Syracuse Stage

"The Wizard of Oz" soars at Syracuse Stage
By Joe Allen
December 1, 2017 - 3:09pm
Review: Syracuse Stage's production thrives on the spectacle brought by its collaboration with 2 Ring Circus.

Editors note: This article originally appeared on Green Room Reviews on Dec. 2.

Bringing new life to "Oz" in Syracuse
By Jonathan Williams
December 1, 2017 - 11:59am
Syracuse Stage incorporates circus performers in its new take on the L. Frank Baum's classic, "The Wizard of Oz."

Editors note: This article originally appeared on Green Room Reviews on Nov. 30.

'Curious Incident' boasts great performance, and an interactive set
By Stefani Clark
October 28, 2017 - 12:56pm
Review: The second production of the Syracuse Stage season is both heart-breaking and hilarious.

Editors note: This review originally appeared on Green Room Reviews on Oct. 28.

'The Three Musketeers' is thrilling, but poorly plotted
By Ben Farr
September 23, 2017 - 10:28am
Review: 'The Three Musketeers' opens Syracuse Stage's 2017-2018 theater season with plenty of sword fights and some problematic casting.

Clouds hung overhead inside the Syracuse Stage’s Archbold Theatre Friday night, while several sword holstering men took the stage. Audience members filed in to a sold-out theater as the actors practiced their swordsmanship, giving eager viewers a chance to pull out all the fencing-related jokes they'd been saving.

“Have you been practicing with your butter knife?” said one person in the back.

How Syracuse Stage and SU work together to produce quality performances
By Rachel Gilbert
May 10, 2017 - 11:10pm
The professional theater has partnered with the university's drama department for 40 years, allowing students to work alongside their professors, faculty and other professionals.

Scores of students sit outside the former Regent’s Theater, laughing, running lines and soaking up the sunshine. The plaza is lined with futuristic chrome walls, the light bouncing off almost blinding passersby.

The building behind the small set of walls is the Syracuse Stage. Patrons entering the lobby are met with a cool, shady atrium lined with photos from past and present shows.

A gaggle of eager prospective students show up to Syracuse Stage, hoping to gain entry to the Syracuse University Department of Drama.

Syracuse Stage's 'Disgraced' more timely than ever
By Shradha Rao
January 28, 2017 - 7:50pm
Review: This tautly written Pulitzer Prize and Tony Award winning play explores what it means to be a Muslim in the post-9/11 United States.

Disgraced – written by Pakistani-American playwright Ayad Akhtar and directed by May Adrales – could not have arrived at Syracuse Stage at a more fitting time, when everyone is struggling to find their bearings in Trump’s America.

Magic fills Syracuse Stage as the musical 'Mary Poppins' lifts off
By Wilenie Sepúlveda
December 4, 2016 - 11:38pm
Review: Based on the stories of P.L. Travers and the Disney film of the same name, the Broadway musical shares the beloved story of a nanny's magical effect on a family.

Young children – and adults too – who have already seen Mary Poppins at Syracuse Stage may still be trying to figure out how the titular nanny removed a coat rack, among other large props, from her famous carpet bag.

The special effects throughout the whole show, from Mary and the kids flying to chimneysweep Bert walking and dancing upside down on a rooftop, play with the mind.

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.”

Tragicomedy 'Laura and the Sea' makes debut with SU Drama
By Shradha Rao
November 6, 2016 - 5:50pm
Review: With touches of comedy, "Laura and the Sea" by SU Drama reflects on how people struggle to form connections in a digitally disrupted world.

SU Drama’s latest offering is an engaging exposition of life in the digital age. Directed by Katherine McGerr, Laura and the Sea opened to a packed theater Saturday evening in the Storch Theatre at the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex.

Syracuse Stage's new director looks ahead to future seasons
By Dara McBride
October 22, 2016 - 2:10pm
Leadership team of artistic director Bob Hupp, managing director Jill Anderson and associate artistic director Kyle Bass aim for new play development.

If the new leaders at Syracuse Stage have their way, they won't be the only ones making debuts in the near future.

In January, the theater's board of directors announced that Bob Hupp, then producing artistic director of Arkansas Repertory Theatre, would succeed Timothy Bond as artistic director. Since Hupp started in July, he has made it known that new play development is a goal.