Theater News

Join Tony Winner Ali Stroker for a One-Night-Only Concert, and Find More to Watch Here

And if you haven’t signed up for Disney Plus yet, ”The Muppet Show” and ”Cinderella”, starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, are waiting for you.


THIS WEEKEND


Join Broadway's groundbreaking Tony Award-winning performer Ali Stroker for an intimate live-streamed concert from the stage of Kean University's Enlow Recital Hall on February 27 at 7:30pm. The evening will feature songs from the Great American Songbook from such composers as Lin-Manuel Miranda, Stephen Sondheim, Carole King, Stephen Schwartz, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and more! For tickets and more information, click here.


Bill Camp
Bill Camp
(© Michael Creagh)

Emmy and Tony nominee Bill Camp (The Queen's Gambit) will star in a filmed production of Samuel Beckett's First Love, directed by JoAnne Akalaitis. Theatre for a New Audience will premiere the work on Vimeo February 25-March 1. It was recorded remotely over Zoom at Camp's home in Vermont. Admission is free, but registration is required. You can find out more and register here.


Adrian Zmed, Sandy Duncan, Didi Conn, and Donny Most in Middletown
Adrian Zmed, Sandy Duncan, Didi Conn, and Don Most in Middletown
(image via the Strand Theatre)

Middletown, a new play by Dan Clancy, is currently streaming through April 4. The production stars Didi Conn (Grease), Sandy Duncan (My One and Only), Adrian Zmed (T.J. Hooker), and Don Most (Happy Days). The play is presented as a reading, with the actors standing at four podiums with scripts. Middletown tells the story of two couples, Peg and Tom, and Dotty and Don, as they "endure the roller coaster of life together in this exhilarating and universal depiction of love, life, and friendship." For tickets, click here.


ON THE HORIZON


A scene from Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
A scene from Matthew Bourne's Swan Lake
(© Johan Persson)

New York City Center will present a streaming festival of ballets by choreographer Matthew Bourne, running March 5-April 4. Tickets are $15 per production, with a package including the full lineup for $50. The lineup will include Bourne's iconic Swan Lake, available March 5-14; The Car Man, a loose adaptation of Bizet's Carmen, available March 12-21; Cinderella, with a score by Prokofiev, available March 19-28; and Romeo and Juliet, also featuring a score by Prokofiev, available March 26-April 4. Each title will be remain on demand for 10 days. For more information, click here.


NNR – New Normal Rep has announced its inaugural four-play season, featuring works by playwrights Julia Blauvelt, Jack Canfora, Pulitzer Prize-winning and Tony-nominated playwright Nilo Cruz, and Obie winner and Pulitzer nominee Nikkole Salter. Jericho, the first play, which streams March 4-April 4, will be directed by four-time Academy Award nominee Marsha Mason and feature Golden Globe and an Obie Award winner and Emmy nominee Jill Eikenberry. For tickets and more information, click here.


Japan Society, in association with PlayCo, presents the virtual production of Ludic Proxy: Fukushima, written and directed by the Brooklyn-based theater-maker Aya Ogawa. Based on her own play Ludic Proxy, it is a virtual reimagining of the original play's second act commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Great East Japan Earthquake and subsequent nuclear disaster in Fukushima Prefecture. This online iteration will stream March 6 at 9:30pm ET, March 7 at 4:30pm ET, and March 11 at 8pm ET. For tickets and more information, click here.


Annie Golden, Jonathan Hadary, Debra Monk, Terrence Mann, Victor Garber, Lee Wilkof, Eddie Korbich, Greg Germann, and William Parry in Assassins at Playwrights Horizons, circa 1990
Annie Golden, Jonathan Hadary, Debra Monk, Terrence Mann, Victor Garber, Lee Wilkof, Eddie Korbich, Greg Germann, and William Parry in Assassins at Playwrights Horizons, circa 1990
(© Martha Swope)

Patrick Cassidy will reunite the original cast and creative team of Assassins to mark the show's 30th anniversary, with a free event taking place on March 8 at 8pm ET. Cassidy and fellow original cast members Victor Garber, Greg Germann, Annie Golden, Lyn Greene, Jonathan Hadary, Eddie Korbich, Terrence Mann, Debra Monk, William Parry, and Lee Wilkof will be joined by writers Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman, director Jerry Zaks, musical director Paul Gemignani, and orchestrator Michael Starobin for a conversation about the show's creation, complete with rarely seen clips and images. Read our appraisal of Assassins at 30 here. The Assassins reunion event will be available here.


Patricia Clarkson and John Slattery
Patricia Clarkson and John Slattery
(© David Gordon)

Richard Greenberg's Three Days of Rain will stream on demand March 11-21, and feature original stars Patricia Clarkson, John Slattery, and Bradley Whitford. Evan Yionoulis directs the Manhattan Theatre Club presentation. For tickets and more information, click here.


In celebration of International Women's Day, Disney on Broadway has announced free registration, programming, and participants for the 4th annual Women's Day on Broadway virtual event on March 12 at 1pm ET. All gender identities and expressions are welcome. To learn more about the event's programming and to register for free, click here.


10×10 is back to shake those winter blues away, from the comfort of your own home! Filmed live on Barrington Stage Company's Boyd-Quinson Stage, this year's selection of ten 10-minute plays is sure to delight. For tickets and more information, click here.


In the tradition of the "one man composer shows" adding operatic voices when called for, Puccini — Live From Florence, starring Hershey Felder, will take place on March 14 at 8pm ET. The show tells the story of the great composer's deliciously scandalous life, his female characters, and how the real women in his life affected the women he created onstage. Filmed live on location in the places where these events and these compositions and premieres actually took place, Puccini will include music from La Bohème, Tosca, Turandot, and more. Purchase includes the live stream and a week of ON DEMAND viewing access to the recording of the live stream (through 3/21). For tickets and more information, click here.


Irish Repertory Theatre will stream The Aran Islands: A Performance on Screen March 16-28. The play by J.M. Synge is a haunting and visceral experience built around "a hypnotic performance" by Brendan Conroy, one of Ireland's finest actors, as he captures the spirit of Synge in Joe O'Bryne's theatrical adaptation. Tickets are free, but donations are welcome. For tickets and more information, click here.


The cast of The Picture of Dorian Gray
The cast of The Picture of Dorian Gray
(images provided by the production)

A starry cast headed by Fionn Whitehead will perform a contemporary adaptation of Oscar Wilde's The Picture of Dorian Gray, streaming March 16-31. Whitehead will take on the title role, alongside Alfred Enoch as Harry Wotton, Joanna Lumley as Lady Narborough, Emma McDonald as Sibyl Vane, Russell Tovey as Basil Hallward, and Stephen Fry as the Interviewer. The play is written by Henry Filloux-Bennett and directed by Tamara Harvey. For tickets and more information, click here.


Maulik Pancholy
Maulik Pancholy
(© Tricia Baron)

Maulik Pancholy will star in George Street Playhouse's streaming production of Becky Mode's solo show Fully Committed, available March 23-April 11. Fully Committed is based on characters created by Mode and original star Mark Setlock. Pancholy will play more than 40 characters in the work, which follows a day in the life of Sam, a reservation-line receptionist at one of New York's trendiest restaurants. For tickets and more information, click here.


Maestra Music will hold its first annual concert event on March 29 at 8 pm, with an interactive pre-show beginning at 7 pm. Directed by Kate Baldwin and produced by Baldwin, Georgia Stitt, and Laura Ivey, Amplify 2021 is hosted by Brooks Ashmanskas and Andréa Burns. This eclectic concert will feature stories, conversations and musical performances from Ashley Park, Nikki M. James, Brandon Victor Dixon, Tanya Birl, Kenita Miller, Shelley Thomas, Eva Noblezada, and Reeve Carney, along with appearances from Anais Mitchell, Kirsten Childs, Helen Park, Rona Siddiqui, Britt Bonney, Kristy Norter, Dionne McClain-Freeney, Meg Zervoulis, Kat Sherrell, Nicole Rebolledo, Maestra founder Georgia Stitt, and a special appearance by Bernadette Peters'''. For tickets and more information, click here.


Patrice Johnson Chevannes and David Harbour
Patrice Johnson Chevannes and David Harbour
(© David Gordon)

American Conservatory Theatre has announced casting for its upcoming filmed reading of Alice Childress's Trouble in Mind, directed by Awoye Timpo and streaming on demand March 29-April 4. The company will be led by Patrice Johnson Chevannes, alongside David Harbour as Al Manners, Lauren Spencer as Millie Davis, Anthony Fusco as Bill O'Wray, Kadeem Ali Harris as John Nevins, Dakin Matthews as Henry, Steven Anthony Jones as Sheldon Forrester, Eliza Kaye as Judy Sears, and Johnny Rice as Eddie Fenton. Childress's masterpiece would have been the first play by a Black woman produced on Broadway if she had agreed to the producers' demands that she soften its message. For tickets and more information, click here.


Jenn Colella and Jay Armstrong Johnson
Jenn Colella and Jay Armstrong Johnson
(© Tricia Baron/David Gordon)

Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS has announced casting for its 2021 Broadway Backwards benefit, streaming for free March 30-April 3. In this virtual production, Jay Armstrong Johnson will star as an isolated New Yorker who dreams a fantastical journey guided by a late-night television host, portrayed by Jenn Colella. This year's streaming event also includes a special opening number featuring Stephanie J. Block, Deborah Cox, and Lea Salonga, plus performances and appearances by Matt Bomer, Darren Criss, Ariana DeBose, Robin De Jesús, Cynthia Erivo, Joshua Henry, Cherry Jones, Kelli O'Hara, and Jim Parsons. More of this year's special guests will be announced in the coming weeks. For more information, click here.


CURRENTLY RUNNING


(image provided by Disney Plus)
(image provided by Disney Plus)

Jim Henson's The Muppet Show will begin airing on Disney Plus on February 19. The variety show, which introduced the world to characters like Kermit the Frog, Miss Piggy, Gonzo, Fozzie Bear, and more, feature weekly guests culled from the world of Hollywood and Broadway. You can sign up for Disney Plus here.


Actors from Broadway and London's West End team up for the Shakespeare@ Home, all-free radio play Julius Caesar, which launches February 22 at 7pm ET. Tony-nominated actor Patrick Page (Hadestown) stars in the title role with Jordan Barbour (Broadway's The Inheritance) as Brutus, Sky Lakota Lynch (Dear Evan Hansen) as Lucius, and Keith Hamilton Cobb (American Moor) as Cassius. Julius Caesar is one of Shakespeare's best known and most often quoted plays, chronicling the political and moral crisis of Brutus and his fellow conspirators as they plot to murder Caesar to prevent a dictatorship. Debut dates for parts 2, 3, and 4 of Julius Caesar are subsequent Mondays at 7pm EST on March 1 and 8. The final episode will premiere on March 15. Tickets are free, and donations are welcome. Find out more here


Brandy and Whitney Houston in Cinderella
Brandy and Whitney Houston in Cinderella
(© Disney)

The much-loved 1997 Wonderful World of Disney presentation of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Cinderella, starring Brandy and Whitney Houston, will come to Disney Plus beginning Friday, February 12. Cinderella stars Brandy in the title role and Houston as her Fairy Godmother, alongside Whoopie Goldberg as Queen Constantina, Bernadette Peters as the evil Stepmother, Paolo Montalbán as Prince Christopher, Victor Garber as King Maximillian, Jason Alexander as Lionel, Natalie Desselle as Minerva, and Veanne Cox as Calliope. To watch, sign up for Disney Plus here.


Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn in Angels in America
Nathan Lane as Roy Cohn in Angels in America
(© Helen Maybanks)

The Tony-winning revival of Tony Kushner's Angels in America has joined the lineup of National Theatre at Home, the official streaming service of London's National Theatre. Marianne Elliott's production was filmed during its 2017 run at the National, prior to its Broadway engagement the next year. The filmed Angels in America features nearly the exact same cast lineup as the New York run, led by Nathan Lane and Andrew Garfield as Roy Cohn and Prior Walter, respectively, roles for which they would eventually win Tonys. To watch, subscribe here. The full production is also available as an audio play, which you can purchase here.


The Geffen Theatre is streaming Bollywood Kitchen now through March 6. In this interactive production, filmmaker and cookbook author Sri Rao invites us to prepare a homemade Indian meal along with him, drawing on the recipes that were staples at his family's table. As we join him in cooking these delicious dishes in our very own kitchens, Sri interweaves the story of his parents immigrating to America, the joy and nourishment that Bollywood musicals brought to his whole family, and the culinary traditions they shared. To read our review, click here. For tickets and more information, click here and watch the video above.


MasterVoices is presenting a new digital film series inspired by Adam Guettel's song cycle Myths and Hymns. Conceived by artistic director Ted Sperling, Myths and Hymns is divided into four chapters. The first edition of the digital series, titled "Flight," premieres January 13 at 6:30pm ET on the MasterVoices YouTube channel and will be available through June 30. It will include the songs "Prometheus," performed by Anderson & Roe; "Saturn Returns: The Flight," performed by Joshua Henry; "Icarus," performed by Mykal Kilgore and Norm Lewis; "Migratory V," performed by Julia Bullock, Renée Fleming, and Kelli O'Hara; "Pegasus," performed by Jose Llana, Capathia Jenkins, and Elizabeth Stanley; and "Jesus, the Mighty Conqueror," performed by Take 6. Watch the video above.


Woolly Mammoth Theatre Company is streaming Hi, Are You Single? through February 28. The show is described as follows: "Ryan has a higher sex drive than you. He also has cerebral palsy. You can often find him on Grindr or at your local inaccessible gay bar. Join writer/performer Ryan J. Haddad on his search to find love." For tickets and more information, click here.


The Al Hirschfeld Foundation celebrates Black History Month with its latest online exhibition, Amplified Dignity: Black Dancers Drawn by Hirschfeld. The exhibition, which will be available though March 13, features Hirschfeld's reflections of legendary 20th-century artists including Sammy Davis Jr., Josephine Baker, Nicholas Brothers, Bunny Briggs, Judith Jamison, Hinton Battle, Maurice Hines, and Honi Coles. To view the collection, click here.


Shakespeare Theatre Company is streaming Tony nominee Patrick Page's All the Devils Are Here: How Shakespeare Invented the Villain through July 28. Page explores how Shakespeare created the treacherous characters we all love to hate. Read our interview with the Hadestown star here, and watch the show's trailer above. For tickets and more information, click here.