Natasha Ashley - Page 4

Syracuse's Redhouse Arts Center starts the new year off strong with John Carciani's Almost, Maine. The sweet, intimate, and thought-provoking play marks the directorial debut of Steve Hayes who has brought together six versatile actors to beautifully capture the experience of falling in and out of love.

The Baldwinsville Theatre Guild is now entertaining audiences in Baldwinsville, New York with the witty and entertaining musical The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Colin Keating, Artistic Director of The Baldwinsville Theater Guild and director of this musical along with his stellar cast has brought the poignant and hysterical musical to life with great heart, skill, and powerhouse performances.

Happy New Year to the Syracuse area theater community! We have a new year filled a variety of theatrical productions throughout the greater Syracuse area coming up! We are fortunate to live in an area that has so many talented actors, technicians, and directors as well as dedicated theater companies - not to mention supportive theatergoers. From the local theaters to the Equity tours that come through the area, we are lucky that Syracuse offers many opportunities to experience live theater. Having seen countless productions in this area since I was young and reviewed many shows for the past few years, I thought I would take a moment to share which productions I am most excited about in 2019!

Keeping up the tradition of attending the Moscow Ballet's Great Russian Nutcracker is a must for the holiday season. This year, Syracuse audiences had the opportunity to see the remarkable show again when the Dove of Peace tour played The Oncenter Crouse Hinds Theater for two performances. Once again, the superb production featured all of the beauty, elegance, and detail that the Moscow Ballet is known for with Great Russian Nutcracker.

The Central New York Playhouse Holiday production for this season is the timeless classic Miracle on 34th Street under the direction of Bella Calabria. production, set in present day, is heartwarming, nostalgic, and, as per usual, demonstrates the devotion of the community theater performers to their craft.

The latest touring production enchanting audiences at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York is none other than Rodgers and Hammerstein's Tony Award-winning 1959 musical The Sound of Music. Purely breathtaking and nostalgic, it, of course, features favorite and familiar musical numbers such as "My Favorite Things," "Climb Ev'ry Mountain," "Edelweiss," and "The Sound of Music," just to name of few. Richard Rodgers (Music) and Oscar Hammerstein II's (Lyrics) score features some of the most gorgeous and emotional songs in musical theater history and they are very well performed in this production.

Memories and tradition are a large part of the Holiday and watching Bill Mendez and Lee Mendelson's television special A Charlie Brown Christmas is certainly a Holiday tradition for many children and adults. The Redhouse Arts Center brings Eric Shaeffer's stage adaptation by (with special arrangement with Arthur Whitelaw and Ruby Persson) to life under the delightful direction of Jonathan David Martin. Indeed, A Charlie Brown Christmas is the first holiday show to take place in the newly relocated Redhouse and it is a delightful trip down memory lane.

This past weekend the Syracuse City Ballet, the only professional ballet company serving the Central New York community, presented its annual festive and heartwarming production of The Nutcracker astutely directed and choreographed by Syracuse City Ballet founding Artistic Director Kathleen Rathbun. The talented dancers performed to the familiar music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, lighting up the stage at the Crouse Hinds Theater creating lasting memories and carrying on tradition for many Central New Yorkers.

The Syracuse Stage and Syracuse University (SU) Department of Drama Holiday production is an annual tradition for many Central New Yorkers. This year, the family friendly holiday show Elf the Musical is the perfect start to the Holiday season. The production features fabulous SU drama students, local child performers, and accomplished equity actors. Director Donna Drake, last season's director of The Wizard of Oz, brings the comedy, the heart, and the holiday cheer to life with her fun and festive direction.

Syracuse Stage – Central New York's premier professional theatre in residence at Syracuse University – is bringing an intense world premiere play Possessing Harriet to its loyal audience base. The historical play, meticulously researched and written by award-winning local playwright and Syracuse Stage's associate director Kyle Bass, is realized in a thought-provoking and emotional production beautifully directed by Tazewell Thompson.

The US national tour of the classic musical Fiddler on the Roof has begun its short preview run at the Landmark Theatre in Syracuse, New York, kicking off the Famous Artists Broadway Theater Series: Broadway in Syracuse. The opening night performance of this familiar favorite was beautifully performed, highly emotional, and showcased some incredible talent.

Over the weekend I had the absolute pleasure of seeing Stephen Sondheim's Into the Woods reimagined at the Storch Theatre in the Syracuse Stage Complex. Director David Lowenstein brilliantly brings those fairy tale stories and characters to life as if they were written and created for present times. Lowenstein and his cast of Syracuse University Drama students offer up a refreshing and captivating production that relates back to modern day sociopolitical issues, the celebrities in the news etc. The numerous pop culture references add to the experience, not detract from it.

The Central New York Playhouse has earned a reputation for taking on some shows that are not often seen in the community theater realm and they typically do those productions well enough. There are usually enough positive elements that make it easy to overlook the negative ones. Unfortunately, in the case of their present musical production of Kiss of The Spider Woman, there are more misses than wows.

Just like that the 2018 season ends at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, New York - and it ends with the empowering and mesmerizing production of Larry Gallagher's Beehive: The 60s Musical. First off, I am not a fan of 'jukebox musicals,' but I guess there is always an exception and it is this production at the Finger Lakes Musical Theatre Festival.

Syracuse Stage's Artistic Director Robert Hupp once again provides local audiences with a perfectly paced, perfectly cast, and the perfect escape from the outside world theatrical experience. His production of Michael Frayn's hilarious farce Noises Off showcases the impeccable comedic skills of veteran actors, a breathtaking and detailed set by John Iacovelli, impressive comedic stunt work coordinated by D. C. Wright, and of course the brilliant writing.

Cortland Repertory Theatre ended its Summer season with The Rat Pack Lounge at their lovely downtown location. The jukebox musical - showcasing those familiar hit tunes sung by the legendary Frank Sinatra, Sammy Davis Jr., and Dean Martin - is written by James Hindman and Ray Roderick with musical arrangements by John Glaudini. Director Mark Reynolds and his cast took the audience back in time.

The Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, New York is at again bringing a standout production to the Finger Lakes. This time around it is the hilarious murder mystery musical Murder for Two, brilliantly directed by Scott Weinstein with music direction by Jeff Cox.

It looks like the Holidays have come early to Auburn's Merry - Go - Round Playhouse with their current production of Irving Berlin's Holiday Inn, delightfully directed by Richard J. Hinds. The heartwarming musical will compel you to tap your feet along to the upbeat tunes. It will put a smile on your face and have you longing for the holiday season (even if it is August).

Nestled in the gorgeous countryside of Cortland County at Cortland Repertory Theatre's (CRT) summer theatre at picturesque Little York Lake is the breathtaking production of Disney's Newsies under the brilliant direction of Mark Reynolds. The production is exciting, powerful, and just pure magic on stage.

What do you get when you mix a stellar group of community theatre actors, a devoted theatre company, and 80's rock hits? The answer is the totally radical production of Rock of Ages now entertaining audiences at the Central New York Playhouse. Director Dan Rowlands has assembled a high energy, talented cast to bring the rock/jukebox musical to local audiences and the end result is a non-stop party on stage.