Did the arts warm up your week?

My son and I attended the final SRO Productions III performance of Godspell, a fabulous production that truly was SRO (“curtain” was delayed while more chairs were brought in). How did the arts add some warmth to your week ?

Cider Mill cast makes the most of humor in ‘Leading Ladies’

Reviewed by George Basler

Even in an age of political correctness, a time-honored way to get laughs is to put a couple of guys in dresses and let the fun begin.
The technique has been used, with varying degrees of success, in comedies from Some Like It Hot to Tootsie to Bosom Buddies. It’s on display again in Leading Ladies, a 2004 comedy which opened Thursday (Jan. 24) at the Cider Mill Playhouse in Endicott.
The bad news is that Leading Ladies, which opened this weekend, doesn’t reach the heights of Some Like It Hot or Tootsie, which are classics of the genre. The good news is that, taken on its own terms, Leading Ladies is a lot of fun, and the Cider Mill production supplies its share of laughs to ease the mid-winter blahs.

Clarinet soloist teams with BPO for concert filled with serenity and joy

Reviewed by Lee Shepherd

A funny thing happened at the Binghamton Philharmonic concert yesterday afternoon (Jan. 20). The clarinet soloist, Pascual Martinez Forteza, came out from behind the curtain at Binghamton University and almost turned left toward the woodwind section. He quickly turned right and took his rightful place in front of the orchestra, where he proved that the rarely-featured clarinet is indeed a very fine solo instrument.

SRO’s ‘Godspell’ mixes showmanship and faith

Reviewed by George Basler

In staging Godspell, co-director Ann Szymaniak wanted to put forth a message of love, acceptance and hope that “our fast-paced cynical society needs to hear.”
On a less spiritual level, the musical, which has been around for 42 years now, is an opportune chance for younger performers to try out their singing and acting skills in a zestful show that requires youthful exuberance to make it work.
Both spirituality and this exuberance are on display in the SRO Productions III’s presentation of the show that runs this weekend and next weekend in the ballroom of the Roberson Museum and Science Center in Binghamton.
While Godspell’s mixture of solemnity and hippy-dippy cuteness might not be to everyone’s taste, the SRO production is first-rate with an energetic and talented cast, ranging in age from 25 to 15, showing off the fact that there are a lot of talented young people in Broome County.

Did the Golden Globes shine?

Hey, movie buffs! Were you watching last night? What did you think of the Golden Globes — the ceremony, the hosts, the recipients, the speeches, … the gowns? Does the big thumbs-up for Ben Affleck compensate for the Oscar nose-thumbing?

Weather-delayed BTOS benefit set for Sunday

The BInghamton Theatre Organ Society’s benefit, postponed from last Saturday (Dec. 29), will be this Sunday (Jan. 6) at The Forum in downtown Binghamton. For details about the performance, see George Basler’s article below.

Let’s resolve to talk more about the arts

Happy 2013! A new year, a new opportunity to join in the conversation at Broome Arts Mirror. Don’t know how to get started? How about sharing your thoughts about the arts in the year just past? What were your favorite events in 2012?

Too hard to think all they way back through 12 months of activities? Why not just comment about the artistic moments that enhanced your holidays? My son and I participated in the Downtown Singers’ Messiah; what did you do?

— Barb Van Atta