‘Hadestown’
Watch it at select movie theaters.
Following its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival, the live capture of “Hadestown” — the spirited musical twist on Greek mythology that follows the young lovers Orpheus and Eurydice, in a basement jazz joint-turned-furnace of Hades’ underground — is arriving in cinemas for five nights, beginning on July 24. The Broadway production picked up eight Tony Awards in 2019, including for best new musical and best original score, as well as a Grammy in 2020 for best musical theater album. This live capture features the production’s five original principal actors: Reeve Carney (Orpheus), André De Shields (Hermes), Amber Gray (Persephone), Eva Noblezada (Eurydice) and Patrick Page (Hades). New Orleans-style jazz provides a raucous, soulful soundtrack for love, poverty and jealousy in this trip to the underworld, with lots of fun. In his review for The New York Times, the critic Jesse Green called the show “sumptuous” and “hypnotic.” Read the review.
‘Franklin’s Key’
Stream it at the Pig Iron Theater Company.
The question that sets this science-fiction story in motion: What if Benjamin Franklin could control the weather? In this professional recording of the 2026 stage production, science and magic join forces to reimagine Franklin’s legacy in an alternate universe. It’s a family-friendly adventure as a pair of sibling teenagers — she’s a scientist, he’s a musician — get caught in a world of secret societies protecting Franklin’s discoveries as they find new technology hidden beneath Philadelphia’s landmarks. In celebration of Pig Iron’s 30th anniversary season, “Franklin’s Key,” originally performed at Plays & Players Theater in Philadelphia, will be available for streaming through July 19 along with “Poor Judge,” a dance-theater cabaret set to the music of Aimee Mann. Stream “Franklin’s Key” for $35; both productions cost $60. Accessible pricing options are also available.
‘Hamlet’
This 2023 production of Shakespeare’s great tragedy was the fifth staging of “Hamlet” at the Delacorte Theater in Central Park. Ato Blankson-Wood, who was nominated in 2020 for a Tony Award for “Slave Play,” stars as Hamlet alongside Solea Pfeiffer (“Hadestown”) as Ophelia. It’s a modern adaptation directed by Kenny Leon, set not in medieval Denmark but at a modern-day Black estate in Georgia. In his review for The Times, Green wrote that the production “is full of insight and echoes for those already in the know, and features lovely songs (by Jason Michael Webb) and a few fine performances that anyone can enjoy,” adding that Blankson-Wood “brings a vivid anger to the title role.” Live choral music, with Southern gospel and blues harmonies, sets the emotional score for all the grief and fury. This Great Performances presentation is available on the PBS app and website through July 31. Read the review.
‘Dear England’
Watch it at BAM Rose Cinemas, Brooklyn.
In celebration of the World Cup, the Brooklyn Academy of Music will screen “Dear England,” James Graham’s play, based on a true story, about the exceptional amount of pressure on England’s national soccer team when a new coach is hired to turn around decades of misfortune. Directed by Rupert Goold and filmed live in 2023 at the National Theater in London, the story follows the soft-spoken and underestimated coach, Gareth Southgate, as he leads the team through three pivotal tournaments in a comeback story with a heavy dose of male vulnerability. “The ups and downs of Southgate’s tenure are portrayed with a blend of playfulness and moral seriousness,” the critic Houman Barekat wrote in his review for The Times. He called the show, which won two Olivier Awards, including for best new play, “a lively, feel-good romp with plenty of irreverent humor.” For two nights only, on July 15 and 22, you can watch the action on the big screen. Tickets are $25. Read the review.
The post ‘Hadestown’ Hits Movie Theaters, and Theater to Stream in July appeared first on New York Times.
