Broome Arts Mirror – Local Theatre Reviews
The Broome Arts Mirror is a group of volunteers affiliated with the Broome County Arts Council who write previews and reviews about local performances and arts shows. For inquiries, including having someone review your local production, please contact us at bamirror@broomearts.org.
S.T.A.R. to present Chekhov’s masterpiece of a society in free fall
By George Basler Anton Chekhov wrote The Cherry Orchard in 1903 at a time of profound change in his native Russia. The aristocracy was in decline. The business class was on the ascent. Social unrest was in the wind. It’s a sign of Chekhov’s genius that he profoundly captured this upheaval [...]
Hit Men bring rock favorites to BU
At 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Sept. 14), Binghamton University's Anderson Center for the Performing Arts will host "The Hit Men: Classic Rock Supergroup" for an evening of sing-along favorites. Featured will be five musicians who have shared the stage with members of Foreigner, Cheap Trick, Wings, Journey, The Who and [...]
Blues on the Bridge returns for 22nd year
For the 22nd year, downtown Binghamton will be filled with the sounds of rock, pop and blues when Blues on the Bridge returns on Saturday (Sept. 14). Best of all, it’s free to attend! The event is centered around the South Washington Street Bridge. Organizers Donny Wilkins and [...]
KNOW opens season with thought-provoking character drama
By George Basler When he began reading Adam Rapp’s The Sound Inside earlier this year, Tim Gleason said he couldn’t put it down. The play’s language is “incredible,” and the themes of loyalty, friendship and devotion make it “one of the most moving plays I’ve ever been involved in,” the [...]
TCO, LUMA team up on Mozart opera
By George Basler Tri-Cities Opera is opening its 2024-25 season by merging classic opera with modern technology. The company has joined forces with Binghamton’s LUMA Projection Arts Festival to present an adapted version of Mozart’s masterwork The Magic Flute as part of this year’s festival. The production will incorporate fantastical [...]
Fellow musicians remember Barbara Garges
Keyboardist extraordinaire Barbara L. Garges of Apalachin passed away Tuesday, Aug. 13. She was 91. Garges’ obituary describes her as “an active musician in the area,” a massive understatement. She was the organist at Tabernacle United Methodist Church in Binghamton for four decades and was an adjunct professor [...]
Remembering Bruce Borton, masterful musician and a ‘blessed human being’
By Lee Shepherd “Kind and humble, yet meticulous and musically demanding -- how privileged are those of us who were chosen to sing with Maestro Borton.” These and similar heartfelt sentiments were expressed eloquently by the countless people whose lives Dr. Bruce E. Borton touched as a choral director, [...]
Rehearsals starting for Downtown Singers’ “Messiah”
Rehearsals for the Binghamton Downtown Singers' annual performance of Handel's "Messiah" begin at 7 p.m. Sept. 15 at Sarah Jane Johnson Memorial United Methodist Church in Johnson City. Rehearsals will be 7-9:15 p.m. Sundays every week leading up to the Dec 14 concert. No auditions are required -- just [...]
S.T.A.R. to present landmark Ibsen play
Southern Tier Actors Read (S.T.A.R.) will present a staged reading of Henrik Ibsen’s Ghosts for three performances (Aug. 23-25) in the Carousel Theatre on the ground floor of the Roberson Museum and Science Center, 30 Front St., Binghamton. Ibsen is considered one the most influential playwrights of the 19th [...]
Chenango River Theatre to present heady yet goofy Steven Martin Play
By George Basler Steve Martin’s Picasso at the Lapin Agile combines a trunk-load of disparate elements: realism and fantasy; seriousness and absurdity; heavy themes and bladder jokes. See how that works when the play opens Aug. 23 for a three-weekend run at the Chenango River Theatre in Greene. “It’s a brilliant [...]
New directors named at CRT
Chenango River Theatre is expanding its leadership team for 2025, splitting the role of Producing Artistic Director into an Executive Director and an Artistic Director. Beginning in November 2024, Paige Tripp will be Executive Director and Drew Kahl will be Artistic Director. According to a CRT press release, outgoing [...]
Going to pot: SRO Underground presenting ‘Reefer Madness’ (note: new dates set)
UPDATE! SRO announced Aug. 8 that, "due to a COVID outbreak within our cast, due diligence dictates that we postpone our production. The show has moved to 9/13, 9/14,& 9/15. If you are unavailable for the new dates, we will refund your tickets. If you are able to attend, [...]
EPAC to present high energy ‘Legally Blonde’
By George Basler Legally Blonde has been described as a pink cotton candy of a show that glories in its feel-good attitude. The musical uses a peppy score and high-energy dance numbers to satirize gender stereotypes, class snobbery and cliché “dumb blonde” jokes. “It’s like a chick flick and [...]
Savoyards to give Gilbert and Sullivan’s ‘Princess Ida’ a bright refresh
By George Basler During their creative partnership, W.S. Gilbert and Sir Arthur Sullivan took satirical potshots at the British class system, the monarchy and the stuffy norms of upper crust society. In Princess Ida, or Castle Adamant, they took a more conservative tone by satirizing early British feminism, [...]
CRT’s ‘Ruthless’ is dark, delicious delight
Reviewed by George Basler The Chenango River Theatre is going “camping” for the summer. I’m not talking about the outdoor version with tents and mosquitoes. I’m talking about the indoor version that sports a theatrical style that is delightfully over the top. The style is on full display in Ruthless! [...]
