Hi! As promised, here is Quarantine Recommendations #3: Virtual Event Streams. I feel I should add: when you read about a virtual event, make sure you watch it live or record it in some way, as the vast majority of them do not stay up. Some of these events cost money, and it’s up to you to decide whether it’s worth it. Most of these events benefit charity in some way, so it would be beneficial to look at what charity that is.
STARS IN THE HOUSE and PLAYS IN THE HOUSE
Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley have been keeping busy during quarantine on the twice-daily series Stars in the House and the tri-weekly off-shoot Plays in the House. SITH, as we’ll call it, features interviews with Broadway greats such as Chita Rivera, Kristin Chenoweth, and Bernadette Peters. These are archived forever, and you can watch I believe 200 episodes now on Youtube. The show also features TV reunions, such as Smash, Glee, Dr. Ken, and Melrose Place. I will give my personal picks of best episodes, although if you see a star you like, the episodes never fail to entertain.
-Tina Fey and Jeff Richmond (Special Guests Jon Hamm, Jane Krakowski, Alan Alda) This is a laugh-filled walk through Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, 30 Rock , and also how Fey and Richmond got their start in theater, including some stories about school shows and hometowns. Music includes “Mr. Lucky” from a revue by Richmond.
-Stephanie J. Block and Sebastian Arcelus (Special Guests Keala Settle, Sean Hayes, Scott Icenogle) This one has a warm accent on marriage, a great proposal story, as well as several backstage stories of stage fright and more. There is music included here too.
-SCTV Reunion (Andrea Martin, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara). SCTV happens to be Seth’s favorite show, and so the sheer excitement of this episode brings it to life. You’ll get to see several clips from old shows, as well as hearing priceless stories and banter among 4 close friends who happen to be some of the funniest comedians ever.
-Sally Rudetsky's Birthday Celebration (Varla Jean Merman, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Norm Lewis, Andrea Martin). Here, Seth celebrates his mom’s birthday and great stories are shared along with truly exceptional singing. A highlight is Andrea Martin doing a dramatic reading of Sally’s diary of auditions. Music: Wheels of a Dream, more
Others I’ll recommend without as much detail:
-The Goodbye Girl Reunion (Richard Dreyfuss, Marsha Mason, Quinn Cummings, Sean Hayes, Kelli O’Hara)
-Joel Grey Birthday Celebration (Bebe Neuwirth, Jennifer Grey, Bernadette Peters)
-Charles Busch and Julie Halston (Iain Armitage, Raul Esparza)
Plays in the House happens on Wednesday and Saturday at 2, and Plays in the House: Teen Edition (plays written and acted by teens) happen on Sundays at 2. Usually the Plays in the House Jr. series does not offer much, with a few exceptions, but Plays in the House proper often gets original casts and you can see why the plays became hits. However, these are only available for 3-4 days after airing, so jump while you can. Up right now is Charles Busch’s Die, Mommie, Die with himself, B.D. Wong, and Jennifer Cody.
TAKE ME TO THE WORLD: A SONDHEIM 90TH BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION.
This event certainly seemed to be cursed in the beginning, with several technical glitches and panicked tweets which led people to assume the worst, but it was worth it for this all-star celebration of the greatest musical theater lyricist. Alexander Gemignani lends true showmanship to “Buddy’s Blues," making the most of his space and making it the high point of the evening out of sheer fun. Mandy Patinkin and Linda Lavin, among others, recreated the songs they’d originally done in Sondheim shows. Ben Platt and Brandon Uranowitz both did charming new versions of songs, though they weren’t quite as thrilling as feeling the original magic. Chip Zien brought another emotional high as he clutched his original Baker’s Hat after a stirring rendition of “No More.” For me personally, Elizabeth Stanley managed to turn “The Miller’s Son,” a song that usually gets me nodding off, into an interesting and emotional piece. The Merrily We Roll Along overture as played by at least 20 musicians brought the evening to a rousing start, and Bernadette Peters brought it home a cappella, showing once again her extreme versatility. But, as always happens, there have to be some bad apples. Fast forward through Katrina Lenk’s “Johanna,” the CSC cast of Pacific Overtures doing “Someone in a Tree,” and Lea Salonga’s not-bad-but-not-memorable performance. Other highlights included performances by Kelli O’Hara, Christine Baranski, and Aaron Tveit.
LCT AT HOME
If what you prefer is seeing videos of actual performances rather than faces on a Zoom screen, Lincoln Center Theater is releasing many of the Great Performances recordings of their shows on Youtube. Act One has already been on and off (with much to recommend), and you can check their website for updates on what’s coming next.
Other series to recommend are
BROADWAY’S BEST SHOWS: SPOTLIGHT ON PLAYS
54 BELOW AT HOME
MARIE’S CRISIS VIRTUAL PIANO
YORK THEATER PANELS
Upcoming events that look interesting:
New Musical Reading of Walt and Roy with Jonah Platt
York Theater Panel: Enter Laughing
BCEFA airing of Bernadette Peters’ Concert
See you again at 5!
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