Muse House

New game 'The Vanishing of Ethan Carter' emphasizes the stories we tell and how we tell them
By Evan Lewis
October 30, 2014 - 5:11pm
Review: The new PC game places players inside the heart of a slowly unraveling mystery, with plenty of gorgeous visuals to entice them further.

Before placing players on the ominously dilapidated railroad leading into Red Creek Valley, PC video game The Vanishing of Ethan Carter opens with a disclaimer. The simple warning — white text on a black screen — pertains not to harsh language or moments of graphic violence, which begin to manifest within minutes of the start of the game, but to narrative style: “This game is a narrative experience that does not hold your hand.”

Wait Until Dark: 9 overlooked scary movies to watch this Halloween
By Anya Jaremko-Gr...
October 29, 2014 - 1:27pm
Everyone knows The Shining, Rosemary's Baby and the slasher flicks of the 1970s and '80s, but do you know these nine psychologically daunting horror concoctions?

When it’s October, and the nights come quicker and the leaves are crunchier, millennials (and probably older people too, but they’re less seasonally nostalgic) want to watch scary movies.

Redhouse's 'The Penguin Tango' is the start of something bigger
By Seamus Kirst
October 28, 2014 - 12:37pm
Review: A flamboyant, whimsical tale still in its infancy hits its stride and sparks important social conversations.

Editor's note: This review originally appeared at Green Room Reviews on October 25, 2014.

Homosexual penguins, a flamingo dressed like Elton John and a polar bear wearing ballet flats are just a few of the characters you’ll see frenetically flouncing around the stage at the Redhouse Arts Center’s endearing production of The Penguin Tango.

Legacy flows through stories with 'The Piano Lesson' at Syracuse Stage
By Love Lee
October 27, 2014 - 4:25pm
Review: Family, tradition and ghosts of the past haunt the stage during the performance of August Wilson's play, which runs until Nov. 9.

Editor's note: This review originally appeared at Green Room Reviews on October 25, 2014.

August Wilson’s 1990 Pulitzer Prize-winning drama tells all the right stories.

Baldwinsville Theatre Guild puts on the Ritz with 'Young Frankenstein'
By Patrick Hosken
October 25, 2014 - 4:21pm
Review: A small theater in Baldwinsville pulls off a big, colorful, musical production of the beloved 1974 film starring Gene Wilder and Peter Boyle.

Editor's note: This review originally appeared at Green Room Reviews on October 24, 2014.

Vulgarity and hilarity ensue with 'The Book of Mormon' at The Landmark Theatre
By Dianna Bell
October 23, 2014 - 1:46pm
Review: Pelvic thrusts, pop culture references and general NSFW-ness make Broadway smash hit The Book of Mormon, which opened Oct. 21 in Syracuse, a blazing success upstate.

Editor's note: This review originally appeared at Green Room Reviews on October 23, 2014.

Local director uses theater to create dialogue on domestic violence
By Lauren Cavalli
October 22, 2014 - 9:36am
A new football-themed play, "Drafters, A Parable," has roots in a men's workshop designed to champion preventative conversations about violence against women.

Imagine a play without a script, without characters, without a plot.

What’s left?

For Ryan Hope Travis, 29, the answer is artistic freedom.

'Evil Dead: The Musical' brings laughs and buckets of blood
By Kate Drozynski
October 20, 2014 - 12:06am
Review: Fake blood, zombified corpses, campy tunes, shotguns and chainsaws. Need we say more?

Editor's note: This review originally appeared at Green Room Reviews on October 18, 2014.

'The Diary of Anne Frank' at Appleseed Productions: A moving piece of reality
By Ishani Chatterji
October 18, 2014 - 6:52pm
Review: The stellar performances and somber tone of 'The Diary of Anne Frank,' which runs through November 1, delivers an unforgettable emotional resonance.

Editor's note: This review originally appeared at Green Room Reviews on October 18, 2014.

'Ship of Theseus': Different fragments, one life
By Varuni Sinha
October 18, 2014 - 10:30am
Review: The Indian film, featured at the 2014 Syracuse International Film Festival, asks philosophical questions and presents beautifully orchestrated answers.

In ancient Greece, a ship became reason for much confusion. The Ship of Theseus, a thirty-oar structure, had been preserved for a long time. Then decay lead to a restoration process, where its old, sagging parts were replaced one by one.