Nothing will stop the Denmarks - (left) Tina (Alejandra Sutherland and (right) Judy (Lauren Shilansky) - in their quest for stardom in "Ruthless! The Musical."
A dark comedy that was an off-Broadway hit will be the next offering in the Walter Gloor Mainstage Series.
“Ruthless! The Musical” follows a young actress who will stop at nothing to land the lead role in a school play. It opens on Friday, Feb. 27 for six performances in the Alice E. Bartlett Theatre of Rockefeller Arts Center on the SUNY Fredonia campus.
Show times are 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 27; Saturday, Feb. 28; Friday, March 6 and Saturday, March 7. There will be 2 p.m. matinees on Sunday, March 1 and Sunday, March 8 for the Department of Theatre and Dance production.
Tickets are available online 24/7, by phone at (716) 673-3501 or in person at Fredonia Ticket Office in the Williams Center on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., and at the door the day of the event.
With book and lyrics by Joel Paley and music by Marvin Laird, “Ruthless!” earned rave reviews. It is presented through special arrangement with Concord Theatricals.
Director Daniel Lendzian said the musical “pulls heavily from the plots of the classic films ‘Gypsy,’ ‘The Bad Seed,’ ‘The Women,’ and ‘All About Eve.’”
“’Ruthless!’ is a hilariously campy and satirical musical that skewers ambition, fame, and the need for stardom,” Director Lendzian said. “The music has a classic Broadway sound, and careful listeners will hear music that is inspired by Broadway composers like Stephen Sondheim, Jerry Herman, and Jule Styne. It features a lot of fun roles that are over-the-top and ridiculous, and the design challenges are really extraordinary.”
The musical has a small cast, but there is a lot of student involvement in the overall production.
“It has a cast of seven, and there are seven covers — but really, countless students are involved in the process,” Lendzian said. “It is amazing to work in a department where nearly every aspect of the creative process — everything from acting, and design to paint crew, wardrobe, and publicity — is executed by our students.”
The director said the students and faculty working on “Ruthless!” have really outdone themselves.
“I think the music of ‘Ruthless!’ is really fantastic, and our new faculty member, Jay Teamer, who is the music director, is really extraordinary,” Lendzian said. “His ability to teach and coach is truly world class. The students are embracing the ridiculous comedy of the piece — and it’s wonderful to watch them work onstage.”
Lendzian hopes audiences will be impacted by the experience of “Ruthless! The Musical.”
“I hope they laugh, and I hope that they leave the theater humming,” he said. “‘Ruthless!’ is a dark comedy, however — and so I hope they think about the cost of unbridled ambition, the price of fame, and the importance of good parenting. But mostly, I hope that they have a great time!”
“Ruthless! The Musical” is presented by the Department of Theatre and Dance as part of the 2025-26 Lake Shore Bank Season.
