Based on the Book by : Arthur Conan Doyle
Directed by : Peter Amster
May 11 - May 29, 2016
DescriptionA madcap comedy spoof of Sherlock Holmes’ most famous case. Ken Ludwig (Lend Me a Tenor, Moon Over Buffalo) turns Arthur Conan Doyle’s frightening tale into fast-paced, murderously delightful, comedy thriller as five actors take on a multitude of roles, including the famous sleuth and Dr. Watson. Like The 39 Steps (2010) only with a lot more howling!
"Uproarious comedy." – NY Theatre Guide
"Virtually drips with the mystery of the moors of southern England." - Syracuse.com
"Posh visuals...the costumes here are MGM-level." - Syracuse New Times
Adapted by : Christopher Sergel
Based on the Book by : Harper Lee Directed by : Timothy Bond February 24 - March 26, 2016 Description Harper Lee's classic American story of courage and justice. In a small Alabama town, a black man, Tom Robinson, stands falsely accused of raping a white woman. Many townspeople would see him condemned, but attorney Atticus Finch defends Tom and demands justice. Through the trial, Atticus' children Scout and Jem and their friend Dill come face to face with realty of racism in their small town. Dr. Martin Luther King reminds us, “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” This inspiring truth underlies To Kill a Mockingbird. "Enchanting, heartfelt." - Daily Express "Stirring and timely." - Chicago Reader |
Syracuse Stage brings us back to high school in “Punk Rock.”
Justise Hayward (right) in SU Drama’s "Punk Rock." Michael Davis photo
The name of playwright Simon Stephens signals that Punk Rock is not a musical, despite the title. Stephens, better known for his many adaptations, like his 2015 Tony Award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a genuinely hot young property.
Although he’s making an area premiere in this Syracuse University Drama Department production, readers of The New York Times will know him as the scribe most often championed by top critic Ben Brantley. Part of the reason to see this production is to see and hear what all the talk has been about.
As the action begins we feel we might be coming upon a British version of The Breakfast Club. In the United Kingdom, class lines are always more visible. We’re in the library of Stockbridge School, which appears to charge high tuition but suffers from unprestigious geography. All the students are age 17 and in the equivalent of senior year.
Not only are they facing the pressure of examinations, but each is deeply insecure about what is about to happen to them. When newcomer Lilly (the compelling Isabella Moore) lets on that her father had previously taught at Cambridge University, a palpable chill descends on the listeners. But she offers relief with cracks like, “They were rude, horrible pigs … really rich and stupid.”
Justise Hayward (right) in SU Drama’s "Punk Rock." Michael Davis photo
The name of playwright Simon Stephens signals that Punk Rock is not a musical, despite the title. Stephens, better known for his many adaptations, like his 2015 Tony Award-winning The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, is a genuinely hot young property.
Although he’s making an area premiere in this Syracuse University Drama Department production, readers of The New York Times will know him as the scribe most often championed by top critic Ben Brantley. Part of the reason to see this production is to see and hear what all the talk has been about.
As the action begins we feel we might be coming upon a British version of The Breakfast Club. In the United Kingdom, class lines are always more visible. We’re in the library of Stockbridge School, which appears to charge high tuition but suffers from unprestigious geography. All the students are age 17 and in the equivalent of senior year.
Not only are they facing the pressure of examinations, but each is deeply insecure about what is about to happen to them. When newcomer Lilly (the compelling Isabella Moore) lets on that her father had previously taught at Cambridge University, a palpable chill descends on the listeners. But she offers relief with cracks like, “They were rude, horrible pigs … really rich and stupid.”
Cole Francum in Punk Rock.
Michael Davis photo | Syracuse New Times
Although the seven principals may generally resemble figures from other teen dramas, such as the brainy nerd, the bully and the jock, just as happens in real-life high schools, Stephens invests each of them with individualizing, sometimes surprising detail. We learn about all of this in dialogues that are longer and subtler than are found in many American dramas or movies. In this instance, Stephens is closer to Anton Chekhov than he is to John Hughes. Not one is the kind of character on whom we are supposed to pin our affections. We are detached, not rooting for anybody.
Perhaps the most Chekhovian of them all is William (Cole Francum), who appears first. Stammering and nervous, he might be seeking approval in the way he chatters on. He can open people up, however. In a lengthy dialogue with Lilly we learn that she cuts her arms where the scars don’t show. He lacks the pathos of a Chekhov loser, though. Only gradually do we realize that William’s more startling statements are not to be believed.
Initially easier to understand are Bennett (Ezekial Edmonds), the boastful alpha dog, and his brainy but insensitive girlfriend Cissy (Bryn Dolan), who submits to him. Cissy’s more perceptive pal Tanya (Rose Gulant) sees what’s happening, but from insecurity over body issues clings to Cissy without complaint. Studious Chadwick (Justise Hayward) keeps his head down and tries to avoid conflict.
Finally athlete Nicholas (Matthew Mueller) arrives late and stands apart. He does not dominate the girls, as cliché would have it, but he quietly has blocked William’s intentions for Lilly.
Given that all the students wear uniforms (designed by Kiersten Kosbial) and do not take drugs, they might appear to be more pleasing to their parents than many American counterparts. If that were so, why is the play called Punk Rock? At intervals the bookcases in Robert John Andrusko’s set rotate while we hear sound designer Jonathan R. Herter’s blastings of several punk rock tracks as figures in fright costumes, the demonic, id-driven counterparts of the students, cavort in their same space.
The music expresses all that has been unsaid. We know from early in the first act that something dreadful is coming, but we cannot name it. One of these kids is going to explode. It could be any of them.
Each of the characters is united in tension, of which the most overt is between the sadistic Bennett and the intellectual Chadwick. As Bennett, musical theater major Ezekial Edmonds, last seen as Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate, has some of the hardest work to do. Fair-haired and slender, he’s not the swaggering sadist from central casting. His bluster arises in part from a cover for doubts about his masculinity.
Justise Hayward as Chadwick is the only black player in the company, apparently director Robert Moss’ decision and not prescribed in the text. William’s abuse never cites color. Chadwick would be set apart from the others even if he were not the only non-white. Always alone, he nonetheless has a sense of self, as shown in the ostentatious fur collar on his coat. He may look frightened when Bennett humiliates him, demanding money and smearing his mouth with lipstick. Chadwick gamely affects unconcern at his treatment but responds with a display of his erudition, a vision of the cosmos emphasizing everyone’s insignificance in it.
Veteran director Moss, former head of Syracuse Stage, delivers some of his finest moments in the Bennett vs. Chadwick encounter. The predations of the strong over the weak might be commonplace on stage, but Moss reminds us that this one is anything but cliché. Both sides come with ambiguities, Bennett’s weaknesses on one hand and Chadwick’s reserves of self on the other. The scene ends with foreboding rather than resolution.
The program for Punk Rock states that the show will be performed without intermission, but thankfully this is not true. Warnings of pistols being fired on stage, however, are justified. Events of the play are inspired by news stories you might have read about as well as by playwright Stephens’ time teaching in a school like Stockbridge.
This production justifies Ben Brantley’s high opinion of the playwright. English school kids, in accents well-polished by dialect coach Celia Madeoy, use more considered language than ours do, and they don’t give everything away on top.
SU Drama’s Punk Rock will be performed Wednesday, Feb. 24, through Friday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 27, 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m., at the Syracuse Stage complex, 820 E. Genesee St.
Michael Davis photo | Syracuse New Times
Although the seven principals may generally resemble figures from other teen dramas, such as the brainy nerd, the bully and the jock, just as happens in real-life high schools, Stephens invests each of them with individualizing, sometimes surprising detail. We learn about all of this in dialogues that are longer and subtler than are found in many American dramas or movies. In this instance, Stephens is closer to Anton Chekhov than he is to John Hughes. Not one is the kind of character on whom we are supposed to pin our affections. We are detached, not rooting for anybody.
Perhaps the most Chekhovian of them all is William (Cole Francum), who appears first. Stammering and nervous, he might be seeking approval in the way he chatters on. He can open people up, however. In a lengthy dialogue with Lilly we learn that she cuts her arms where the scars don’t show. He lacks the pathos of a Chekhov loser, though. Only gradually do we realize that William’s more startling statements are not to be believed.
Initially easier to understand are Bennett (Ezekial Edmonds), the boastful alpha dog, and his brainy but insensitive girlfriend Cissy (Bryn Dolan), who submits to him. Cissy’s more perceptive pal Tanya (Rose Gulant) sees what’s happening, but from insecurity over body issues clings to Cissy without complaint. Studious Chadwick (Justise Hayward) keeps his head down and tries to avoid conflict.
Finally athlete Nicholas (Matthew Mueller) arrives late and stands apart. He does not dominate the girls, as cliché would have it, but he quietly has blocked William’s intentions for Lilly.
Given that all the students wear uniforms (designed by Kiersten Kosbial) and do not take drugs, they might appear to be more pleasing to their parents than many American counterparts. If that were so, why is the play called Punk Rock? At intervals the bookcases in Robert John Andrusko’s set rotate while we hear sound designer Jonathan R. Herter’s blastings of several punk rock tracks as figures in fright costumes, the demonic, id-driven counterparts of the students, cavort in their same space.
The music expresses all that has been unsaid. We know from early in the first act that something dreadful is coming, but we cannot name it. One of these kids is going to explode. It could be any of them.
Each of the characters is united in tension, of which the most overt is between the sadistic Bennett and the intellectual Chadwick. As Bennett, musical theater major Ezekial Edmonds, last seen as Fred/Petruchio in Kiss Me Kate, has some of the hardest work to do. Fair-haired and slender, he’s not the swaggering sadist from central casting. His bluster arises in part from a cover for doubts about his masculinity.
Justise Hayward as Chadwick is the only black player in the company, apparently director Robert Moss’ decision and not prescribed in the text. William’s abuse never cites color. Chadwick would be set apart from the others even if he were not the only non-white. Always alone, he nonetheless has a sense of self, as shown in the ostentatious fur collar on his coat. He may look frightened when Bennett humiliates him, demanding money and smearing his mouth with lipstick. Chadwick gamely affects unconcern at his treatment but responds with a display of his erudition, a vision of the cosmos emphasizing everyone’s insignificance in it.
Veteran director Moss, former head of Syracuse Stage, delivers some of his finest moments in the Bennett vs. Chadwick encounter. The predations of the strong over the weak might be commonplace on stage, but Moss reminds us that this one is anything but cliché. Both sides come with ambiguities, Bennett’s weaknesses on one hand and Chadwick’s reserves of self on the other. The scene ends with foreboding rather than resolution.
The program for Punk Rock states that the show will be performed without intermission, but thankfully this is not true. Warnings of pistols being fired on stage, however, are justified. Events of the play are inspired by news stories you might have read about as well as by playwright Stephens’ time teaching in a school like Stockbridge.
This production justifies Ben Brantley’s high opinion of the playwright. English school kids, in accents well-polished by dialect coach Celia Madeoy, use more considered language than ours do, and they don’t give everything away on top.
SU Drama’s Punk Rock will be performed Wednesday, Feb. 24, through Friday, Feb. 26, 8 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 27, 2 and 8 p.m.; and Sunday, Feb. 28, 2 p.m., at the Syracuse Stage complex, 820 E. Genesee St.
Justise Hayward (Chadwick) and Ezekiel Edmonds (Bennett) star in ‘Punk Rock,’ currently at the Storch Theatre. Photo by Mike Davis.
WHO: SU DRAMA’S MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION OF “PUNK ROCK”
WHERE: 820 EAST GENESEE STREET SYRACUSE, N.Y. 13210
WHEN: FEB. 19-28
“Punk Rock” has one of the most engaging and tension building plots out today. Currently presented by SU Drama at the Storch Theater, “Punk Rock” combines a phenomenal cast and great acting. Director Robert Moss managed to produce an environment and cast that blended flawlessly together. “Punk Rock” was able to make the audience feel engaged and be part of the world he created on stage.
The overall play was outstanding. Every actress and actor played his or her role with consistency and precision through every emotional high and low, which greatly helped to create a realistic and believable world for the audience members.
The audience takes part in joining the journey of seven high school students as they go through numerous struggles and pressures of their daily lives. Balancing a combination of school work, social lives, the burdens of their future and the turmoil going on within their own heads, the environment that was created on set had the audience feel as though they were on a thrilling and fearful roller coaster ride. Every scene is filled with crazy turns, intense build ups, followed by the inevitable 90 degree drop that will leave the audience feeling speechless.
Scenic Designer Robert Andrusko designed a set piece that gives the feel of being in a prestigious aged library with books that are older than the students who read them. This enclosed environment, held in a bright school, surrounds the characters in the play with literature written by innovative geniuses, yet none of the resources the students have at hand are able to teach them how to handle the everyday stresses they are facing in their heads. All of the students in the play strive to improve their grades and become the smartest student, yet none of them strive to become a better person. As a result, we begin to see them break down as the stress becomes too much for them.
Costume Designer Kiersten Kozbial’s decision to clothe each actor in uniforms contrast with the distinct personalities and even more unique problems of each character. Although it is easy to judge and dismiss the characters from the beginning, as we naturally do in life, over time you grow to love and appreciate these characters. By the end of the play you feel the need to love each of the characters uniquely, not because of their good qualities, but rather you begin to love them because of their unique problems and imperfections.
WHO: SU DRAMA’S MAINSTAGE PRODUCTION OF “PUNK ROCK”
WHERE: 820 EAST GENESEE STREET SYRACUSE, N.Y. 13210
WHEN: FEB. 19-28
“Punk Rock” has one of the most engaging and tension building plots out today. Currently presented by SU Drama at the Storch Theater, “Punk Rock” combines a phenomenal cast and great acting. Director Robert Moss managed to produce an environment and cast that blended flawlessly together. “Punk Rock” was able to make the audience feel engaged and be part of the world he created on stage.
The overall play was outstanding. Every actress and actor played his or her role with consistency and precision through every emotional high and low, which greatly helped to create a realistic and believable world for the audience members.
The audience takes part in joining the journey of seven high school students as they go through numerous struggles and pressures of their daily lives. Balancing a combination of school work, social lives, the burdens of their future and the turmoil going on within their own heads, the environment that was created on set had the audience feel as though they were on a thrilling and fearful roller coaster ride. Every scene is filled with crazy turns, intense build ups, followed by the inevitable 90 degree drop that will leave the audience feeling speechless.
Scenic Designer Robert Andrusko designed a set piece that gives the feel of being in a prestigious aged library with books that are older than the students who read them. This enclosed environment, held in a bright school, surrounds the characters in the play with literature written by innovative geniuses, yet none of the resources the students have at hand are able to teach them how to handle the everyday stresses they are facing in their heads. All of the students in the play strive to improve their grades and become the smartest student, yet none of them strive to become a better person. As a result, we begin to see them break down as the stress becomes too much for them.
Costume Designer Kiersten Kozbial’s decision to clothe each actor in uniforms contrast with the distinct personalities and even more unique problems of each character. Although it is easy to judge and dismiss the characters from the beginning, as we naturally do in life, over time you grow to love and appreciate these characters. By the end of the play you feel the need to love each of the characters uniquely, not because of their good qualities, but rather you begin to love them because of their unique problems and imperfections.
Isabella Moore (Lilly), Cole Francum (William) perform in ‘Punk Rock.’ Photo by Mike Davis.
William, a credulous and complex character who is played by Cole Francum, craftily played with the hearts of the audience while manipulating our perspective and judgment of William’s true intention throughout the play. On the opposite spectrum there is Bennett, who’s character is so easy to dislike and judge. Ezekiel Edmonds, who plays Bennett, managed to keep his character’s villainous stature consistent throughout the play. However, as the play goes on, Edmonds subtly shows his character’s true struggles and problems within his aggressive behavior towards the other students.
What this play does is bring out the loving parenting traits we all have within us. Forcing the audience to just watch, and not be able to interact as the series of events unfold in front of our very eyes, builds tension and stress which only enhances the experience. Seeing that there are characters in the play that can do something to change the outcome of certain events, causes the audience members to imagine themselves being the person to stick up for the underdog or guide those who are lost.
Leaving this play definitely creates a sense of purpose for the viewer. The need to go out and provide a helping hand whenever the opportunity arises will grow stronger after watching this play. To be able see inside the heads of these troubled teens was an adventure that brought more than just entertainment, it brings about sympathy and deep thinking about our own life and the lives of others.
*The above review was written by Alec Kassan
William, a credulous and complex character who is played by Cole Francum, craftily played with the hearts of the audience while manipulating our perspective and judgment of William’s true intention throughout the play. On the opposite spectrum there is Bennett, who’s character is so easy to dislike and judge. Ezekiel Edmonds, who plays Bennett, managed to keep his character’s villainous stature consistent throughout the play. However, as the play goes on, Edmonds subtly shows his character’s true struggles and problems within his aggressive behavior towards the other students.
What this play does is bring out the loving parenting traits we all have within us. Forcing the audience to just watch, and not be able to interact as the series of events unfold in front of our very eyes, builds tension and stress which only enhances the experience. Seeing that there are characters in the play that can do something to change the outcome of certain events, causes the audience members to imagine themselves being the person to stick up for the underdog or guide those who are lost.
Leaving this play definitely creates a sense of purpose for the viewer. The need to go out and provide a helping hand whenever the opportunity arises will grow stronger after watching this play. To be able see inside the heads of these troubled teens was an adventure that brought more than just entertainment, it brings about sympathy and deep thinking about our own life and the lives of others.
*The above review was written by Alec Kassan
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