Lenten tradition returns to Saint Michael's Rec Center
BINGHAMTON, N.Y. (WIVT/WBGH) – There was a long line inside the Saint Michael's Recreation Center in Binghamton today as a Lenten tradition returned in full force.
The orthodox church on Clinton Street hosted its 62nd annual Lenten pirohi sale.
Last year, it resumed in person lunches following a multi-year pandemic pause and the crowds appear to have returned to near pre-pandemic levels.
Saint Mike's sells both potato and cabbage pirohi for eat-in or take-out. There's also soup and haluske, as well as homemade desserts, crafts and wooden Ukrainian Easter eggs.
Susan Fabian grew up in the church and wants to keep the tradition going for future generations.
'I'm a grandmother of two little girls and I want my grandchildren to learn everything there is to learn about our faith, our religion, and the ethnicity as well. So, it is extremely important,' said Fabian.
In person lunches continue on Fridays from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. through April 18. Takeout is also available on Thursdays from 11 to 1 and Fridays from 10 to 4.
Binghamton veteran receives new roof from The Impact Project
Tri-Cities Opera celebrates 75 years with Broadway tribute
Super Cooper continues to save the day at 6th annual Cooperpalooza
Lenten tradition returns to Saint Michael's Rec Center
New York sues U.S. Education Department over $600m in cuts as feds slash $400m more for Columbia University
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hamilton Spectator
4 hours ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Broadway has found its Gen Z audience - by telling Gen Z stories
NEW YORK (AP) — Kimberly Belflower knew 'John Proctor is the Villain' needed its final cathartic scene to work — and, for that, it needed Lorde's 'Green Light.' 'I literally told my agent, 'I would rather the play just not get done if it can't use that song,'' the playwright laughed. She wrote Lorde a letter, explaining what the song meant, and got her green light. Starring Sadie Sink , the staggering play about high schoolers studying 'The Crucible' as the #MeToo movement arrives in their small Georgia town, earned seven Tony nominations , including best new play — the most of any this season. It's among a group of Broadway shows that have centered the stories of young people and attracted audiences to match. Sam Gold's Brooklyn-rave take on 'Romeo + Juliet,' nominated for best revival of a play and led by Kit Connor and Rachel Zegler with music from Jack Antonoff , drew the youngest ticket-buying audience recorded on Broadway, producers reported, with 14% of ticket purchasers aged 18-24, compared to the industry average of 3%. The shows share some DNA: pop music (specifically the stylings of Antonoff, who also produced 'Green Light'), Hollywood stars with established fanbases and stories that reflect the complexity of young adulthood. 'It was very clear that young people found our show because it was doing what theater's supposed to do,' Gold said. 'Be a mirror.' Embracing the poetry of teenage language The themes 'John Proctor' investigates aren't danced around (until they literally are). The girls are quick to discuss #MeToo's impact, intersectional feminism and sexual autonomy. Their conversations, true to teenage girlhood, are laced with comedy and pop culture references — Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, 'Twilight,' and, of course, Lorde. Fina Strazza, 19, portrays Beth, a leader who is whip-smart and well-intentioned — but whose friendships and belief system are shaken by the play's revelations. 'You have so much empathy and are so invested in her, but she still has these mishaps and slip-ups that young people often have,' said Strazza, nominated for best featured actor in a play. Some audience members have given her letters detailing how Beth helped them forgive themselves for how they handled similar experiences. The script is written in prose, with frequent line breaks and infrequent capital letters. Director Danya Taymor, nominated for best direction of a play a year after winning a Tony for another teenage canon classic, 'The Outsiders, ' was drawn to that rhythm — and how Belflower's depiction of adolescence captured its intensity, just as S.E. Hinton had. 'There's something about the teenage years that is so raw,' Taymor said. 'None of us can escape it.' Classic themes, made modern During his Tony-winning production of 'An Enemy of the People,' Gold found himself having conversations with young actors and theatergoers about climate change, politics and how 'theater was something that people their age and younger really need in a different way, as the world is becoming so addicted to technology,' he said. That conjured 'Romeo and Juliet.' The original text 'has it all in terms of what it means to inherit the future that people older than you have created,' Gold said. Building the world of this show, with an ensemble under 30, was not unlike building 'An Enemy of the People,' set in 19th century Norway, Gold said: 'I think the difference is that the world that I made for this show is something that a very hungry audience had not gotten to see.' Fans, Gold correctly predicted, were ravenous. Demand ahead of the first preview prompted a preemptive extension. Word (and bootleg video) of Connor doing a pullup to kiss Zegler made the rounds. 'Man of the House,' an Antonoff-produced ballad sung by Zegler mid-show, was released as a single. With the show premiering just before the U.S. presidential election, Voters of Tomorrow even registered new voters in the lobby. Audiences proved willing to pay: Average ticket prices hovered around $150. Cheaper rush and lottery tickets drew lines hours before the box office opened. Every week but one sold out. 'The show was initially really well sold because we had a cast that appealed to a really specific audience,' said producer Greg Nobile of Seaview Productions. 'We continued to see the houses sell out because these audiences came, and they were all over online talking about the ways in which they actually felt seen.' Building a Gen Z theater experience with Gen Z Thomas Laub, 28, and Alyah Chanelle Scott, 27, started Runyonland Productions for that very reason. 'We both felt a lot of frustration with the industry, and the ways that we were boxed out of it as students in Michigan who were able to come to New York sparingly,' Laub said. Runyonland was launched in 2018 with the premise that highlighting new, bold voices would bring change. This spring, Scott, known for playing Whitney in HBO's 'Sex Lives of College Girls,' acted off-Broadway in Natalie Margolin's 'All Nighter.' 'I was standing onstage and looking out and seeing the college kids that I was playing,' Scott said. 'I was like, 'I respect you so much. I want to do you proud. I want to show you a story that represents you in a way that doesn't belittle or demean you, but uplifts you.'' Co-producing 'John Proctor,' Scott said, gave Runyonland the opportunity to target that audience on a Broadway scale. Belflower developed the show with students as part of a The Farm College Collaboration Project. It's been licensed over 100 times for high school and college productions. The Broadway production's social and influencer marketing is run by 20-somethings, too. Previews attracted fans with a $29 ticket lottery. While average prices jumped to over $100 last week (still below the Broadway-wide average), $40 rush, lottery and standing room tickets have sold out most nights, pushing capacity over 100%. The success is validating Runyonland's mission, Laub said. 'Alyah doesn't believe me that I cry every time at the end,' Laub said. Scott laughs. 'I just want to assure you, on the record, that I do indeed cry every time.' Harnessing a cultural catharsis The final scene of 'John Proctor' is a reclamation fueled by rage and 'Green Light.' Capturing that electricity has been key to the show's marketing. 'The pullup (in 'Romeo + Juliet') is so impactful because it's so real. It's like so exactly what a teenage boy would do,' Taymor said. 'I think when you see the girls in 'John Proctor' screaming ... it hits you in a visceral way.' That screaming made the Playbill cover. 'In my opinion, the look and feel of that campaign feels different from a traditional theatrical campaign, and it feels a lot closer to a film campaign,' Laub said. The show's team indeed considered the zeitgeist-infiltrating work of their sister industries, specifically studios like Neon and A24. In May, 'John Proctor is the Villain' finished its second 'spirit week' with a school spirit day. Earlier events included an ice cream social — actors served Van Leeuwen — a silent disco and a banned book giveaway. For those not in their own school's colors, the merch stand offered T-shirts, including one printed with the Walt Whitman-channeling line said by Sink's Shelby: 'I contain frickin' multitudes.' Julia Lawrence, 26, designed the shirt after the show's team saw her TikTok video reimagining their traditional merch into something more like a concert tee. 'It's just so incredible to bring Gen Z into the theater that way, especially at a time when theater has never been more important,' Lawrence said. 'In a world that's overpowered by screens, live art can be such a powerful way to find understanding.' ___ For more coverage of the 2025 Tony Awards, visit .
16 hours ago
'Wicked: For Good' trailer drops today: Here's how to watch
Get ready to be changed "for good," because the trailer for the second " Wicked" film debuts Wednesday. According to a Universal Pictures press release, fans will get a "special first look" at the new trailer for "Wicked: For Good" -- the second half of the two-part "Wicked" film series -- on Wednesday evening, when the first "Wicked" film returns to theaters for a special one-night-only screening. The trailer will debut simultaneously in all North American time zones at more than 100 theater locations in the U.S. and Canada, according to the press release, "so that all attendees will be able to see the trailer at once, no matter where they live." Screenings will take place at 3 p.m. PT, 4 p.m. MT, 5 p.m. CT and 6 p.m. ET. Moviegoers who watch the film in theaters Wednesday will also receive exclusive "Wicked: For Good" giveaways, including an exclusive "Wicked: For Good" commemorative poster, according to the press release. The trailer will also be shared online following the screenings. Last month, the official "Wicked" movie account shared a video on Instagram featuring Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo announcing the exciting news about the "Wicked: For Good" trailer. "You will be changed," Grande said, before Erivo added, "For good," a reference to the musical's hit song "For Good." Earlier this week, Universal Pictures further teased the trailer with an epic video featuring Erivo as Elphaba, Grande as Glinda and the rest of the cast. A synopsis for "Wicked: For Good" states that the upcoming film "follows Elphaba, the future Wicked Witch of the West and her relationship with Glinda, the Good Witch of the North." In 2022, "Wicked" director Jon M. Chu announced that "Wicked" would be split into two films as offering "more space" to tell the story "as it was meant to be told." The first "Wicked" film was released in November 2024. The cast also includes Jeff Goldblum as the Wonderful Wizard of Oz and Michelle Yeoh as Madame Morrible. Jonathan Bailey stars as Fiyero, while Ethan Slater plays Boq and Marissa Bode plays Nessarose. "Wicked" earned 10 Oscar nominations at the 97th Academy Awards and won two: best costume design and best production design. Erivo was nominated for best actress and Grande was also nominated for best supporting actress. The films are based on Gregory Maguire's 1995 book, "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West," which was inspired by L. Frank Baum's 1900 novel, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz." The musical adaptation of Maguire's story opened on Broadway in 2003. The original cast included Kristin Chenoweth as Glinda, Idina Menzel as Elphaba and Robert Morse as the Wizard. Norbert Leo Butz played Fiyero, Michelle Federer portrayed Nessarose and Carole Shelley played Madame Morrible.
CBS News
19 hours ago
- CBS News
Cynthia Erivo on Elphaba's evolution in "Wicked" sequel and what to expect as she hosts Tony Awards on Sunday
Cynthia Erivo said her character Elphaba has evolved into a more powerful, self-aware version in the upcoming "Wicked" sequel, describing the green-skinned witch as "a little more knowing" ahead of hosting the 78th Annual Tony Awards on Sunday night. "They are not in school anymore. They are in their power," Erivo said. "I love this part of Elphaba. I call it 'delicious,' and I do feel that strongly. She's just a little more knowing ... The wardrobe is different. The hair is different. Everything is sort of moving toward the maturer version of who she is." Erivo's return to host the Tony Awards marks what she calls "a beautiful full circle moment" for the actress who won a Tony in 2016 for her portrayal of Celie in "The Color Purple." She credited her Broadway work with launching her career and leading to opportunities including her Oscar-nominated performance as Elphaba in the first "Wicked" film. "Because of Broadway and because of the work that we did in 'The Color Purple,' I get to sit with you now where I am and have done all the things that I've done since then," Erivo said. For Sunday's ceremony, Erivo has planned multiple costume changes, but remained secretive about specifics. She said she attended numerous Broadway shows this season in preparation for her hosting duties. Beyond her hosting and film work, Erivo is preparing for an ambitious theatrical project: a one-woman adaptation of "Dracula" in London's West End where she will portray 23 different roles. Despite initial hesitation about the demanding production, she said the concept became impossible to ignore after meeting with the director. Erivo is also releasing an album on Friday titled "I Forgive You" that she co-wrote, featuring vocal arrangements performed entirely by her, including percussion and rap elements. She said the album is "a full realization of who I am as a musician, as a singer, as a vocalist and as a person who loves music in general." The 78th Annual Tony Awards will take place this Sunday, June 8, 2025, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. You can watch the on CBS and stream live on Paramount+ .
