For those of you who will be missing the annual Tony Awards, we have a clip of James Corden celebrating the pleasure to be found in live performance.

First amongst your Best Bets at Home: June 5th – June 7th stars a man who stood a very good chance of walking away with the Tony Award for Best Actor in a Play.

Coriolanus – National Theatre Live – Now – June 11th

Tom Hiddleston (most recently seen on Broadway in Betrayal/”Loki” in Marvel’s Avengers movies) stars in this 2013 Donmar Warehouse production of Shakespeare’s play.

The title character is one of Rome’s greatest heroes and fiercest defenders. He answers the call as the city faces an old enemy. But Rome is not the only one with enemies, Coriolanus has them, too. As circumstances get worse for the citizens of Rome, Coriolanus must find a way to keep the people on his side and address their issues.

In Paul Taylor’s review for The Independent he wrote, “Hiddleston’s magnificent performance compels you to feel what an awful fate it is to be Coriolanus. There’s an extraordinary sequence here in which, blood-soaked after battle, he stands under a shower of water gasping with pain. We are suddenly privy to the lonely willpower of the man behind the myth.Hiddleston’s magnificent performance compels you to feel what an awful fate it is to be Coriolanus. There’s an extraordinary sequence here in which, blood-soaked after battle, he stands under a shower of water gasping with pain. We are suddenly privy to the lonely willpower of the man behind the myth.”

Joining Hiddleston in the cast are Mark Gatiss, Hadley Fraser, Alfred Enoch and Deborah Findlay. Coriolanus is directed by Josie Rourke.

Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela – Medici.tv – June 5th – June 7th

Carnegie Hall opened their 2016-2017 season with this concert celebrating dance. Dudamel, best known to audiences as the Music & Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, is also Music Director and Conductor of the Simón Bolivar Symphony Orchestra of Venezuela.

The program for this concert included Ravel’s La valse, Brahms’ Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G Minor; Copland’s Hoe-Down from Rodeo; Strauss Jr.’s Tritsch-Tratsch Polka, Op. 214; Ginastera’s Malambo from Estancia and Leonard Bernstein’s Mambo from West Side Story. The event closed with Gutierrez’s Alma Llanera from Aires de Venezuela as arranged by José Terencio.

Director’s Choice – San Francisco Ballet – June 5th – June 12th

San Francisco Ballet’s Artistic Director and Principal Choreographer Helgi Tomasson selected the three ballets to be included in this performance from February of 2020. Excerpts from the following ballets are included: Tomasson’s own Soirées Musicales and Concerto Grosso and the pas de deux from Christopher Wheeldon’s After the Rain.

Tomasson, a former dancer, became the Artistic Director of San Francisco Ballet in 1985. Wheeldon is also a former dancer having been a member of the Royal Ballet in London and New York City Ballet. He won a Tony Award for his choreography for An American in Paris.

Il trittico – Royal Opera – June 5th – June 19th

Il trittico is a trilogy of one-act operas by Giacomo Puccini. The three operas are Il tabarro, Suor Angelica and Gianni Schicchi. The latter is the best-known of the three as it is the most commonly performed.

Jealousy and murder are on tap in Il tabarro involving the love triangle of Michele (Lucio Gallo), his wife Giorgetta (Eva-Maria Westbroek) and her lover Luigi.

Suor Angelica is the dramatic story of a nun (Ermonela Jaho) dealing with loss.

Gianni Schicchi (Gallo) depicts what happens when someone dies and the will goes missing. And you think your relatives were difficult?

Richard Jones directed this 2016 production (a revival of his 2011 production) and Antonio Pappano conducted.

Agrippina – Great Performances at the Met (PBS) – June 7th (check local listings)

If you aren’t getting enough opera from the daily streaming operas made available by the Metropolitan Opera, PBS is adding another production for your viewing pleasure: Handel’s Agrippina. Joyce DiDonato stars in this David McVicar production from 2020. Henry Bicket conducts.

Agrippina (DiDonato) is the Roman empress who is fixated on the idea of having her highly unqualified son, Nerone (Kate Lindsey), take over the throne. To do that, she will stop at nothing to get her husband, Claudio (Matthew Rose), to cede it to him.

Zachary Woolfe, in his review for the New York Times said, “Three centuries on, Agrippina remains bracing in its bitterness, with few glimmers of hope or virtue in the cynical darkness. But it’s irresistible in its intelligence — and in the shamelessness it depicts with such clear yet understanding eyes.”

As with all PBS broadcasts, it is best to check your local listings. In Los Angeles this production will not air until June 9th at 11:00 PM with additional broadcasts on June 19th at 9:30 PM and June 20th at 4:00 AM. In New York it will air on June 14th at 12 PM.

Cosi fan tutte – Glyndebourne – June 7th – June 14th

Mozart’s opera (written with librettist Lorenzo da Ponte) debuted in Vienna in 1790. It was not warmly embraced and only became popular long after the composer’s death.

The opera hinges on a bet that Ferrando (Topi Lehtipuu) and Guglielmo (Luca Pisaroni) make with Don Alfonso (Nicolas Rivenq) about the fidelity of their fiancées, Dorabella (Anke Vondung) and Fiordiligi (Miah Persson).

This is a film of the 2006 production directed by Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George, The History Boys). The orchestra was lead by Iván Fischer.

Uncabaret – June 7th – 10:30 PM EDT/7:30 PM PDT

With everything going on in our world right now, the need for laughter is probably greater than ever. As she has done for more than a quarter century, Beth Lapides is assembling some of the brightest and funniest comedians she knows. They are coming together for an online version of Uncabaret.

For the uninitiated, Lapides describes the “un” part of her cabaret as “Unhomophobic, unxenophobic, unmysogynistic. Unhacky.”

Joining her for this week’s show are Sandra Bernhard, Julia Sweeney, Alec Mapa, Jen Kirkman, Alex Edelman, Tim Bagley and Jamie Bridgers. Music is provided by Mitch Kaplan and his band.

Registration on Eventbrite is required, but there is no fee to watch the performance. Donations, of course, are accepted.

Those are our selections for the Best Bets at Home June 5th – June 7th.

A couple reminders:

SFJazz has Fridays at Five with Marcus Shelby Quartet w/ Angela Davis in a program entitled Blues Legacies and Black Feminism. The concert features Terri Lyne Carrington, Tia Fuller, Tammy Hall, Paula West, Kim Nalley, & Tiffany Austin. This concert takes place June 5th at 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT.

The Met Opera productions available this weekend are Thomas Adés’ The Exterminating Angel on Friday; Verdi’s Otello on Saturday and Massenet’s Thaïs on Sunday.

As I mentioned, Sunday would have been the Tony Awards. You can always find plenty of Tony Awards clips of performances to entertain yourself in the absence of the annual broadcast. One example: James Corden’s opening from the 2019 show which celebrates the joy of live performance.

There you have it. Enough Culture Best Bets at Home June 5th – June 7th to keep you entertained all weekend long.

Main photo: Tom Hiddleston in Coriolanus (Photo by Johan Persson/Courtesy of National Theatre Live)

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Macbeth – Stratford Festival – Now – May 28th

In their continuing series of providing films of 12 Shakespeare plays, Canada’s Stratford Festival is adding Macbeth to the list of available films this week.

This drama tells the story of a Scottish general who is told by three witches that he will ascend to the throne and be King of Scotland. The combination of his singled-minded pursuit of power and the assistance of his wife, Lady Macbeth, allows him to stop at nothing to become King.

Ian Lake plays the title character, Michael Blake is Macduff, Krystin Pellerin is Lady Macbeth, Scott Wentworth is Banquo and Sarah Afful is Lady Macduff. Antonio Cimolino directed the production.

Remember that King Lear with Colm Feore will be available for one more week. Coriolanus also continues for two weeks.

Antony and Cleopatra – National Theatre Live at Home – Now – May 14th

If you love Shakespeare, but don’t want to spend time with Macbeth, you have another option. National Theatre Live begins live-streaming today their sold-out 2018 production of Antony and Cleopatra which starred Ralph Fiennes and Sophie Okonedo as the ill-fated couple.

In this historical love story, written by Shakespeare around 1606, Antony is smitten with Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt. Mark Antony, Octavius Caesar and Lepidus share the power to rule Rome, but hints of scandal and libelous stories lead to death and destruction.

Daniel Barenboim Conducts the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra – Carnegie Hall – Now – May 11th

In this Carnegie Hall concert from November 2018, Daniel Barenboim takes to the podium to conduct a program that includes Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 5. He and the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra are joined by soloists soloists Miriam Manasherov (violin) and Kian Soltani (cello).

The concert includes three encores: Saint-Saëns’ The Swan from The Carnival of the Animals, Elgar’s Nimrod from Enigma Variations, Op. 36 and finally Wagner’s Prelude to Act I of Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg.

These concerts become available at 3 AM EDT/12 AM PDT on May 8th for 72 hours.

Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things – YouTube – May 8th

On Friday at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT, Lena Hall, Tim Realbuto, Katie Rose Clarke and Jonah Platt will do a live reading of Neil LaBute’s The Shape of Things. After the reading, LaBute will join for a Q&A.

In the play, Evelyn (Hall) attempts to change Adam (Realbuto) which leaves his friends Jenny (Clarke) and Phillip (Platt) concerned about how influential Evelyn is being and how beneficial that ultimately is for Adam.

This reading is a benefit for The Actors Fund. There is no charge to view this event, but they are suggesting a $5 donation.

The King and I – Broadway HD – May 8th

Beginning at noon 8 PM EDT/5 PM PDT, Broadway HD is making available a film of the 2015 Broadway Revival of the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical, The King and I. This production starred Kelli O’Hara as Anna Leonowens, Ken Watanabe as The King of Siam and Ruthie Ann Miles as Lady Thiang. Not only did O’Hara and Miles win Tony Awards for their performances, the production was awarded the Tony for Best Revival of a Musical.

Bartlett Sher directed this production which features such beloved songs as “Hello Young Lovers,” “Getting to Know You,” “Shall We Dance” and “Whistle a Happy Tune.”

Gruesome Playground Injuries – Red Line Productions YouTube Channel – May 8th

Saturday morning in Sydney, Australia, Red Line Productions will live-stream a reading of Rajiv Joseph’s Gruesome Playground Injuries with Rose Byrne and Ewen Leslie. With the time difference, this reading will be available at 8:30 PM EDT/5:30 PM PDT.

The play, which appeared in New York in 2011, tells the story of Kayleen and Doug, two friends who meet in school and are reunited over the course of three decades. That they turn out to be masochists is just one of the intriguing aspects of their personalities.

Joseph was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his play, Bengal Tiger at the Bagdad Zoo. Amongst his other plays are Guards at the Taj and Describe the Night.

Mefistofele – San Francisco Opera – May 9th

San Francisco Opera starts making filmed productions available this weekend with this 2013 production of Arrigo Boito’s Mefistofele, based on Goethe’s Faust. Boito is best known and the librettist for Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, Otello and Falstaff.

SF Opera’s production starred Russian bass-baritone Ildar Abdrazakov in his staged role debut as the devil Mephistopheles, Mexican tenor Ramón Vargas as Faust and American soprano Patricia Racette in the dual roles of Margherita and Elena. The production was directed by Robert Carsen and conducted by Nicola Luisotti.

The opera had its world premiere in Milan in 1868 were it was not well-received. Seven years later a new production with significant changes by Boito, was more warmly received.

Mefistofele becomes available on May 9th at 1 PM EDT/10 AM PDT and will remain available for streaming until midnight the following day. San Francisco Opera is making additional productions available for streaming over the next few weeks. We will be including them in our weekend Best Bets at Home.

Broadway Does Mother’s Day – May 10th

The Broadway community continues to rally for its own with this Sunday afternoon concert that celebrates Mother’s Day and serves as a fundraiser for Broadway Cares. Broadway Does Mother’s Day begins at 3 PM EDT/12 PM PDT.

A partial list of those participating in the concert includes Annaleigh Ashford, Kate Baldwin, Laura Benanti, Betty Buckley, Liz Callaway, Carolee Carmello, Victoria Clark, Lea DeLaria, Beanie Feldstein, Harvey Fierstein, Victor Garber, Mandy Gonzalez, Jennifer Holliday, James Monroe Iglehart, Judy Kaye, Celia Kennan-Bolger, LaChanze, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Bernadette Peters and Vanessa Williams.

Cast members from the shows Ain’t Too Proud, 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, Moulin Rouge!, Mrs. Doubtfire, Sing Street, Six and Tina: The Tina Turner Musical will appear in sketches and make special appearances.

Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin – May 10th – 8 PM EDT/5 PM EDT

Unlike the other events listed on this page, Hershey Felder as Irving Berlin is not a free event. Felder has teamed up with theatres around the world to perform the show as a fundraiser for those theatres. Tickets are $50 per household and will allow access to the live performance for 72 hours. There is also a live talk-back after the performance.

Felder, who will be giving the performance in Florence, Italy, is known for his one-man shows celebrating various composers including George Gershwin, Leonard Bernstein, Beethoven, Chopin, Tchaikovsky and Debussy.

Berlin is the songwriter who gave us “Always,” “Blue Skies,” “Puttin’ on the Ritz,” “White Christmas” and “God Bless America.” He also wrote the musical Annie Get Your Gun.

The link above is to raise money for The Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts.

Those are our choices for your Best Bets at Home: May 8th – 10th. But we also want to remind you of a couple additional selections that we wrote about earlier this week.

Reminder:

Great Performances on PBS is airing on Friday the Los Angeles Philharmonic Centennial Concert from October 2019. It features conductors Zubin Mehta, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Gustavo Dudamel. Check your local listings.

The operas available this weekend from the Met Opera in New York are La Boheme from 1977 with Luciano Pavarotti and Renata Scotto on Friday; the documentary The Opera House on Saturday and Cavalleria Rusticana and Pagliaci on Sunday. Each program becomes available at 7:00 PM EDT/4:00 PM PDT.

Main Photo: Kelli O’Hara and Ken Watanabe in The King and I (Photo by Paul Kolnik/Courtesy of Lincoln Center Theatre)

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Unlike many other streaming options available to view, the Stratford Festival is making each production available for three weeks. To access the films, just click on the link in the first paragraph.

The Stratford Festival has grouped three plays into four different themes.

Trilogy #1: Social Order and Leadership

The Stratford Shakespeare Film Festival began last week with King Lear starring Colm Feore. King Lear began April 23rd and will be available through May 14th.

André Sills stars as Coriolanus, a Roman General who, after a significant victory, proves to be an immature and boastful man who has no empathy towards the lower class. Robert LePage directed this production. Coriolanus will be available April 30th to May 21st.

That Scottish play, aka Macbeth, will be available May 7th to May 28th. Ian Lake stars as the title character. Krystin Pellerin stars as Lady MacBeth. Michael Blake is MacDuff and Scott Wentworth is Banquo. Shelagh O’Brien directed the film of the play directed by Antonio Cimolino.

Trilogy #2: Isolation

The second trilogy is called Isolation. It begins on May 14th with The Tempest, which will be available through June 4th. Timon of Athens will run May 21st to June 11th. Love’s Labour’s Lost concludes this trilogy May 28th to June 18th.

Trilogy #3: Minds Pushed to the Edge

The third trilogy is called Minds Pushed to the Edge. Hamlet will launch on June 4th and run through June 25th. King John is next starting June 11th and available through June 2nd. Pericles closes out this trilogy June 18th to July 9th.

Trilogy #4: Relationships

The final trilogy is named Relationships and features three very different views of relationships. The historical drama Antony and Cleopatra starts June 25th and will be available through July 16th. Romeo and Juliet, the ultimate tragedy, will be available July 2nd to July 23rd. This trilogy, and the entire film festival, concludes with the comedy The Taming of the Shrew from July 9th to July 30th.

As each trilogy gets started, we will update you with cast and additional details.

In the meantime all you Anglophiles and Shakespeare fans, you have much to look forward to with the Stratford Shakespeare Film Festival.

Main Photo: Ian Lake with members of the company of Macbeth (Photo by David Hou)

All photos courtesy of the Stratford Festival

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