theater

'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.

'Blithe Spirit' starts slow, ends strong
By Yang Bai
September 26, 2013 - 4:45pm
Review: Syracuse Stage's production of 'Blithe Spirit' drags through Act 1 but bursts into hilarity when the action picks up.

Known as “the funniest ghost story ever,” the light-hearted 1940s comedy Blithe Spirit not only made people laugh when they were suffering the pain of war in London’s West End, but also conquered audiences on Broadway and became a classic that has been staged hundreds of times over.

Unlike other classics with complicated plots and profound thoughts, Blithe Spirit owes its enduring fame to its sense of humor.

CRAVE arts festival takes over Syracuse
By Ashley Branch
September 21, 2013 - 8:36pm
Everything from flash mobs to spoken word poetry were featured in a two-day arts festival that took place at Syracuse University, along the Connective Corridor and in downtown Syracuse.

Those with a craving for the arts got a particularly sweet treat last weekend when the CRAVE arts immersion festival overtook Syracuse.

Among the events were Math in Motion at the MOST, Symphoria Inside Out, a zombie makeup workshop at the Red House and a "Thriller" flash mob in City Hall.

From classroom to lakefront: the story of Onondaga Lake
By Gwendolyn Craig
May 10, 2013 - 2:28pm
Students at Syracuse University and SUNY-ESF recount the history of Onondaga Lake through puppets, poetry, music and art.

Geoffrey Navias tends to have a deadpan expression most of the time. But when he dons a mask or works with a puppet, his movements bring the character to life.

“Creative art is a lie,” the artistic director of Open Hand Theater told a room full of Syracuse University and State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry students on a recent Saturday morning in The Warehouse downtown.  “It’s a lie. It’s not really here. 

Newhouse freshman leads FYP as 'The Wedding Singer'
By Gina Marie Lazara
April 16, 2013 - 10:33am
SU theater group First Year Players performed its spring show in Goldstein Auditorium April 4-6.

The first weekend in April, Syracuse University First Year Players theater group performed musical The Wedding Singer with Newhouse television, radio and film freshman Zack Phillips playing the lead role of Robbie Hart.

"As You Like It" filled with rustic revelry
By Rebecca Seel
May 7, 2012 - 9:48am
Review: Syracuse University's well-acted production makes the Bard's comedy an accessible romp

“Sweet are the uses of adversity,” reads the inscription on the statue in the center of the stage at the beginning of Syracuse University's production of “As You Like It.” In this production, though, there was little adversity from which to sweeten.

Syracuse Stage celebrates the holidays with "The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe"
By Leah Harrison
December 21, 2011 - 12:55am
Review: Syracuse Stage brings the enchanting tale to life.

Syracuse Stage ushered in the holiday season with its production of “The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe” beginning Nov. 25. The set, costumes, and enchanting story are enough to recreate childhood nostalgia for audiences of all ages.

Syracuse Stage opens season with The Turn of the Screw
By Leah Stacy
September 25, 2011 - 1:03pm
Review: Jeffrey Hatcher’s adaptation is a do-it-yourself ghost story

A rainy Friday night greeted the 39th season opener of Syracuse Stage: American novelist Henry James’ ghost story The Turn of the Screw. A thick audience streamed in for the performance, swaddled in raincoats and peeking from under dripping umbrellas.  

'A Few Good Men' overcomes opening night jitters
By Mary Gibble
September 23, 2011 - 2:42pm
Review: Aaron Sorkin's play, performed by Not Another Theater Company, lives up to its name.

It's hard to shake first night jitters. The anxiety of having an audience for the first time brings about strange phenomenon. Lines stick to the roof of your mouth like peanut butter. You race through the first scenes, sprinting towards intermission. Jokes that have lost their punch after endless rehearsals illicit comforting laughs, causing the corners of your mouth to curl up in pride.

Syracuse theater company opens play by SU alum Aaron Sorkin
By Mary Gibble
September 20, 2011 - 10:02pm
Preview: Not Another Theater Company's production of "A Few Good Men", a play by Academy Award winner Aaron Sorkin, opens September 23.

Aaron Sorkin won an Academy Award last year for penning the hit movie The Social Network. Thirty years earlier he was a musical theater student at Syracuse University.

On September 23, Syracuse's Not Another Theater Company will open their production of the play that skyrocketed Sorkin's career, A Few Good Men.