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.
TCO’s ‘Fantasticks’ offers new twist but classic sentiment
By George Basler The musical The Fantasticks is a classic example of an underdog that became a champion. The show opened Off-Broadway in 1960 to mixed reviews and virtually no advance sale. A quick closing seemed certain. But word of mouth saved the show. Audiences were entranced by the [...]
Castalia String Quartet to perform at the Phelps
At 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 11, the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra will present a performance by the Castalia String Quartet at the Phelps Mansion Museum in downtown Binghamton. The concert is part of the orchestra's 2023-2024 Garufi Law P.C. Phelps Mansion Museum Series. The quartet, featuring violinists Uli Speth [...]
KNOW Theatre to present black comedy about a blind date
KNOW Theatre is starting 2024 with Becky Shaw, a black comedy about a blind date that goes alarmingly off the rails. The play by Gina Gionfriddo premiered at the Humana Festival of New American Plays in Louisville, Kentucky, in 2008 to positive reviews. An Off-Broadway run in New York followed, [...]
Bulgarian orchestra bringing Beethoven to BU
The Sofia Philharmonic Orchestra, led by principal conductor Nayden Todorov, will perform three works by Beethoven at 3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 10, in the Anderson Center for the Performing Arts' Osterhout Concert Theater at Binghamton University. In 1945 the Sofia Philharmonic became the national orchestra of Bulgaria and [...]
SRO offers lively message of acceptance with strong, engaging ‘The Prom’
Reviewed by George Basler The Prom is a musical that strives to be both flamboyantly humorous and emotionally heartfelt. That’s also the case with SRO Productions III’s lively and entertaining production, which opened this past weekend (Jan. 26-28) for a two-weekend run at the Schorr Family Firehouse Stage in [...]
BLAST’s ‘The Outsider’ wins the vote with solid laughs
Reviewed by George Basler BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier) is pulling off a minor miracle with its latest production, The Outsider, which opened Jan. 26 for a two-weekend run at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott: It’s making politics funny. Imagine a political comedy that pokes [...]
Come to the ‘Cabaret:’ Ti-Ahwaga presents classic, but timely, musical
By George Basler When the musical Cabaret opened on Broadway in 1966, it broke with the conventions of the time. Moving past its lively music and dances, it featured a dark story about a society descending into the madness of Nazi Germany and the Holocaust. The abrupt mood change [...]
Binghamton Philharmonic to perform profound and beautiful Mozart masterpiece
By George Basler The Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra will tackle one of the masterworks of Western music this Sunday (Jan. 28) when it presents Mozart’s Requiem in D Minor at the Broome County Center for the Performing Arts (The Forum). “Any orchestral performance is a shared act of musical [...]
BLAST to play politics for laughs in upcoming production at Cider Mill Stage
The headlines are depressing, our political system seems broken and polarization is rampant. So maybe it’s time to laugh. Maybe humor is in order to chase away the election year blues. BLAST (Bold Local Artists of the Southern Tier) is working to supply this humor by presenting The Outsider, [...]
Catch some rising stars at high school musicals
Thanks to Nicole Cole of the Harpursville Central School District for this compilation.
SRO to present lively musical with a heart
By George Basler Four narcissistic Broadway stars, looking for a cause to revive their sagging careers, descend on a Midwestern town to help a teenage girl who simply wants to bring her girlfriend to her high school prom. That’s the plot set up for The Prom, a brassy, Tony-nominated Broadway [...]
EPAC presents provocative ‘Vagina Monologues’
By George Basler Samantha Gurn is passionate about combating gender-based violence, a passion that was reinforced while she worked as a graduate assistant in the University of Scranton’s Cultural Centers. This strong feeling and sense of commitment led her to approach Pat Foti, artistic director of the Endicott Performing [...]
Savoyards set auditions for spring comedy
Auditions for the Summer Savoyards’ spring comedy fundraiser, Dion Boucicault's London Assurance, will be 6-8 p.m. Friday, Jan. 12, and 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 13, at Trinity Memorial Episcopal Church in Binghamton. Use entrance at 118 Oak St. Sides will be provided. Plot and character information is available [...]
Peaches and Crime’s raucous new mystery debuting at Cider Mill Stage
By George Basler The Peaches and Crime musical ensemble will present its latest "You-Decide-Homicide" at 7:30 p.m. Saturday (Jan. 13) at the Cider Mill Stage in Endicott. The eight-member group features musicians who take up alter egos when performing in vintage outfits. Their original songs are written in [...]
Local groups spread holiday cheer: Part 2
By George Basler the holiday season is filled with annual performances from local arts organizations. From pop and classical music to holiday-themed plays, the schedule is a full one designed to heighten your holiday spirit whatever your tastes. Last week, Broome Arts Mirror began highlighting some of those [...]
