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.

EPAC ‘Fiddler’ hits all the right notes

Reviewed by George Basler

Fiddler on the Roof, being performed this weekend and next by the Endicott Performing Arts Center (EPAC) Repertory Company,  is a superb production of one of Broadway’s greatest musicals.

What makes the musical great, besides the obvious elements of  top-notch songs and writing, is its underlying theme.

‘Assassins’ kills at the Firehouse Stage

Reviewed by Sarah Roche

I attended S.R.O. Productions III’s  April 9 opening night performance of “Assassins.” It was my first time at the Firehouse Stage of the Goodwill Theatre  in Johnson City. The venue goes above and beyond to make patrons comfortable with a police officer assisting in parking and well-cushioned chairs.