Syracuse Stage is set to present a reading of Mary Chase's classic comedy "Harvey," directed by associate artistic director Melissa Crespo. The event will feature local actors, including Syracuse University Department of Drama faculty members and Syracuse Stage artistic director Robert Hupp.
The performance will take place at the Archbold Theatre in Syracuse on January 26 at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are free but must be reserved in advance through the Syracuse Stage website.
"Harvey," which won the Pulitzer Prize for drama in 1945, tells the story of Elwood P. Dowd, a man whose best friend is an invisible six-foot-tall rabbit. The play served as an inspiration for Eboni Booth’s "Primary Trust," which will run from January 22 to February 9 at the same venue.
Crespo commented on the connection between the two plays: “It’s wild how similar and uniquely different Harvey and Primary Trust are from one another,” she said. “The first won the Pulitzer Prize in 1945, while the second won in 2024. Both plays deal with kindness and the importance of community care.”
The cast includes Tanner Effinger as Elwood P. Dowd, Robert Hupp as Judge Gaffney, Lilli Komureck playing Veta Simmons and Betty Chumley, Alexis Martin as Myrtle Simmons, Krystal Osborne as Miss Johnson and Nurse Ruth Kelly, Derek Emerson Powell as Dr. Lyman Sanderson, Blake Segal portraying Duane Wilson and E.J. Lofgren, Holly Thuma as Mrs. Ethel Chauvenet, and Karis Wiggins as Dr. William R. Chumley.
First premiered on Broadway in 1944, "Harvey" was adapted into an Oscar-winning film starring Jimmy Stewart in 1950 and was last seen on Broadway in 2012 with Jim Parsons receiving a Tony nomination for his role.
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