pedro Pan
"There are so many wonderful things about Pedro Pan, it's difficult to know where to begin. The music by Stephen Anthony Elkins is sheer bliss...The costumes, by Rachel Dozier-Ezell, are some of the best I've ever seen in a festival production...Lisa Renkel's digital-watercolor projections are seemingly straight out of a children's book...Melissa Crespo's fluid direction provides excellent pacing not only for the action, but also our emotions, and SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT's choreography is both clever and playful-I love the incorporation of Mary Martin's famous "Peter Pan" stance. And the cast is outstanding...it's perhaps this-the combination of honesty and humor in a show about the immigrant experience-that is Pedro Pan's greatest strength. The musical does an excellent job at appealing to everyone without overgeneralizing...[it] has the potential to be a big Broadway hit. And I'm certainly hoping that happens because Pedro Pan is the kind of show we, as a city and a country, need." Theatre is Easy (Best Bet)
"The choreography by SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT is full of variety, creativity, and youthful energy." Times Square Chronicles
"There is much to like in this 75-minute musical...which features SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT's lively choreography." New York Theater
"All the actors are also staged and choreographed expertly, with both director Melissa Crespo and choreographer SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT contributing greatly to this show." Onstage Blog
"Choreographer SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT’s dances are a captivating combination of native-inspired sequences and musical theater production numbers." Theaterscene.net
Ben, Virginia, & Me (The Liberace Musical)
"Those looking for a true spectacle at NYMF can do no better than Ben, Virginia and Me: The Liberace Musical. It's as campy and over-the-top as you would expect from a musical about Liberace. Director-choreographer Paul Stancato (and co-choreographer SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT) have staged a handsome production, full of flashy dance moves and even flashier costumes by Kurt Alger. Take your best girlfriends and get ready for a laugh: This one's way more fun than Behind the Candelabra." Theatermania
"The efficiently entertaining Ben, Virginia and Me has many moments of heart, is often a hoot, and I think we have a hit! This is what we crave when it’s done well — a deliciously old-school musical comedy. The music is fun and frothy and fabulous. The icing on the cake for this standout is the choreography by director Paul Stancato (co-choreographer is SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT) –their work is spiffy and spot on all around. There’s just the right amount of dance with Vegas show girls and then Liberace’s bucket list of dancing with the Rockettes. Here’s a feast for the eyes, rather shocking (in a good way, of course), considering how sketchy some NYMF shows tend to be. Have you been waiting for an old-fashioned musical with old-fashioned values–meaning it values craft and entertainment that also has something to say and does so with dignity? Well, you’ve found it. But let’s not applaud this just as a show that honors Liberace, whose shiny jewelry, sparkly costumes, and silver candelabra could, arguably, outshine his musical skills. It has something to say about such crucial topics as prejudice, power, privacy, and loyalty. But it does it all while making us grin and tap our feet and jump for joy while we think." Nite Life Exchange
Broadway Bares: Strip U
"Internet star Randy Rainbow was polished as a professor in setting up the next number, the sexiest of the evening. Psych, choreographed by SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT, was headed up by the man I would call the show's anchor, Josh Drake...working his harness as top dog in a troupe of boys serving human-pup-fetish realness. A play on Pavlov's Dog, the sketch climaxed (as did a few audience members) in a gasp-inducing journey down the unfortunately named catwalk with all the doggies pulling their master obediently. Mush!" Boyculture.com
Molly Pope: A Star is Born
“All I can say, after watching Molly Pope take no prisoners tonight at 54 Below, is that future artists at this boîte better step up their game...Major kudos need to go to Will Nunziata and SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT (director and choreographer, respectively) for cohesively condensing Garland's "A Star Is Born" into a 65 minute tour-de-force. The entire room was used. The. Entire. Room. Mr. Nunziata pulled together the best of the film (both in song and monologue) and Mr. Wright's choreography--though obviously challenging at moments--paid homage to those glorious Garland gifts of yore." Stuart Moulton, Artistic Director Austin Cabaret Theatre
Magic Trick
“At Theater Row, an audacious and engaging work, Magic Trick, is being presented by Caps Lock Theatre Company...Clara convinces Bana to try burlesque dancing. The pair create “The Medicine Show”, dubbing themselves Foxy Cotton and Clara Tin. The result is an energetic, bawdy, and amusing dance number that elicits a rousing cheer from the audience...Magic Trick is impressive, thoughtful, and worthwhile theatre.” Manhattan Digest
“Magic Trick has a lot going for it: sexy burlesque numbers, a unique fast-forward and rewound timeline, pasties with tassels, a strong female character in a wheelchair, and great comedic timing to balance the real emotions with the hilarious moments...There is indeed nudity in this production. As they mention in the show, “Naked girls help with everything.” There is a side-splitting boylesque number as well.” Theatre Is Easy
“I loved the glitz and glitter and sometimes painful campiness in the burlesque in the burlesque numbers because they’re so ridiculous and gimmicky and that’s beautiful because that’s exactly what burlesque is to me. It’s this sexy stripping while wearing a robot costume and it’s great. Like, there has to be this sense of humor and play and fun, but also here’s a little skin....There were probably about four or five burlesque performances done (with choreography by SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT) and some of them I think really understood where the characters were in their abilities. There was a bit of a fun catharsis with Eric’s burlesque, surprise Boy-lesque number. Starting with Bana, I could really see skill develop, and I got a really clear sense of when she started and what she’d learned. But it seemed with Eric that he was pretty bad at it and it was wonderful and there was that wonderful moment of him removing his pants and how awkward that is. There is a final dance to this piece, that is sort of in this magic realm, that I think was really well done, and it came off as choreography that Bana developed. I think that that particular scene, starting off with her first lesson, going to the duet, and then her solo, that’s a great arc. And I think the choreography really spoke well of that. I loved the number, I loved watching her grow as a performer culminating in that number’s performance. It was wonderful, I loved that." Obstructed View podcast
DOS EQUIS: LUNA RISING
“Electrifying performances bred choreographed dance sequences, circus acts to the max, and performance art taken to the next level...we salute the impeccable experience that coincided with a summer moon and its awakening. Here's proof that Dos Equis knows how to cater to those who interact with the brand." LA Canvas.com
manuel vs. the statue of liberty
“SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT’s choreography is creative, playful, and highly stylized. And it uses the whole ensemble well-it feels like they’re having a lot of fun when in background choreography mode.” NYMF Unauthorized
“The resulting show has a lot going for it, mostly heart, heart, heart, and some fine performances. Immigration 101 uses its sarcasm and pointed commentary well...and the movements as immigrants in lines being overwhelmed with paperwork and insulting treatment score. “Define American” is likewise on target.” Cabaret Exchange
“Manuel vs. The Statue of Liberty plays out like one of the most essential episodes of “Schoolhouse Rock!” never made...Directed by Jose Zayas who gives it pitch perfect pacing and injects it with the energy of an actual boxing match, the show flies by...The ensemble is wonderful with each and every cast member delivering a memorable performance...Manuel vs. The Statue of Liberty is an essential piece of musical theater that captures lightning in a bottle.” StageBuddy
Until she claws her way out...
“A collection of short works, most Ensemble regulars, this speed-trial evening emphasizes how difficult it is for theater artists to work in miniature and how satisfying when they succeed...Mariah MacCarthy’s “Until She Claws Her way Out”, directed and choreographed by SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT, takes a fairly unconventional approach to a tale of domestic abuse among ballet dancers...” The New York Times
“The tension is effectively ratcheted up in the two plays rounding out the evening. Mariah MacCarthy’s monologue "Until She Claws Her Way Out" employs little more than expressionistic sound design and the performance chops of Naomi Kakuk to shade in the gray areas of an abusive relationship that is more than what it seems.” Time Out NY (****)
"Ms. MacCarthy’s taut writing is enhanced by the tight direction and expressive choreography of SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT. The combination of all these elements, with added lighting effects, and well-selected, moody jazz music, all make for a riveting psychological thriller." theaterscene.net
“The speech plays out almost like a dance and ends with an actual one where Max enters the scene for their duet which is passionate and scary, when the violent reality threatens to burst out of the neat and sensual choreography by director-choreographer SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT.” stagebuddy.com
“...they break out into a sometimes beautiful, sometimes sexy, and often violent dance sharply choreographed by director SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT. It’s powerful...it ends poetically and sad. We’ve seen abuse in front of us, but she looks happy. It’s haunting, and stays with you long after the end.” The Arts Wire Weekly
“Rounding out the evening is “Until She Claws Her Way Out,” an entrancing monologue that turns into a stunning ballet duet about domestic violence and the need to be in control. Naomi Kakuk handles Mariah MacCarthy’s text and SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT’s choreography expertly, with the assistance of dance partner Kit Treece, telling a subtle, disturbing, and far too common story of a woman who believes that she is safe and in charge of her own life even as someone else starts to take over.” Charged.fm
Pistrix: A Melancholy Fable
“The most striking element of PISTRIX is the direction of Michael Alvarez and the choreography of SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT. With minimal lighting and an athletic ensemble, they deliver an onslaught of spooky, inspired sequences." Outerstage.com
Shrek
"The choreography by SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT adds to the fairy tale charm of the show. Especially memorable was the peppy "Welcome to Duloc" number." Tina Nelson Reviews
"SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT's choreography adds zest to a joyous and energetic feel good show that leaves the audience grinning. The show closes with "I'm A Believer" which would have got the audience to its feet, but they were there already to give the huge, talented, and committed cast a standing ovation." Andrew Edlin
Camelot
“Jon Balcourt’s seven-piece orchestra and SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT’s choreography enhance the classic score, especially in the endearing king-queen duet, “What Do the Simple Folk Do?” Newsday
“Choreography was by SIDNEY ERIK WRIGHT; neatly done.” Times Beacon