Experience a play within a play, plot twists and musical numbers at Syracuse’s local theaters

UPDATED: May 18, 2017 at 5:53 p.m.

For those looking to support local art or see a show during the summer months, the theater scene in Syracuse offers numerous options to do so.

Through May 28, the Syracuse Stage/SU Drama Complex is showing a production of “Deathtrap,” a 1978 play written by Ira Levin referencing itself as a play within a play. The preface to the printed script describes the play as “something so evil that it infects all who touch it. The thing has a life of its own.”

The play has incorporated thrillers and horror stories. Specifically, the preface lists “murder, deceit, innocent dialogue with hidden sinister meanings, plot reversals, unexpected turns of events … and twisted and rearranged the pieces.”

From June 7-25, Syracuse Stage will be showing the musical “Ring of Fire,” based on the music of Johnny Cash. It features 38 of Cash’s songs, including “I Walk the Line,” “Hurt” and “Ring of Fire.” The show features three couples — young, middle-aged and older. Johnny Cash is not a character in the musical, but you can see hints of his biography detailed in the lives and progressions of the couples.

The Landmark Theater is showing “Motown the Musical” through May 21. It is a musical based in Berry Gordy’s autobiography “To Be Loved: The Music, the Magic, the Memories of Motown,” highlighting the founding and running of his Motown record label and his relationships with Motown icons including Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye and Michael Jackson. The musical includes a variety of great songs from this time in history, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “For Once In My Life” and “I Want You Back.”

CORRECTION: In a previous version of this post, the theater hosting “Ring of Fire” was misstated. Syracuse Stage will host the musical. The Daily Orange regrets this error.