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BWW Reviews: SUNSET BOULEVARD Casts a Beautiful Shadow Over Short North Stage's Season Opener
If 'Every Movie's a Circus,' as a song midway through the first act proclaims, the Short North Stage's season opening production of SUNSET BOULEVARD must be a very grand carnival. The theater group pulls out all the stops as far as color schemes and movie clips go but it is rock solid performances o...
BWW Reviews: FOREVER PLAID Harmonizes in Musical Trip Down Memory Lane
Performing on a linoleum checkered floor and sporting fashions straight out of a 1950s magazine, the boys of CATCO's latest show, "Forever Plaid," take audiences on a nostalgic journey back to the golden age of close-harmony quartets in this light-hearted musical revue....
BWW Reviews: Tinder Hits All the Right Notes in Otterbein's SWEET CHARITY
In the delightful Otterbein University production of SWEET CHARITY, Charity Hope Valentine (brilliantly portrayed by Madison Tinder) has worn her heart on her shelves so many times that she has it tattooed on her arm. The heart-shaped tattoo could be an analogy of the dancehall hostess' love life. I...
BWW Reviews: PENTATONIX Brings Energetic Performance to Ohio State's Campus
An anticipatory buzz of hushed conversation filled the Ohio Union's Archie Griffin Grand Ballroom Monday night as the lights dimmed and the opening notes of Ariana Grande's 'Problem' rang out across the great hall-unaccompanied by any musical backtrack or instruments.
Almost immediately, the room...
BWW Reviews: TWISTED Enthralls Columbus on Opening Night
From the first bombastic notes of Richard Wagner's "Prelude to Act III from Lohengrin" to the last pieces of gold confetti raining down onto the stage after the show-stopping finale, "Twisted: A Trio of Excellence" delighted opening night audiences with a unique fusion of movement and sound set to c...
BWW Reviews: Large Crowds Welcome Back TWENTY-ONE PILOTS
Tyler Joseph spent one summer checking IDs at the Lifestyles Community Pavilion. Obviously, the Twenty-One Pilots front man took a lot of notes on what it takes to put on a great concert. The Columbus-based duo of Joseph and drummer Josh Dun sold out back-to-back nights Sept. 4 and 5 at the LC and l...
BWW Reviews: Dirty Little Secrets Are at the Heart of MURDER BALLAD
Every one has "kegs" in their garage -- those dirty little secrets they like to sweep in corners and skeletons they try to keep hidden in our overstuffed closets.
The cast of MURDER BALLAD has more than a keg filled with secrets; it has a full bar....
BWW Reviews: Musical Version of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS Worth the Wait
Few moviegoers were thinking about the musical potential of DIRTY ROTTEN SCOUNDRELS when it was released as a movie in 1988.
However, the movie producers were....
BWW Reviews: Otterbein's DAMES AT SEA a Loving Tribute to a Bygone Era
DAMES AT SEA is listed as a parody of the Busby Berkley musicals of the 1930s but the Otterbein University's production of the George Haimsohn and Robin Miller musical comes across as a loving tribute than a skewering of the glitzy, style-over substance musicals....
BWW Reviews: Rain Doesn't Cool off the Legends of Classic Rock with the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
Don't tell John Elefante that violins don't belong in rock and roll. The former Kansas front man came from a rock band where the violin was essential to the band's sound.
Elefante and the Legends of Classic Rock incorporated the Columbus Symphony Orchestra into a rain delayed set of rock standard...
BWW Reviews: Weathervane's OKLAHOMA! Not a Dusty Old Plain
The average temperature of the state of Oklahoma is in the high 80s. The temperature of the Valerie Accetta directed OKLAHOMA! at the Weathervane Playhouse in Newark, Ohio, is much, much hotter....
BWW Reviews: THE 39 STEPS a Twisted Path to Mindless Fun
At the beginning of Otterbein University's production of THE 39 STEPS, Richard Hannay is desperate for a diversion from the dullness of his life in London. 'I wanted to do something mindless and trivial, so I went to the theater,' says Hannay, the central character in the Christina Kirk directed pr...
BWW Reviews: An Odd Pairing Makes for a Unique Night for Ben Folds and the Columbus Symphony Orchestra
At first glance, Ben Folds and Albert-George Schram would appear to have nothing in common. Schram, a white-haired maestro with a greying mustache and a soft smile, is the Resident Staff Conductor of the Columbus Symphony Orchestra. Folds, the bespectacled pop star/pianist with an acerbic sense of h...
BWW Reviews: Heather Carvel Honors a Legend in WTC's World Premiere of BIG VOICE: THE ETHEL MERMAN EXPERIENCE
They say that everyone has a twin somewhere in the world. Well, I'm sure that Ethel Merman is proudly smiling down at hers as Heather Carvel boldly tackles the role of a lifetime in the World Premiere of Warehouse Theatre Company's BIG VOICE: THE ETHEL MERMAN EXPERIENCE. Directed, conceived and wri...
BWW Reviews: THE BOOK OF MORMON Graces Columbus - OMGosh, They Had Me at 'Hello'
How do you take a devout, sacred religion like Mormonism, pack in a bunch of old, Ohio conservatives, and somehow manage to have them laughing in stitches on topics like female circumcision, rape, AIDS, and homosexuality? That's the genius of South Park writers, Trey Parker and Matt Stone, along wit...
BWW Reviews: BIGGER THAN JESUS More Than Just a Musical Review
Shadowbox Live, a theater troupe known for delivering cutting edge entertainment, puts a warning label right out in front on its latest offering BIGGER THAN JESUS....
BWW Reviews: FULL MONTY Makes Successful Transition from Silver Screen to Musical
Somewhere between Hollywood Boulevard and Broadway, there's an intersection where somewhat successful movies are turned into crowd-pleasing musicals and vice-versa. How else do you explain sensations like LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, SUNSET BOULEVARD, and LEGALLY BLONDE?...
BWW Reviews: CCT's THE WIZARD OF OZ Pays Homage to Iconic Film
From the moment you hear the first iconic strains of Arlen and Harburg's OZ score, you know you're not in Kansas anymore. Under the musical direction of Jeff Hamm, the score of Columbus Children's Theatre's current production of THE WIZARD OF OZ rarely sounded so good. The orchestra is balanced and ...
BWW Reviews: The Short North Stage Brings Pinball Wizard, TOMMY, to Local Stage
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 ...
BWW Reviews: THE ADDAM'S FAMILY - America's Most Delightfully Unhappy Family Goes Musical
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...
BWW Reviews: CATCO's STEEL MAGNOLIAS More Aluminum Than Titanium
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...
BWW Reviews: CCT's FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY Offers Heart-Warming Story of Self-Acceptance
In an age of constant bullying and lack of self-esteem, Columbus Children's Theatre's FRECKLEFACE STRAWBERRY shows that it's ok to be different, as long as you're true to yourself. Based on the popular best-selling book by Julianne Moore, Director Suzanne Accetta assembles a cast of talented kids o...
BWW Reviews: Fab Four Makes Sure They Got their Beatles History Right
Ron McNeil distinctly remembers the first time he heard bandmate Ardy Sarraf sing....
BWW Reviews: Facelifted PHANTOM Returns to Haunt Columbus
In the Andrew Lloyd Webber musical, THE PHANTOM OF THE OPERA, a white mask adds intrigue and mystery to the identity of the Phantom. In real life, the 'newly reimagined' PHANTOM, with its multimillion dollar facelift by set designer Paul Brown, is hiding behind a similar mask....
Videos
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Beatles/Wings/Paul McCartney Tribute Concert Maumee Indoor Theater (6/05-6/05) |
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Water for Elephants – The Musical Ohio Theatre (6/09-6/09) |
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La Cage Aux Folles Hilliard Civic and Cultural Arts Center (11/06-11/15) |
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AC/DC Ohio Stadium (7/15-7/15) |
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Doo Dah Parade + Party 2026 On July 04, 2026 Goodale Park (7/04-7/04) |
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The Music Man Weathervane Playhouse (7/09-7/18) |
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Dirty Talk Shadowbox Lice (4/12-8/15) |
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Caamp Value City Arena at The Schottenstein Center (8/29-8/29) |
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The Dinner Detective Murder Mystery Dinner Show The Dinner Detective Columbus (5/16-5/16) |
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1776 Abbey Theatre of Dublin (5/29-6/07) |
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