If you think belting out a show tune will help keep you sane during this quarantine, Marie’s Crisis has you covered, just like old times.
The West Village piano bar Marie’s Crisis has become a New York institution, especially for Broadway lovers. And it has a rich history—the property dates back to all the way back to the 1850s when it was used as a den for prostitution and was also the building where Thomas Paine died (the writer of Common Sense in 1776). Nowadays it’s known for its fantastic piano sing-alongs where patrons crowd around the piano and sing show tunes to their heart’s content.
Though if you thought the magic ended when they were forced to shut down to help prevent the spread of coronavirus, you’d be wrong. Marie’s is still doing a live virtual piano bar every evening on Facebook (and most on Instagram too).
All you have to do is request to join the private Facebook group “Marie’s Group.” Once you’re accepted, you’ll be able to watch the live shows each evening (many are also on IGTV, on each player’s personal Instagram page). They will post a schedule every night, for example, tonight’s (March 23) is:
- Doug Thompson 🎤—3:30 p.m. EDT
- Alex B Piano 🎹—4:00-7:00 p.m. EDT
- Toby Russell Medlyn 🎤—7:00 p.m. EDT
- Brandon James Gwinn 🎹—7:30-10:00 p.m. EDT
- Maddie McClouskey 🎤—8:30 p.m. EDT (during Brandon’s break)
They alternate between singers and piano players (as you can see above by the emojis).
All the musicians have their Venmo handles included, so be sure to tip them for all their hard work!
featured image source: Instagram / @thevimac