Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online.
Last night, dear readers, Mr Fairs and I enjoyed a gorgeous evening outside in the company of two other delightful, real-life humans. It was our first proper face to face conversation with other people in over a year. My God, it felt good. Let this be the start. I may never sleep again! So, on that happy note, here are this week’s picks. Enjoy!
Chicago’s Goodman Theatre is moving full steam ahead on its streaming service with three new plays on offer in May, June and July. We start with The Sound Inside, by playwright Adam Rapp and directed by Goodman’s artistic director Robert Falls. Described as a “sublime, gripping mystery” by the New York Times, this is the first live production since its Tony Award-nominated Broadway run two years ago. Here’s the background story: “Creative writing professor Bella values her solitude but finds herself opening up to Christopher — a reclusive, mysterious freshman with lofty literary aspirations. As the two connect beyond the classroom, Bella realizes she must ask Christopher for an impossible favor. Their story unfolds to a stunning conclusion, blurring the lines between fiction, friendship and endings.”
It is streaming live until May 16. Tickets are $30 for an individual performance or you can purchase membership for all three performances for $60. You can learn more here.
Germany’s Theatertreffen Festival is back with a program sure to excite, delight and in some cases scare us a little bit. The festival, which runs from May 13 — May 24, is a gathering for theatre makers and enthusiasts and every year, it exposes us to more and more upcoming talent. In essence, it is 10 productions featuring 35 emerging artists from around the world who gather every year in Berlin to shape the theatre we’ll enjoy for the coming year. I’m excited to see what this year brings. We can learn more together here.
Ok. I am VERY excited about this: A live-stream of the play Herding Cats by Lucinda Coxon. If you haven’t yet heard of Coxon, oh you are in for a treat! She is the brains behind one of my favourite plays, Happy Now?, which Mr Fairs and I had the good fortune of seeing the 59E59 in NYC. A powerful and all too real depiction of mid-life, with all of its unrealized realities. It is dark, unsettling but deeply funny (basically, everything I love!).
In Herding Cats, we meet a pair of roommates in Britain who are joined by an American friend. In Coxon’s very capable hands, I am excited to see what dark alleys she takes us down as this trio negotiate intimacy and independence. Tickets are available here.
“Tales from the Wings: A Lincoln Center Theater Celebration” is a behind-the-scenes peek at what is really happening backstage. I live for this!! It stars Patti LuPone, Audra McDonald, Rosemary Harris, Paulo Szot and Ruthie Ann Miles, each spilling juicy anecdotes, peppered with footage from some of their classic productions. It is streaming from May 13–17 and you can reserve a ticket here.
On Sunday, May 16, the beautiful Lyric Theatre in Chicago will celebrate the one and only Sir Andrew Davis and his remarkable three decades long career. Sir Andrew, no stranger to classical music lovers in Toronto, is deserving of every accolade thrown his way. Watching him at work is a rare and glorified treat: it is pure joy to see someone completely in his element and at the ripe old age of 77, still having so much fun. Here’s to Sir Andrew and many more years! The program streams at 6 pm CT and you can watch it on YouTube here.
Let’s stay with classical music but this time, let’s move to Montreal (hey, I did!) and enjoy Symphonic Brahms: A Triumphant Finale performed by Orchestre Métropolitain de Montréal, one of Quebec’s leading cultural ambassadors founded in 1981. The performance is available via webcast from May 21 — May 30 and you can reserve your ticket here.
And, to end, here’s a little something that just might bring a tear to your eye. The cast of Rent honour COVID-19 victims with a passionate performance of ‘Seasons of Love’. Watch it here.
See you next week my lovely readers!
And, and ask: While we’re enjoying these wonderful performances, let’s remember that for the arts organizations producing this incredible content, this is their livelihood; not a hobby. If we can, now is our time to continue to support our incredible arts community!
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