Columbus Interviews

Read out interview with Reese Cameron of SIX THE MUSICAL at the Palace Theatre...

Steve Morgan combined his head for mathematics and his heart for performing, majoring in both mathematics and music at Indiana University....

Eight years into redefining what a holiday show can be, drag powerhouses Jinkx Monsoon and BenDeLaCreme are once again decking the halls, and the patriarchy, with a brand-new production of The Jinkx & DeLa Holiday Show....

Vidas Barzdukas has a sign bearing a one-word message that hangs over his writing desk: Courage. Its message is simple. Finding it and following it, according to Barzdukas, is the hard part....

In HARRY POTTER AND THE CURSED CHILD, Albus Potter (Adam Grant Morrison) and Scorpius Malfoy (David Fine) use a Time-Turner to go back in time to try to prevent a tragedy from occurring. If Morrison could travel back to his first role, he might try to convince his younger self to stick with acting b...

“You have to prepare your soul and clear your mind as you’re getting ready to go on. I ask myself, ‘why are you sending this message?’ and ‘what does the message mean to you today?’ every day before I go out on stage.” Mary Mulovhedzi...

Jimmy Mak, the head writer for the Shadowbox Live! theater troupe, isn’t one to throw an idea away. The Mak-penned “Cereal Killers” is one of eight new sketches in Shadowbox Live’s Halloween-themed FREAK SHOW, performed 7:30 p.m....

“We all have voices in our heads. Even the people who say they don't have (that inner voice), have one. You have these little suggestions you get from somewhere that aren’t from you. In BACKTALK, we have a double love story between our inner life and our buttoned up life, and that plays out on stage...

Perhaps no one is more surprised Steve Hackett is doing a retrospective on THE LAMB 50 years after the fact than the guitarist himself. THE LAMB was ranked in the top ten of Rolling Stone magazine’s top 50 progressive rock albums of all time. The BBC called it a “conceptual masterpiece.” Hackett ha...

Colin Hay, who will perform an acoustic show Nov. 2 at the Southern Theatre (21 E. Main Street in downtown Columbus), disagrees with the assessment, but the former Men at Work frontman is a man of misperceptions. For example:...

Before he takes the stage as a part of the Second City’s 65th Anniversary Show Sept. 4 at the Southern Theatre (21 East Main Street in downtown Columbus), Rich Alfonso will go through the same ritual he always does as he prepares to perform....

Superman has his cape. The Lone Ranger has his mask. And John van der Put has a spikey green felt dragon costume. Yet once he slides into his outfit, he transforms from van der Put to Piff the Magic Dragon. The Las Vegas headliner will bring his magic show to town Sept. 10 at the Southern Theatre (2...

Although it is mainly known for its mass production of the Bible, Johannes Gutenberg’s printing press was also responsible for the mass distribution of Greek myths and texts to spark the age of enlightenment....

Like many young actors and performers, A.D. Weaver moved to New York City because of the entertainment industry. What’s different about Weaver’s story is he bit into the Big Apple to get away from Broadway instead of running towards it....

Brooke Jacob is the first to admit her storyline is a bit unusual in the Short North Stage’s production of WAITRESS, which runs July 10-Aug. 10 at the Garden Theatre....

As we (Millennials) have all entered our 30s and 40s, we’ve stopped caring about what people think is cool and we dive into whatever we want. We aren't embarrassed by ourselves anymore.” Ash Davis, co-writer of MILLENNIUM...

“The great thing about this character is she's so positive. She really has such a great outlook on life, much, much better than I have in real life. I can learn a lot from the way she's written.” Carolee Carmello on her character Kimberly Akimbo...

'It’s full of satire, especially of the musicals of the 1920s before they had figured out story structure, character development, or basically anything else Rodgers and Hammerstein figured out in OKLAHOMA.' Jeremy Blaustein...

Iris is somewhat of a entertainment marvel. For a performer who makes his living with his voice, the Pittsburgh native doesn’t use any sort of vocal gymnastics or care regimes to keep his vocal cords robust. A cigar aficionado, you can find Iris hosting monthly gatherings at bars in Pittsburgh....

Noted reviewer Leonard Maltin gave STOP MAKING SENSE four out of four stars and called it  one of the best concert films. The staging was ambitious: set pieces float in and out of the frame while screens project random images and words behind the band....

There’s at least one line that either Jamie or Kathy says that everyone can relate to.' Hunter Minor. Minor and Sierra navigate the emotional terrain of Jason Robert Brown's two-person musical. ...

Sonny Paladino distinctly remembers when Judgement Day arrived for the show A BEAUTIFUL NOISE: THE NEIL DIAMOND MUSICAL. After months of rehearsing, Paladino, the music supervisor, arranger, and orchestrator, and the cast of the Neil Diamond bio-musical faced their toughest critic in January 2020 wh...

According to British playwright James Phillips, inspiration can be found anywhere: a photograph, a fragment of a story, a sentence, or in the case of BOBBY AND THE CHIMPS, a winetasting. Phillips’ play makes its world premiere April 3-6 and 10-13 at the Abbey Theater of Dublin (5600 Post Road in Dub...

Robert Cooperman may not remember her first name, but he is forever grateful to Mrs. Barlas, the Jamaica (N.Y.) High School English teacher who introduced  him to playwright Eugene O’Neill....

The road to success for Hannah Shankman has had plenty of roundabouts. Many a time she thought she was headed one way, and then she seemed to be veering in another, only to return to her original path....

Laura Overby had one of those “pinch me, I must be dreaming” moments when she found out she was going to be performing with Laura Bell Bundy at the Short North Stage’s gala 8 p.m. March 1 at the Garden Theatre (1187 N. High Street in downtown Columbus)....

“I truly believe there’s a reason why we tell ourselves the same stories over and over again. It’s because we haven’t learned the lesson of the story. It's a story of inclusion, of belonging, of acceptance. Allegra Libonati...

“Her influence is like the threads in the tapestries of many different artists today. The idea of a woman taking things into her own hands, using her voice unabashedly, and being funny and sexy at the same time really resonates with me.” --Francesca DiFrancesco...

In her second go around in the musical NINE, Sarah Chelli has gone from being the one cheated on to the one being cheated with. Read our interview here!...

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, Andrew Levitt (aka Nina West) will return home and back on stage in Columbus, Ohio, starring as The Witch in INTO THE WOODS, March 7-9, 2025, at Columbus’ historic Palace Theatre, 34 W. Broad St.  This Broadway-inspired production will benefit the Hospice and Pa...

This is the first time I’m able to perform music that is fully mine. I've written all the music and came up with the concept for it, and I'm really excited to share that with the Columbus community....

​​​​​​​When Mike Backes found out he was cast as Tommy DeVito in Short North Stage’s upcoming production of JERSEY BOYS, one of the first people he called was someone he had never met before: Adam Marino who will be playing Frankie Valli in the show....

When Alyssa Ryan, the executive director of the Original Productions Theatre, saw she had a vacancy in her theater’s calendar for October, she immediately knew who to call -- playwright Cory Skurdal....

The very things which got comedian Greg Proops bullied in elementary school has become a skill people pay to see him use....

“It’s difficult to play Diana but it’s incredibly healing for me personally. You never play a character who’s exactly like you. However, when you find a role you connect with, it can be a beautiful way to explore a part of yourself.' Rachel Hertenstein...

“I don't really feel like The General until I put the full costume on. Once you put it on, it brings this energy that speaks for itself.”...

When she was forced to study DEATH OF A SALESMAN, the Arthur Miller play didn’t make much of an impression on Megan Lear...

There’s no phone booth, no Bat Cave for Craig Winberry. Winberry, who plays the title character in the latter stages of his career in the show, THE LIFE AND MUSIC OF GEORGE MICHAEL, says one doesn’t just don razor stubble and tinted sunglasses to become one of the biggest pop stars in the world....

Growing up, Katy Psenicka admits she didn’t listen to the radio the way her peers did. While her friends were jamming to country and western, pop music, or rock classics, the chief choreographer for Shadowbox Live! heard the notes but saw movement....

Short North Stage hopes to capture the fun as well as an unflinching look of the era as singers Christian McQueen (Ken), Israeljah Reign (Nell), Catara Brae (Charlaine), Isaac Tobbler (Andre), and Sydney Arterbridge (Armelia) lead the audience through a 30-song journey from the dive bars of Lennox A...

As Shadowbox Live begins its summer-ending run with the sketch comedy show WILD THINGS, Buzz Crisafulli feels like a newcomer again....