Plum Viewing
Welcome to the latest edition of Plum Viewing, my weekly roundup of arts and culture to view online.
Hello lovely readers. Well, here we are. We made it to another Friday. Well done, us! As a treat, we get to enjoy an adult beverage tonight (whichever one you like!) and switch off from our everyday madness with wonderful art.
So with that, here are this week’s picks. Enjoy!
Let’s start with something that will really take our minds off everything. The Sound Inside marks the Broadway debut for Adam Rapp, a play described as a drama that’s as suspenseful as any thriller. It premiered on Broadway in 2019 and started Mary Louise Parker who was exquisite in this role. You can read the review here.
This quiet, unpredictable play explores the limits of what one person can ask of another. In an intensely intimate and haunting story, a creative writing professor encounters a brilliant and mysterious student. As their relationship intensifies and their lives become entwined, one will ask the other for the unforgivable. TheaterWorks Hartford’s digital version is streaming on demand until April 30, 2021.Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.
Okay after this rollercoaster, let’s chill out a little with something very familiar, Romeo and Juliet. But not just any version of this great classic. No, this version is worthy of royalty itself as it stars none other than Prince Charles (Josh O’Connor for us Crown fans!) and the scene stealing actress Jessie Buckley, who for my money anyways, is just wonderful! In this version, directed by Simon Godwin for the National Theater, the chemistry between these two young souls is strong and highly watchable. It’s available to watch on PBS from April 23-May 21.
And, speaking of PBS, Mr Fairs and I are making our way through Hemingway, which is wonderful. Honestly, if anyone would have told me that I would be watching a six hour documentary on Ernest Hemingway, a writer I certainly appreciate but whose style I am not a fan of (I am more of a Fitzgerald girl — don’t hate me!), I would never have believed you. Alas, COVID, so here we are. I also hate-watched The Undoing, which we can ALL agree was terrible but alas NYC real estate and Nicole Kidman’s coats won us over. But I digress….
Staying with theatre, here’s a small show getting a welcome encore online — Lizzie Vieh’s dark comedy Monsoon Season. Here’s how it’s described: Danny and his ex-wife, Julia live in a world of tech-support jobs, wannabe YouTube influencers and crummy apartments. Since their breakup, a strip club’s flashing neon sign is keeping Danny awake at night, and Julia’s Adderall addiction has only gotten worse since her dealer moved in. Danny is suffering from micro-blackouts and Julia keeps seeing a giant bird in her backyard — meanwhile, the question remains as to whether anyone is looking after their child. How’s that for a hook?!
First seen at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, it then moved to the U.S where it was shown by Rattlestick Playwrights Theater. It is streaming now by All For One Theater and available until Saturday only. You can reserve your ticket here.
Okay, now this is exciting. Red Sky Performance is one of Canada’s most celebrated Indigenous dance companies, led by the equally celebrated Sandra Laronde, who I am pleased to say will be a speaker at this month’s Canadian Arts Summit (for which I am the proud program director). Red Sky Performance is celebrating its 20 year anniversary with the release of More Than Dance, We Are A Movement, a digital film that features performances from their shows including Trace and Miigis. It’s a powerful production and a milestone certainly worth celebrating. It is streaming until April 20 and you can purchase a ticket here.
Staying with dance, let’s move to (I know, forgive me!) When We Fell, choreographer Kyle Abraham’s third creation for New York City Ballet. Featuring eight dancers performing not just on the stage but also in the building’s lobby space, it is shot in 16mm, making it all the more intimate and inviting. It’s available to watch on YouTube until April 22. And, if I haven’t convinced you, read the 5 star review here.
And, as a final reminder — and I swear, I am not being paid to promote this play — do check out Post Democracy, Hannah Moscovitch’s digital only production, brought to us by Winnipeg’s PTE Theatre. Tickets are $20 and the running time is 60 minutes. It’s available until April 25. Learn more 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!
And, if you’d like to receive Plum Viewing weekly, send me a note at maggiefairs@gmail.com and I will add you to my mailing list.