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Son of Man!
New Thanasis Theater troupe stages Easter-inspired world premiere By Russ Tarby Contributing Writer
A dozen other players perform multiple roles, including Anne-Margaret Childress as Anna the mother of Mary and Cyborea, the mother of Judas. Bianca Hallett portrays Mary Magdalene, Basil Allen plays Pontius Pilate and Lauren Puente portrays Salome. The cast also features Jeremiah Thompson, Frank Procopio, Joshua Michael King, Ahmad Maher, Donovan Stanfield, Michaela Oney, Samantha Silver and Bethani Rahrie-White. The play’s longest piece is Susannah
of Nazareth played by Bethani Rahrle-White, who late in Act 2 shares much of Mary’s life and trauma, including the only account in the show of the dreaded crucifixion. “I am making motherhood and the feminine divine the central theme of the show,” Westfall said. And he’s already planning a follow-up for next year. “Jesus, Son of Man” is just part one of an epic two-part venture. Westfall hopes to finish it with a production of “The Testament of Mary” starring Dabu next Mother’s Day, in 2023.
Christ’s resurrection from the dead following his sacrificial crucifixion represents the promise of life everlasting for all believers. We celebrate that promise every Easter Sunday. A new local theatrical troupe, Thanasis Theatre, will celebrate Easter with the play “Jesus, Son of Man,” an ambitious adaptation of a 1928 work by the Lebanese-American poet Kahlil Gibran. The poet had penned a series of monologues delivered by several of Jesus’s contemporaries – canonized Biblical personages as well as fictional characters who may have crossed Christ’s path, for better or worse. The adaptation was written by Thanasis founder Jordan Westfall, who also drew inspiration from Colm Tóibín’s 2012 novel “The Testament of Mary” which became a one-woman show starring Fiona Shaw on Broadway in 2013. “I’m centering the show on Mother Mary, who is still grieving the loss of her son,” said Westfall, who is directing the play. “In her grief, she is able to divinely connect with others across the Mediterranean world, experiencing vivid visions of the past, present and future in order to properly heal.” The world premiere of Westfall’s adaptation of “Jesus, Son of Man” will be staged at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 14, at the Everson Museum of Art Auditorium, 401 Harrison St., in downtown Syracuse. Performances will continue at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, April 15 and 16, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 17. The show closes the following weekend, with performances slated at 7:30 p.m. April 21, 22 and 23 and at 3 p.m. April 24. Lauren Sageer “Jesus, Son of Man” stars award- Donovan Stanfield as John the Baptist, Binaifer Dabu, Michaela Oney as the winning actress Binaifer Dabu as Widow in Galilee (who closes Act 1), Bianca Hallett as Mary Magdalene & Basil Mary. Allen as Pontius Pilate.
Sindoni named new Liverpool football coach by Phil Blackwell
With a rich and deep history that includes championships and sending waves of players to the professional and college ranks, Liverpool football was an attractive position for any potential head coach. What the Warriors got was someone who knows quite well what it’s like to reach the sport’s pinnacle. Joe Sindoni, who won a state title and multiple sectional crowns in two stints at Skaneateles, was named early last week to take the job held recently by Dave Mancuso, who retired after the end of the 2021 season. In his coaching odyssey, Sindoni has gone from a long-time assistant at Christian Brothers Academy to a brief stint in charge at Cicero-North Syracuse, but it was at Skaneateles that he generated headlines of all sorts. A decade ago, following Tim Green’s
resignation, Sindoni led the Lakers to a sectional title in 2012. When he returned a few years later, even bigger things took place. Led by record-setting quarterback Patrick Hackler (now a lacrosse star at Yale), Skaneateles won the 2017 state Class C championship and returned to the state semifinals a year later in Class B. But in November 2020, the staging by current and former Lakers players of a “Turkey Bowl” game in violation of COVID-19 protocols in place at the time led to a prolonged legal battle. At first, the school district voted not to retain Sindoni for the 2021 season, sparking a wave of protest in the community, a lawsuit from Sindoni and an Onondaga County Superior Court hearing where a judge ordered a temporary injunction. The district appealed the ruling, but in the meantime allowed Sindoni to coach in 2021, where Skaneateles won
another sectional Class C title. Soon after, he stepped down. At the time of his departure from Skaneateles, Sindoni said he wanted to focus more attention on his children’s activities and perhaps return to CBA, who won the state Class A title last fall and where his son, John, played quarterback for the JV team. But after extended talks with Liverpool athletic director Ari Lieberman, Sindoni agreed to return to the sidelines again, looking to bring Liverpool up to the level of its neighbors from C-NS, winners of the last four sectional and regional Class AA titles. To add further intrigue to the story, the Warriors face CBA, who has again moved up to Class AA, on Oct. 14 at LHS Stadium, leaving open the possibility that Sindoni could coach with his son on the opposing side.
WORK BUY SELL TRADE GET IT DONE
CanTeen seeks sponsors for Macker tournament By Ashley M. Casey Associate Editor
After a COVID hiatus, the CanTeen’s fundraising juggernaut, the Gus Macker 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, returns to Cicero on Aug. 13-14. But the tournament is in need of sponsors to fund the event itself. “Gus Macker’s in need of Courtesy of the backers,” said CanTeen DirecCanTeen tor Amy Crowley. The CanTeen, which serves The 2022 Gus Macker Basketball as an afterschool haven for stu- 3-on-3 Tournament returns to dents at Cicero-North Syracuse High School and North Syra- Cicero on Aug. 13 and cuse Junior High School, re- 14. The tournament ceives funding from the towns is a major fundraiser of Clay, Salina and Cicero as for the CanTeen afterwell as the village of North school center. Syracuse, as well as some state and county funding. The Friends of the CanTeen, a 501(c) (3) organization, raises money to bridge the gap between government funding and the center’s needs. “If any of these streams dries up or shrinks, the only source that can make adjustments is the Friends group,” former CanTeen Director Toni Brauchle told the Star-Review in 2018. “They are left shouldering the burden of any shortfall.” While the CanTeen benefits from Macker revenue, the greater Cicero community reaps the benefits as well. “We get about 5,000 spectators and players for the whole weekend,” Crowley said. “It brings money back to the town — there’s hotels, there’s restaurants [that benefit].” To learn more about sponsorship opportunities for Gus Macker, visit canteencny.com/events/macker/ or email friendsofthecanteen@gmail.com.
County to Great Northern Mall: Pay up By Ashley M. Casey Associate Editor
After racking up $5.2 million in back taxes, shirking their National Grid bill and receiving numerous citations for code violations from the town of Clay, the owners of Great Northern Mall could face foreclosure. Onondaga County filed a lawsuit April 6 in New York State Supreme Court asking the state to force Long Island-based Kohan Investment Group to pay the county $5,223,648.94 in back taxes or sell the property. “At some point, we need to stop the bleeding,” Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon said in a press conference April 7. McMahon said the Kohan Investment Group has been investing in other properties across the country, so reneging on a 2020 tax payment agreement is not about resources, but about choice. “They’re still investing,” McMahon said. “They’re just not investing here.” According to McMahon, the county has connected at least two local real estate developers with mall owner Michael Kohan. Kohan told NewsChannel9 that he was “discussing with potential buyers.” As for what McMahon would like to see happen with the property, he said there are several options for Great Northern Mall’s future. “We do have a housing shortage in this area,” he said. Great Northern also could be a “staging area for the supply chain” of a possible semiconductor plant at White Pine Business Park in Clay. McMahon said the county is a finalist in an unnamed manufacturer’s search for a new location. For now, it’s business as usual for the mall’s few remaining tenants. McMahon said there will be no disruption to tenants until the mall is sold. “The story needs to come to a conclusion,” McMahon said. “We either need to be paid or there needs to be a sale. A sale is always better if you can execute that. It’ll save us both some money.”
Volume 130, Number 15 The Star-Review is published weekly by Eagle News. Office of Publication: 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206. Periodical Postage Paid at Syracuse, NY 13220, USPS 316060. POSTMASTER: Send change of address to Star-Review, 2501 James St., Suite 100, Syracuse, NY 13206.
recipe of the month: Three ingredient pork chops.
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sports news: L’pool, C-NS boys lacrosse continue quick starts.
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