Theatre in lockdown - week 11

  • May 29, 2020
  • Theatre in Paris exclusives
  • Aysha Ferullo

As we approach the end of our eleventh week in quarantine, we’re grateful as ever for the constant stream of performance and art the world of theatre has been offering us throughout this time. This week was yet another myriad of inspiration that we’re, once again, sharing with you. Here’s a round-up of what we’ve been loving these past few days!

Streaming

As always, we’ve been keeping up to date with all the new shows and concerts being streamed online, and this week truly delivered! Any fans of Bach will be delighted to catch sight of the Paris Orchestra’s rendition of the Prelude of Suit Number 1 on their YouTube channel, with the members of the orchestra playing from their own homes. 

Slightly further afield than Paris (though with the digital nature of the theatre industry these days, we hardly notice!), the Metropolitan Opera of New York has been making a production available for online viewing every weekday on their website. The streams are totally free of charge, so immerse yourself in as many as you see fit! This week, they published La Damnation de Faust, Manon Lescaut, Salome and many more! Check them out here.

Back over on our side of the pond, the Opéra de Paris’ available-for-streaming production of the week was Pushhkin’s Boris Godunov, so for anyone interested in a historical drama, this one is for you. It’s only available until 31st May, so have a watch while you still can!

The National Theatre has been supplying us with excellent productions on their YouTube channel recently, and this week James Graham’s This House was made available for free online streaming. If you caught their production of A Streetcar Named Desire last week, you’re also in for a treat with this one, as the brilliant Gillian Anderson features once more. As usual, it’s available for a week, so get viewing!

London’s Royal Opera House has made Laurent Pelly’s premiere of Cendrillon available for streaming until 5th June. This modern adaptation of our treasured Cinderella is bound to please any fans of the original fairytale. Available for free viewing on YouTube, it’s definitely one you won’t want to miss. 

Our friends over at the Opéra de Paris have also been uploading many experimental short films, using the beautiful Opéra Garnier as their setting. Ugo Bienvenu and Felix de Givry’s compelling new picture Storage is thought-provoking and poignant, certainly worth a watch, particularly if you’re interested in gaining a deeper insight into the hidden corners of the Opéra Garnier. 

We’ve been loving listening to music during this time, which is why we’ve also been very pleased to view Taylor Swift’s City of Lover concert, available for streaming on Disney+. Filmed at l’Olympia in Paris at the tail end of last year, Taylor is now sharing the experience with all of us, and we couldn’t be more grateful! So, if you’ve got the Disney+ platform, definitely have a watch for yourself. 

Virtual tours

Virtual tours are yet another way to feel immersed in the world of art, which is why we’re so glad that the Musée d’Orsay has opened their doors to Google Arts and Culture, enabling a wider audience to be able to see/remember what life is like within their walls. Head on over to the platform for a journey through time to see how the museum as we know it today came to be. 

Yet another group of virtual tours to enjoy this week are a selection of Palace of Versailles exhibitions, available through their website. Have a wander for yourself and learn about the history of this iconic landmark.

A final virtual tour we’d like to recommend this week is that of the Lascaux caves. This ancient landmark showcasing the origins of human artistic expression is a unique way to pass the time and enrich our cultural palettes. Click here to learn more about their fascinating history.

Blog

As ever, we’ve been updating our blog with things we’ve been interested in throughout this time. In the past week, we’ve published a post on the Molière award nominations and our partner shows that were included in the event, as well as a blog post detailing our favourite French and Francophone musicians. Be sure to check them out!