musical

Holiday production of 'Mary Poppins' will highlight the best of city and university
By Brett Weiser-Sc...
November 25, 2016 - 6:32pm
The magical nanny drops in on Central New York for the holidays, and families can see the beloved musical from Nov. 26 to Jan. 8.

Twenty current Syracuse University students join experienced performers for the holiday production of Mary Poppins at Syracuse Stage.

“It’s a big production,” said Joseph Whelan, Syracuse Stage’s assistant marketing director. “It has a big cast. Mary Poppins flies. Bert does a dance at the top of the proscenium. It’s a big musical with big production numbers.”

SU Drama's "Spring Awakening" demands to be seen
By Nick Reichert
May 2, 2014 - 6:34pm
Review: The production of the 2006 Tony Award-winning rock musical closes the university's season with creative daring.

It all seemed at first glance like I walked in the theater way too early.

The orchestra was splayed out on the left side of a giant, tattered barn that looked incomplete, half full. Shirts, pants, dresses, socks, shoes and various haberdasheries were arranged downstage-center. And the young, nubile ensemble were talking, laughing, mischievously whispering as they stretched, warmed up and put on their clothes.

"Next To Normal" illuminates the intricacies of mental illness.
By Yang Bai
January 28, 2014 - 4:03pm
The Redhouse puts on the Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award-winning musical.

Winning the 2009 Tony Award for best score and the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Drama, next to normal, written by Brian Yorkey and scored by Tom Kit, stands as a milestone in musical history for its outstanding achievement in terms of both its literary and musical qualities. 

Red House Arts Center brings this contemporary rock musical legend to Syracuse, giving the local audience an unforgettable experience that’s heartbreaking, and breathtakingly beautiful at the same time. 

'The Music Man' brings good old-fashioned fun to the Red House
By Max B. O'Connell
December 8, 2013 - 8:41pm
Review: The Red House's production of 'The Music Man' suffers from the small space but is a triumph overall thanks to a talented cast.

There’s little new to be done with The Music Man. The 1957 Broadway classic is as uncontroversial as apple pie and as populist as Frank Capra.

That said, there’s a lot of charm in its wholesome story of a con man redeemed by love and a small town lit up by the excitement he brings. It’s a natural fit for community theaters that can cast and stage it well. The Red House’s production only gets about halfway there on both counts, but that can’t totally negate the musical’s strengths.

'50 Shades of F****d Up' brings laughs to the Red House
By Arshie Chevalwala
October 28, 2013 - 7:41pm
Review: '50 Shades of F****d Up,' an unofficial parody of 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' had a brief but memorable stay at the Red House Arts Center.

In the hands of Tricia Brouk, when Christian Grey and Anastasia Steel meet, they sing, they dance and they spank.

As a part of their Presenting Residency Program, the Red House Arts Center presented 50 Shades Of F****d Up, an unofficial parody of the popular Fifty Shades Of Grey series.

'Hello, Dolly' takes audience to simpler times
By Yang Bai
October 16, 2013 - 1:03pm
Review: The touring production of Broadway hit 'Hello, Dolly' features over-the-top, endearing performances and classic tunes audiences have grown to know and love.

Originally drawing inspiration from Johann Nestroy’s musical Einen Jux will er sich machen (He Will Go on a Spree), Hello, Dolly! ignited a spree in 1964, consecutively running on Broadway for 2,844 performances and winning 10 Tony Awards.

SU Drama's season opener 'Seussical' sets bar high
By Andrew Martini
October 14, 2013 - 6:08pm
Review: Between the talented cast, creative costumes and colorful lighting design, SU Drama presented a highly entertaining production of this fun musical.

Seussical the Musical opened at the Arthur Storch Theater Friday to kick off the Syracuse University Department of Drama's 2013-2014 season. Seussical tells the whimsical story of Horton the elephant (played by junior Ben Odom) and his adventures with the quaint people of Whoville, setting it to music by Stephen Flaherty and SU alumna Lynn Ahrens.

'Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson' gives rock opera history lesson
By Arshie Chevalwala
October 11, 2013 - 1:46pm
Review: The Red House's 'Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson' offers pertinent satire in the form of fun, self-indulgent rock songs.

Andrew Jackson was a revolutionary leader. He was the first of his kind, a progressive frontiersman with democratic ideas, to be elected to public office. And boy, was his journey interesting. Director Stephen Svoboda and company deliver an exaggerated experience of Jackson’s hassled world with their new production Bloody, Bloody Andrew Jackson.

'The Lion King' comes to life in Syracuse
By Danielle Hinckley
September 10, 2011 - 2:32pm
Review: The hit Broadway musical stages a four-week run at the Crouse Hinds Theater in Syracuse.

Since its Broadway debut in 1997, “The Lion King” has been entrancing audiences around the world. Now, Syracuse is joining the roar of approval.

Opening night elephants, gazelles, birds, giraffes and lions processed to the impressive Pride Rock on the stage of the Crouse Hinds Theater, as the African chants recognizable as the beginning of “Circle of Life” fill the auditorium.

Review: "Spelling Bee" a G-O-O-D time
By Heather N. Duggan
April 15, 2011 - 1:49pm
First-year students shine in the Tony-award winning musical, "The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee."

There was hardly an open seat on the floor of the Goldstein Auditorium as the First Year Players opened their rendition of “The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee.” The actors' vibrant performances were the strong point of the single act, two-hour play.


“The Spelling Bee” is about pre-teens, complete with stereotypical personalities, trying to win their county's top spelling competition. It's a musical sprinkled with humor and has been preformed on Broadway, as well as by theater groups all over the world.