Lisa Norris

I love the Short North Stage for several reasons. First, they have boldly devoted themselves to resuscitating the nearly flatlined Short North theater scene, saving an iconic historic theater in the process. Second, more often than not, they embrace the eccentric, edgy flavor that makes the Short North remarkable, rather than conforming to traditional theater fare. That's where "The Who's Tommy" gets it right- it is edgy, fierce, and at times, electric. The rock opera, which premiered in 1983 with lyrics and music by The Who's Pete Townshend is a virtually dialogue free story of a 4 year old boy who becomes essentially catatonic after witnessing his presumed dead father kill his mother's lover upon returning unexpectedly from WWII. Young Tommy (played by an adorably wide-eyed, but obviously inexperienced Christian Giannone) becomes an accidental sensation once he discovers his talent for pinball.

When your audience obliges the orchestra Overture by almost reflexively snapping along to the theme song of its 1960's sitcom predecessor, it's clear that they are acquainted with the classic Addam's Family. The delightfully macabre next door neighbors from the dark side are iconic- patriarch, Gomez Addams (Jesse Sharp), his lovely vampirish wife, Morticia (Keleen Snowgren), their two children- the diabolical, Pugsley (Connor Barth) and his "innocent" torture-loving sister, Wednesday (Jennifer Fogarty). The family tree extends to include portly bald-headed Uncle Fester (Shaun Rice), Frankenstein-like butler, Lurch (Ryan Jacob Wood), and a Grandma (Amanda Bruton) of questionable lineage. The characters look their parts, with spot-on costuming by Phelim McDermott, but that's largely where the similarities end.

It's a safe assumption that if you are female, you have more than likely already emptied a box of Kleenex over "Steel Magnolias" at some point in your life. The 1989 movie version which featured an iconic cast, has deservedly earned its chick-flick staple status. However, as a sold-out crowd at the Riffe Center would attest, it's a show that is at once classic and ageless, with its development of the deep friendship that 6 southern women develop as they mingle regularly at the town's beauty parlor.

If you holed up in hibernation through the Arctic Freeze that was Valentine's Day, and the slightly rising temperatures have you thinking about spring romance, you're in luck. CATCO'S "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" is just the perfect date-night fare to wake up your romantic side.

Donald Marguiles' well-crafted Off-Broadway play brings the real historical figure of Louis de Rougemonte to life on CATCO's Riffe Center stage. CATCO's Studio Two space transforms as it tells this whirlwind of a tale, so fantastically ridiculous, you can't help but think that it might just be true. Aided by a set that looks much like the deck of a Pirates of the Carribean movie sprawled out before your eyes in absolutely breathtaking detail (designed by the phenomenal Michael S. Brewer), and characters brought to life in Victorian era charm with costumes by Marcia Hain, Director Mark Seamon creates a re-telling that is like a bedtime story on steroids- full of over-the-top imagination as chapters unfold.

Shadowbox Live regulars know that while saucy, sensual, and sassy are year-round commodities for the troupe, when the season of love rolls around, Shadowbox tends to shed its few inhibitions left. Titling its Lion's Den sponsored show, "Foreplay", and the sold out crowds packing the venue are neither shocking nor surprising, but what is an incredibly ironic twist- this is one of the most tamed down shows to grace the 'Box yet.

If you're sick of the drab, cold Ohio weather, sneak over and warm up in the Short North Stage's Garden Theater, where "It Might As Well Be Spring", and you'll be guaranteed "A Lovely Night" where you'll be humming "Something Wonderful" right on through the Central Ohio deep freeze.

2013 brought some of the city's best entertainment to date to Columbus' theater scene. At any given time, you had your pick of several truly dynamite options for quality drama and music right in your backyard. We at Broadway World Columbus are unendlessly thankful for the dynamic and exhilarating production companies that grace Central Ohio and create the vibrant and diverse arts scene in our town. If you haven't paid a visit (or two or three…) to these area theater companies this past year, start planning for 2014 now, as these hotshots are on the forefront of an electrifying new year of local theater!

Jennifer Beals' shoulder-baring 'Maniac' is as 80's iconic as boom boxes, MTV, and Madonna, and much to the delight of a nearly full house at the Palace Theater last night, 'Flashdance: The Musical' had all of the above, with legwarmers, spiral permed hair, and some pretty impressive talent to boot.

This production is filled with so many novel approaches while maintaining the classic's integrity, that viewing it was much like unwrapping a gift. And don't let its humble 8 member cast fool you- good things do come in small packages. Arguably the best set designer in town, Michael S. Brewer creates a first impression in his lovely 1940's abandoned London theater set that immediately intrigues audience members as being both non-traditional and perfect, all at once. Director Joe Bishara combines the traditional tale with Patrick Barlow's twist- a group of actors who perform the play in said abandoned theater, and creates memorable scenes with a dynamic cast of only a few performers who play multiple roles, and a vintage marionette utilized as Tiny Tim.

Gahanna native, Camille Mancuso has toured with multiple national shows including 'Chitty Chitty Bang Bang', and most recently could be found on Broadway in 'Mary Poppins'. In fact, she is an accomplished musical theater veteran at the ripe old age of 14. We caught up with this talented gal , currently playing the 'role' of a local high schooler, doing what teenagers who love theater do, performing in her local high school's fall musical.

It was something of a perfect storm of talent that occurred inside the Short North Stage last night. Sarna Lapine, the niece of Tony-Award winning author/director James Lapine, is directing the Columbus premier of the Sondheim musical for which her uncle penned the book. She has combined forces with the 2013 Tony Award winning sound designer, Leon Rothenberg, Broadway veteran Laura Griffith (Dot), and local musical tour de force, Matt Clemens (George) to create a show that has so many "points of light" its artistic merit is brilliant as its Chromolume counterpart.

Local theater company SRO, a semi-professional theater company that offers main-stage productions and touring shows, as well as outreach and educational programs, will present its fundraiser performance of "A Lovely Night " in a one-night only engagement at 8 p.m. on Oct. 11 in the Van Fleet Theatre, Columbus Performing Arts Center, 549 Franklin Ave.

CATCO Is Kids makes a name for itself in the often crowded local children's theater scene by steering clear of the flashy, typical kid-fare, and instead providing a high quality, educational theater experience in a youth-accessible fashion. An original adaptation (Created by the father of CATCO Is Kids, Steven Anderson) of the classic Samuel Clemens' penned tale, "The Adventures of Tom Sawyer" , the show runs a brief 45 minutes- just right to be a "Cliff's Notes" version of the tale, but a whole lot more entertaining.

Shadowbox Live's sketch comedy and rock-n-roll format is back with a fall run of 'Nightmare on Front Street', which runs now through November 16th on Friday and Saturday evenings. Much less scary than the name implies, this is actually a more 'light' show than most of Shadowbox's productions, while maintaining the edgy fun that makes Shadowbox one of the most unique entertainment experiences in Columbus.

The hardest working theater troupe in Central Ohio is currently delivering its Stev Guyer-ized version of "Monty Python's Spamalot." The 2005 musical by Eric Idle and John Du Prez was "lovingly ripped off" from the motion picture 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and while audience members will appreciate some uniquely Shadowbox additions and a bit of Central Ohio humor (notably, among others, Gym Ganahl as "Sir Not-Appearing-In-This-Show"), Python fans will find this version to be of the goofy, flamboyant, and totally inane flavor expected.

CATCO Is Kids opened its 2013-14 children's series with a short, 3 performance run of a kid-friendly version of Shakespeare's "A Midsummer Nights Dream", entitled "The Rude Mechanicals" at the Columbus Performing Arts Center last night. This adaptation, created by local playwright, Ed Graczyk, modifies the convoluted storyline of one of the Bard's most popular tales to a 45 minute, family-accessible version that Directors, Joe Bishara and Liz Wheeler, ambitiously tackle with a cast of 17 children.

You can almost smell the scent of misfit adolescence in the air down at the Vern Riffe Center, and as you take your seat surrounded by Set Designer Michael S. Brewer's all-too-realistic high school gymnasium stage, you can't help but feel the awkwardness and anxiety of your earlier years come flooding back.

Oscar Levant once said, 'There's a fine line between genius and insanity.' And I have to admit, when I heard that Shots in the Dark was taking on the Columbus premiere of the acclaimed 2010 Pulitzer Prize winner for drama-'Next to Normal', I wasn't sure which side of that line they'd fall on.

Columbus' oldest community theater, Worthington Community Theatre seems the fitting arena to take on one of the most quintessential surely-you-have-seen-it musicals with Stephen Schwartz' 'Godspell'. However, it's a production that leaves many a theater group in a quandary- the songs are familiar and audiences eat them up, but the production has been done so many times, in so many ways, that a director must choose to do the show in its classic sense and risk boring repetitiveness, or develop some new, modernized interpretation that loses the classical appeal. WCT walks the midline with its choice, as Director Joe Cherubino elects to keep the show itself rather low-key and tame, not the neo-funk Broadway Revival tone at all, while retrofitting the setting to that of a toystore, with the cast of characters taking their personas from classic children's toys such as Barbie, Raggedy Ann, Crayola Crayons, cowboys, and puppets.