Here are four streaming shows you should know about.
“Pride and Prejudice”: Bay Area theater fans know TheatreWorks Silicon Valley has a love for debuting high-profile new plays. Case in point: “Pride and Prejudice,” which merged the literary cred of Jane Austen with the delights of musical theater. Created by Tony-nominated composer Paul Gordon, “Pride and Prejudice” debuted in late 2019 and was a commercial and critical hit for the company. And now the production, filmed and presented by Streaming Broadway, is available on Amazon. That’s right, the next time you are shopping for hand sanitizer you can pick up this endearing show starring Mary Mattison as the Elizabeth Bennet and Justin Mortelliti as the Mr. Darcy. Just search for “Pride Prejudice musical.”
Details: Free to Amazon Prime members; available for rented or purchase $2.99-$19.99.
Rockin’ for the Ivory Room: WomxnCrush Music, a group that strives to promote women musicians and songwriters, launches a nationwide virtual concert tour this week with a streaming concert featuring three female Bay Area acts performing in a benefit for the beloved Ivy Room music club and bar in Albany. Performers include Oakland rock/funk band Skip the Needle (bassist Vicki Randle and powerhouse singer Kofy Brown), East Bay folk/pop/Latin band Coraza and funk/R&B singer Melissa Jones. The Ivy Room, co-owned by Bay Area music veterans Lani Torres and Summer Gerbing, is like most live entertainment venues, facing an uncertain future due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Details: 6 p.m. Aug. 6; $20 recommended donation; www.womxncrushmusic.com.
“Looking Over the President’s Shoulder”: Tabard Theatre in San Jose is reviving this acclaimed solo show about longtime White House butler Alonzo Fields in a streaming production that will be available through Aug. 9. Fields, The grandson of a freed slave, spent 21 years as the chief butler at the White House, serving presidents from Hoover to Eisenhower. Reprising the role as Fields is Bay Area actor James Creer, who performs live every night in the multi-camera streaming production.
Details: 8 p.m. Aug. 7, 3 p.m. Saturday, 2 p.m. Sunday; $16-$35; virtual tickets and more information at www.tabardtheatre.org
“Quack”: The title of Eliza Clark’s provocative new comedy refers not to waterfowl but to a profoundly popular (especially with women) TV wellness guru who gets his comeuppance from a viral journalistic hit piece. But he does not go down without a fight. The show, which spoofs 21st-century celebrity as well as the wellness industry, is being streamed this weekend and next by Berkeley’s Shotgun Players. Each streaming production includes an audience talkback session following the show, and even instructions for a specifically selected cocktail.
Details: 7 p.m. Aug. 6-9, 14-15; $8-$40 suggested donation; shotgunplayers.org.
