this week in theater

CLASSIC CONVERSATIONS: ASSASSINS

assassins

Who: Eddie Cooper, Ethan Slater, Steven Pasquale, Bianca Horn, John Doyle
What: Online conversations and performances
Where: Classic Stage Company Facebook and YouTube pages
When: Thursdays at 6:00, free but donations accepted
Why: This spring, Classic Stage Company was all set for a highly anticipated all-star revival of Stephen Sondheim and John Weidman’s Assassins when the coronavirus shut down theaters. To keep audiences connected and raise much-needed funds, CSC has started Classic Conversations, a series of talks on Thursday nights at 6:00 with artistic director John Doyle and members of the cast of Assassins; the program is streamed for free on Facebook and YouTube. It began on April 16 with Brandon Uranowitz and continued April 23 with Will Swenson, April 30 with Adam Chanler-Berat, and May 7 with Tavi Gevinson. On May 14, Doyle speaks with Eddie Cooper, followed by Ethan Slater on May 21, Steven Pasquale on May 28, Bianca Horn on June 4, Wesley Taylor on June 11, Andy Grotelueschen on June 18, Brad Giovanine, Katrina Yaukey, Whit K. Lee, and Rob Morrison on June 25, and Judy Kuhn on July 2. CSC plans to mount Assassins onstage once it is safe for everyone to return to theaters, but in the meantime this is a great way to keep in touch.

BROADWAY’S BEST SHOWS: SIGNIFICANT OTHER LIVESTREAM READING

significant other

Who: Gideon Glick, John Behlmann, Sas Goldberg, Rebecca Naomi Jones, Lindsay Mendez, Luke Smith, Barbara Barrie
What: One-night-only livestreamed reading benefiting the Actors Fund
Where: Broadway’s Best Shows, the Actors Fund YouTube page
When: Thursday, May 14, free (donations accepted), 8:00
Why: Joshua Harmon’s Significant Other seems tailor made for the coronavirus pandemic: a brilliant show about a group of friends who are seeking romantic partners, with varying degrees of success, while focusing on Jordan Berman, a twentysomething gay man who thinks he might be doomed to spend his life alone. I first saw the play — and loved it — in 2015 at the Roundabout, then fell in love with it all over again when it moved to the Booth on Broadway in 2017. On May 14, the original Broadway cast will reunite for a one-time-only Zoom reading benefiting the Actors Fund. Participating from wherever they are sheltering in place — either by themselves or with significant others — are Gideon Glick as Jordan, Sas Goldberg as Kiki, Rebecca Naomi Jones as Vanessa, Lindsay Mendez as Laura, Barbara Barrie as Helen, and John Behlmann and Luke Smith as various potential partners, with Trip Cullman directing. The show is sponsored by Broadway’s Best Shows, which previously presented David Mamet’s November on May 8 with John Malkovich, Patti LuPone, Dylan Baker, Ethan Phillips, and Michael Nichols and will next stream A. R. Gurney’s Love Letters, starring Bryan Cranston and Sally Field, directed by Jerry Zaks, on May 21. “Seeing Significant Other for the second time was like reconnecting with old friends,” I wrote back in 2017. I can’t wait to see how I feel when I see it for the third time, from the comfort of my chair in front of my desktop computer, a friendly cat on my lap.

PLAYS IN THE HOUSE: THE CONFESSION OF LILY DARE

The cast of Charles Busch’s The Confessions of Lily Dare will reunite for one-time-only livestreamed benefit reading on May 13 (photo by Carol Rosegg)

Who: Nancy Anderson, Christopher Borg, Charles Busch, Howard McGillin, Kendal Sparks, Jennifer Van Dyck
What: One-time-only livestream reading benefiting the Actors Fund
Where: Stars in the House Facebook page
When: Wednesday, May 13, free (donations accepted), 2:00
Why: Plays in the House is an offshoot of Stars in the House, which is livestreaming discussions, cast reunions, and play readings to benefit the Actors Fund. Among the plays they’ve previously brought back are The Heidi Chronicles (original 1989 cast), Fully Committed, Blithe Spirit, and Charles Busch’s The Tale of the Allergist’s Wife. The packed two-a-day schedule continues May 13 at 2:00 with Busch’s The Confession of Lily Dare. When it ran at the Cherry Lane a few months ago, I called it “a sinfully seductive treat” and wrote that “Busch is at his diva best as Lily, all dolled up in outrageously funny costumes by Jessica Jahn and wigs by Katherine Carr.” At the reading, the original cast, which features Nancy Anderson, Christopher Borg, Howard McGillin, Kendal Sparks, Jennifer Van Dyck, and Busch, will appear from wherever they’re sheltering in place, so it should be interesting to see how the actors and director Carl Andress deal with that aspect of the work, so central to Busch’s oeuvre. Up next for Plays in the House is Samuel Beckett’s Happy Days on May 16 with Brooke Adams and Tony Shalhoub, the husband-and-wife duo who appeared in Andrei Belgrader’s 2015 production at the Flea.

SIGNATURE THEATRE: ARTS LUNCHES / SigSpace SUMMITS

sigspace

Who: Anna Deavere Smith, Michael Urie, Michael Benjamin Washington, Arthur A. Gianelli, more
What: Live online conversations on Wednesdays and virtual lunch discussions on Fridays
Where: Signature Theatre Instagram Live, Facebook Live, Zoom
When: Wednesdays at 5:00 (advance RSVP required for Zoom link), Fridays at noon, free
Why: With arts venues dark, the Signature Theatre is hosting a series of livestreamed events during the pandemic. On Wednesdays at 5:00, SigSpace Summits features a pair of experts discussing life in the age of coronavirus; the program got under way May 6 with two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright Lynn Nottage and author and meditation teacher Sharon Salzberg discussing art and mindfulness and continues May 13 with Pulitzer- and Tony-nominated playwright and actress Anna Deavere Smith — who played a hospital administrator on Nurse Jackie — talking about public health matters with Mount Sinai Morningside president Arthur A. Gianelli; advance RSVP is required for the Zoom link if you are interested in asking questions. Friday Arts Lunches kicked off April 17 with director Saheem Ali and Lupita Nyong’o, followed by members of the cast of Octet on April 24, Francis Jue with David Henry Hwang on May 1, and Crystal Dickinson, Brandon Dirden, and Jason Dirden on May 8. For the May 15 edition, the inimitable Michael Urie (Angels in America) will interview Michael Benjamin Washington, who starred in Smith’s Fires in the Mirror this past fall at the Signature. “Since our lives are currently upended by isolation, we are eager to get a head start on SigSpace by reimagining how to connect with our artists and audiences online,” Signature artistic director Paige Evans said in a statement. “Until we can interact again in our beloved physical space, come interact with us in our virtual space – as we navigate this difficult moment in history together as a community. Once we can gather again in person, we’ll be thrilled for SigSpace to activate our lobby in unique ways for the Signature family while also giving new artists and communities a home with us.” You can catch all the previous shows here.

RED BULL THEATER: RemarkaBULL PODVERSATIONS / CORIOLANUS

coriolanus

Who: Red Bull Theater company
What: Conversation about William Shakespeare’s Coriolanus, live online unrehearsed reading of play
Where: Red Bull Theater website and Facebook Live
When: Monday, May 11 and 18, free (donations accepted), 7:30
Why: No other New York City theater company has taken advantage of livestreaming during the pandemic shutdown like Red Bull has. The troupe, which specializes in Elizabethan and Jacobean comedy and tragedy, has been hosting events on its online sites every Monday night at 7:30, alternating between RemarkaBULL Podversations, in which actors discuss famous speeches, and live, unrehearsed Zoom readings with the original casts of previous Red Bull productions. On April 13, Michael Urie took on the “Queen Mab” speech from Romeo & Juliet, followed April 27 by Elizabeth Marvel tackling Mark Antony’s “Cry Havoc” monologue from Julius Caesar. Meanwhile, the company held live reunion readings of John Ford’s ‘Tis Pity She’s a Whore on April 20 and Ford, Thomas Dekker, and William Rowley’s The Witch of Edmonton on May 4. (While the podversations can still be viewed on the website, the readings are available only through the Friday of that week.)

podversation

Red Bull now turns its attention to the Bard’s Coriolanus, which it staged in the fall of 2016 at the Barrow Street Theatre in a dynamic production set during the Occupy movement that I wrote was transported to “up-to-the-minute contemporary times in a fast and furious immersive adaptation bursting with passion and energy.” On May 11 at 7:30, the podversation “There Is a World Elsewhere” delves into two speeches from the play, with Dion Johnstone, who starred as Cauis Martius, and Lisa Harrow, who played Volumnia, in conversation with Red Bull associate producer Nathan Winkelstein. And nearly the entire original cast will be back on May 18 for a live, unrehearsed reading, with Matthew Amendt as Tullus Aufidius, Zachary Fine as Titus Lartius, Rebecca S’Manga Frank as Virgilia, Harrow as Volumnia, Merritt Janson as Brutus, Johnstone as Cauis Martius, Aaron Krohn as General Cominius, Patrick Page as Menenius Agrippa, Olivia Reis as Young Martius, Lily Santiago as Valeria, Stephen Spinella as Sicinius, and Edward O’Blenis in multiple small roles, along with composer Brandon Wolcott, all performing from wherever they are sheltering in place. Both events are free, but donations are accepted. Up next will be Zoom reunion readings of Red Bull’s 2005-6 version of Thomas Middleton’s The Revenger’s Tragedy on June 1 and Jeffrey Hatcher’s fab 2017 adaptation of Gogol’s The Government Inspector on June 15.

BROADWAY DOES MOTHER’S DAY

broadway

Who: More than fifty Broadway performers
What: Mother’s Day benefit for the Broadway Cares COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund
Where: Broadway.com
When: Sunday, May 10, free (donation suggested), 3:00
Why: Broadway tickets are a popular Mother’s Day gift from children. This year, there is currently no Broadway, and most Americans will not be able to visit their mothers because of the coronavirus shutdown. So Broadway.com has teamed with Broadway Cares for a holiday spectacular, presenting Broadway Does Mother’s Day, a one-time-only livestreamed event featuring more than fifty Broadway stars (and their children and mothers) in a Sunday matinee of comedy sketches, musical numbers, and surprises. The celebration will include performances from the casts of such shows as Ain’t Too Proud: The Life and Times of the Temptations, Beetlejuice, Chicago, Come from Away, Company, Dear Evan Hansen, Diana, Girl from the North Country, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child, Jagged Little Pill, Mean Girls, Mrs. Doubtfire, Sing Street, and Moulin Rouge! All proceeds go to the Broadway Cares COVID-19 Emergency Assistance Fund, which “helps entertainment professionals meet coronavirus-related expenses and other challenges brought about by the evolving pandemic” and are part of a matching program. Below are the announced participants in this holiday extravaganza.

Jill Abramowitz • Annaleigh Ashford • Kate Baldwin • Jenni Barber • Laura & Linda Benanti • Denée Benton • Betty Buckley • Liz Callaway • Carolee Carmello • Miguel Cervantes • Linda Cho • Victoria Clark • Jenn Colella • Chuck, Eddie & Lilli Cooper • Lea DeLaria • Claybourne Elder • Eden Espinosa • Beanie Feldstein • Harvey Fierstein • Victor Garber • Leah C. Gardiner • Molly Griggs • Ann Harada • Jennifer Holliday • Robyn Hurder • James Monroe Iglehart • Sheryl Kaller • Ryan Kasprzak • Judy Kaye • Celia Keenan-Bolger • Kylie Kuioka • LaChanze • Raymond J. Lee • Lesli Margherita • Ellyn Marie Marsh • Michael McElroy • Alexis Michelle • Bonnie Milligan • Brian Stokes Mitchell • Anisha Nagarajan • Manu Narayan • Bernadette Peters • Greg Anthony Rassen • Amanda Spooner • Jason “SweetTooth” Williams • NaTasha Yvette Williams • Vanessa Williams • Betsy Wolfe • Shahadi Wright Joseph

ESCHATON

eschaton

Who: Chorus Productions
What: Live online escape room challenge
Where: Zoom (link emailed to ticket holders at 9:45)
When: Saturday nights at 10:00, $10 (tickets available here)
Why: While sheltering in place, exiled to our rooms, all of us could use a little escape. The internet has become the go-to diversion for live entertainment, with Zoom, Facebook Watch, and Instagram Live concerts, plays, dance, interviews, art tours, and more. New York City-based theater company Chorus Productions, which specializes in immersive presentations, has come up with a unique approach to escape rooms, where friends and strangers have to come together in order to solve a mystery that takes them through different physical spaces. On Saturday nights at 10:00, you can experience Eschaton, a sixty-minute Zoom journey through a virtual nightclub that, as the game’s name implies, could lead to the end of the world if you don’t figure out the puzzle; you’ll need your cell phone in addition to your desktop computer. Each room features dancers, DJs, and others (including pole dancer Alethea Austin, burlesque performer Lilin, and magician Greg Dubin) who offer clues on how to continue your adventure and eventually save the planet from destruction. The show is still in its early stages, so there might be some technical glitches here and there, but it is evolving every week. Tickets are only $10, but there are very limited spots available. Good luck!