studded Folksbiene Virtual Chanukah Spectacular on December 8 at 7pm ET. Special guests will include Emanuel Azenberg, Mayim Bialik, Billy Crystal, Tovah Feldshuh, Beanie Feldstein, Joel Grey, Carol Kane, Barry Manilow, Mandy Patinkin, Itzhak Perlman, Eleanor Reissa, Neil Sedaka, Steven Skybell. Dr. Ruth, Jerry Zaks, and more! Plus a special audio greeting by Carol Burnett. Tickets are free, but donations are encouraged. For tickets, click here.
* New York City Center will stream An Evening With Audra McDonald from December 9 at 7:30pm ET through December 16. Six-time Tony winner Audra McDonald will be joined by musical director Andy Einhorn. The intimate evening will feature golden age classics and standards from the Great American Songbook. The concert will be filmed at the venue and serve as City Center's 2020 gala presentation. Pre-show festivities will begin at 6:30pm ET for donors of $2,500 or more. General tickets, costing $35, will go on sale on November 16.
(© David Gordon)
* TheatreWorks Silicon Valley will stream Simple Gifts December 10-27. Simple Gifts is a joyful, multicultural celebration of beloved holiday songs and traditions from many diverse backgrounds. Each $10 donation to TheatreWorks unlocks access for one household to stream the show, making this festive treat the perfect gift to share with family and friends. For tickets, click here.
* Join Broadway favorite Lesli Margherita in the stream of the critically acclaimed, off-Broadway hit Who's Holiday!, set for Friday, December 11. The evening benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Who's Holiday! tells the story of a middle-aged Cindy Lou Who, now residing in a beaten-down trailer in the snowy hills of Mount Crumpit. As she prepares to host a Christmas Eve party for her friends, she recalls her own perspective of that fateful night when she first met the Grinch, and the strange turn of events her life has taken for the past 40 years. Watch the free one-hour stream here beginning at 8pm ET. The performance will be available through December 15.
* Ken Davenport presents The Doo Wop Project: Live in Your Home for the Holidays, a virtual live theatrical concert, on Saturday, December 12, at 8pm. The running time of the concert is 60 minutes, and tickets prices, starting at $25, can be purchased here.
* Andrew Lincoln (The Walking Dead) will play Scrooge in the Old Vic Theatre's live-streamed A Christmas Carol this holiday season. The production, which first ran at the Old Vic four years ago and opened on Broadway last winter, will play 16 performances, December 12-24, with 80,000 tickets available for home viewing around the world. For more information, click here.
(© Helen Maybanks)
* MCC Theater has announced a benefit performance of the Drama Desk-winning play School Girls; or, The African Mean Girls Play, written by Jocelyn Bioh and directed by Kamilah Forbes. School Girls will stream on Sunday, December 13, at 3pm ET on MCC Theater's YouTube channel. The cast include Tony, Emmy, and Grammy Award winner Cynthia Erivo, Shahadi Wright Joseph, Wunmi Mosaku, Ashleigh Murray, Tony Award nominee Da'Vine Joy Randolph, Storm Reid, Olivier Award winner Amber Riley, and Lyric Ross. A live talkback with the cast will follow the performance for select ticket holders. For tickets, click here.
(© David Gordon)
* The cast of Jagged Little Pill will reunite for a one-night concert performance benefiting regional theaters across the country. Tony-nominated stars Elizabeth Stanley, Celia Rose Gooding, Sean Allan Krill, Derek Klena, Lauren Patten, and Kathryn Gallagher, and Antonio Cipriano and more, will take the stage at Shubert Studios on Sunday, December 13 at 8pm ET. Jagged Live in NYC will be directed by Diane Paulus. They will be joined by the production's band. For tickets, click here.
* Disenchanted! Stay-At-Home Version, the off-Broadway musical comedy with book, music, and lyrics by Dennis T. Giacino and developed with Fiely Matias, will stream via Broadway on Demand on Tuesday, December 15, and Thursday, December 17. This virtual presentation will feature an all-female cast including Diana DeGarmo, Micaela Diamond, Tony Award nominee Celia Rose Gooding, Liisi LaFontaine, Jaygee Macapugay, Ashley Pérez Flanagan, Gabriella Pizzolo, and Alysha Umphress. To watch, click here.
* A stellar lineup of theater favorites will show there's no place like Broadway for the holidays as they welcome you into their homes and hearts during Home for the Holidays on Tuesday, December 15. Alan Cumming, André De Shields, Carolee Carmello, Lena Hall, Heather Headley, Ramin Karimloo, Karen Olivo, Jelani Remy, Conrad Ricomora, Jennifer Sanchez and the Grammy Award-winning Broadway Inspirational Voices, and more will take part. The concert is produced by and benefits Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS. Watch the free stream here beginning at 8pm ET. The stream will be available through December 19.
* George C. Wolfe's film adaptation of Ma Rainey's Black Bottom, the third installment in August Wilson's Century Cycle, will premiere on Netflix on December 18. It depicts the racism and exploitation in the music industry through a 1920s recording session with the legendary blues singer Ma Rainey. The film, produced by Denzel Washington and Todd Black, is led by Oscar and Tony winner Viola Davis as Ma Rainey and Chadwick Boseman, in his final screen role, as Levee. Watch the trailer below:
* On December 19, join Josh Groban for the third of his virtual concerts — and his first-ever holiday concert! It will air at 4pm ET. Individual tickets start at $30. To purchase, click here.
* Hershey Felder stars in the title role of Tchaikovsky — Live From Florence on December 20. Based on the original Our Great Tchaikovsky, and featuring an extended focus on The Nutcracker Ballet (in honor of Christmas) as well as Tchaikovsky's life in Florence, Italy, where he spent a good deal of time — Live From Florence will be filmed live on location where Tchaikovsky actually lived and worked in Florence. An interesting, surprising, and engaging holiday treat. Purchase includes the live stream and a week of on demand viewing access to the recording of the live stream (through 12/27). For tickets, click here.
In this unique holiday season, Kris Kringle The Musical offers up a free holiday gift for theater lovers everywhere. On Christmas Day, a virtual, streaming production of the perennial holiday musical, featuring a cast of Broadway veterans, will be available to online audiences at . As an added bonus, starting December 1, Kris Kringle The Musical will release a series of special online musical videos leading up to the Christmas Day stream. All content is available to online audiences, free of charge when you register online. Kris Kringle The Musical supports The Actors Fund of America. For more information, click here.
More Streaming
The Geffen Playhouse has announced its winter 2020 lineup of digital theater, part of its Geffen Stayhouse initiative. The three world premieres are Chelsea Marcantel's Citizen Detective, The Future by Helder Guimarães, and Sri Rao's Bollywood Kitchen. For tickets and more information about Citizen Detective, which runs November 10-December 20, click here. For tickets and more information about The Future, click here. For tickets and more information about Bollywood Kitchen, click here.
(© Hartman Benzon Media)
Tony winner Jefferson Mays will bring his one-man A Christmas Carol to the screen in a new streaming edition that premiers on Saturday, November 28. The video will be available for replay through January 3. For tickets and more information, click here.
Manchester, England's Hope Mill Theatre will stream its new production of Jonathan Larson's Rent during weekends this holiday season. Filmed live on stage and fully edited, the rock opera will run online Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays, November 27-December 20. To purchase tickets, click here.
(© Dujonna Gift-Simms/edited by WhatsOnStage)
Dolly Parton's Christmas on the Square, which Netflix will release on November 22, stars Christine Baranski as Regina, with Parton playing her angel. The cast also includes Jenifer Lewis as Margeline, Treat Williams as Carl, Josh Segarra as Pastor Christian Hathaway, Jeanine Mason as Felicity, Mary Lane Haskell as Jenna Hathaway, and Matthew Johnson as Mack. Take a look at our interview with some of the cast here, and watch the show's trailer below:
Heidi Schreck's Tony-nominated What the Constitution Means to Me is airing on Amazon Prime Video. The stage production was filmed live at the Helen Hayes Theater during the final week of its Broadway run by director Mirelle Heller. The play was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize. To watch on Amazon Prime, click here.
(© Joan Marcus)
HBO is airing Spike Lee's filmed version of David Byrne's American Utopia. The concert, which features choreography and musical staging by Annie-B Parson, includes songs from Byrne's album American Utopia along with songs from Talking Heads and Byrne's solo career. To watch on HBO via Amazon Prime, click here.
(© David Gordon)
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
