When it opened on Broadway in April 2015, “Fun Home” was already making history as the first musical to feature a lesbian protagonist. The production, which is an adaptation of the 2006 graphic novel of the same name by Alison Bechdel, chronicles the author’s relationship with her closeted gay father and her own coming out […]
Leah Stacy
Leah Stacy is CITY's editor-in-chief.
Theater review: ‘Dracula’ at Blackfriars
Although Christmas decorations quickly replaced any remnants of Halloween in stores, a large harvest moon hangs low in the sky and the weather has just begun the transition from temperate to bone chilling. With the opening of its second 2017-18 season production, “Dracula,” on Halloween, Blackfriars Theatre isn’t in a rush to move past the […]
โThe Agitatorsโ explores the friendship of Fred and Sue
Outside the Susan B. Anthony House on Madison Street, there’s a life-size statue created by Pepsy Kettavong depicting Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony having tea. The two were only a few years apart in age and, in true Rochester fashion, of course they knew one another. Through November 12, Geva Theatre Center is staging […]
Theater review: ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’
The reinstated Greece Theatre Company stages a next-level production of “The Hunchback of Notre Dame” at the Lyric Theatre
THEATER | ‘The Agitators’
Geva Theatre’s most recent production, “The Agitators,” sweeps audiences back to mid-19th century America and chronicles an unlikely friendship between two famous Rochesterians, Frederick Douglass and Susan B. Anthony. Through abolition, the Civil War, and votes for women, the duo challenged one another — and the nation — to change the course of history. Geva […]
THEATER | ‘Sweeney Todd’
To celebrate 51 seasons, Pittsford Musicals is going big. Beginning October 14, the organization will present Stephen Sondheim’s “Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.” An all-female artistic team — artistic director Pam Marsocci, music and vocal director Julie Covach, and choreographer Shelly Thompson — will lead a cast of 33 actors from around […]
DANCE | NYS Ballet’s ‘Dracula’
The New York State Ballet — established in 2015 by Spencerport native and Royal Winnipeg Ballet School graduate Katherine Johnson — will perform an adaptation of Bram Stoker’s “Dracula,” the weekend of October 13 through October 15. The ballet features paid, professional dancers and guest choreography by Robert Royce, whose work has been performed at […]
Theater review: ‘Smart People’ at Geva
There are a few topics people donโt bring up in casual conversation, as a rule โ politics, sexual orientation, money, and race, to name a few. For heavenโs sake, just stick to asking about the weather, weekend plans, and the welfare of children or pets. Those topics, for most, are easy and non-offensive. But playwright […]
KIDS/THEATER | Sensory Friendly ‘A Year with Frog and Toad’
For those with special needs — and their families — enjoying the arts can be a challenge. Sensory disabilities, especially, make it difficult to sit still and quietly for several hours during a play, and loud noises or music can be upsetting. To make theater more accessible for those with special needs, RAPA is collaborating […]
THEATER | ‘School of Rock’
It’s hard to imagine a project where Broadway legend Andrew Lloyd Webber and comedian Jack Black coexist. But there was something about Black’s 2003 film, “School of Rock” — about failed rock musician-turned-prep school substitute teacher Dewey Finn and his rock band of fifth graders — that caught Webber’s attention. In 2013, Webber rewrote the […]
Setting the scene
Before a play or musical opens, crews are work for weeks to build a temporary world on stage.






