COLUMBUS THEATER REVIEWS

To understand Shadowbox Live’s latest offering, HOT STUFF, you need to go back to Thanksgiving or, more precisely, the day after Thanksgiving. On Nov. 24 this year, families offered up the traditional fare of turkey or ham, mashed potatoes, and Aunt Clara’s green bean casserole. The day after Th...

Odom’s voice is a mixture of Nat King Cole and Sam Cooke, and he used it to serenade fans with a collection of holiday favorites. He shifted from the classic (such as “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”), the current (Wham!’s “Last Christmas,”) and the personal (“Snow” and “He...

What did our critic think of DR. SEUSS' HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS! THE MUSICAL at Palace Theatre?...

What did our critic think of JERSEY BOYS at Garden Theater?...

As it is with the Dead, watching the interactions among the audience was almost as interesting as watching the show...

his Nov. 15 sold-out performance at the 588-seat Lincoln Theater was a mixture of a jazz concert and a church service (with a really good selection of communion wine)....

Sometimes you can tell a lot about a production even before you enter the theatre. For example, the Columbus Children’s Theatre placed a large fishbowl of Kleenex packets in the lobby for attendees of its musical, NEXT TO NORMAL....

What did our critic think of SLEEPY HOLLOW at Shadowbox Live?...

What did our critic think of WHOSE LIVE IS IT ANYWAY? at Palace Theatre?...

What did our critic think of P!NK, THE SCRIPT at Schottenstein Center?...

There is no parental rating system for musicals, but after watching THE BOOK OF MORMON, some might believe there should be. It is not for the easily offended, but those who open that door are in for an unforgettable evening. ...

At its heart, BIG FISH is a story about storytelling. Edward Bloom tells so many fish stories and tall tales to his young son (Paxton Longoria) to the point where the younger Bloom can’t discern his father’s truth from fabrication....

While the two Presidential candidates were squaring off on opening night to determine the future of the United States, there is no debate that Michael Jackson will forever remain the King of Pop....

The cast adjusts the mood of the show quickly. It seamlessly moves from the bravado of “Fat and Greasy” to a somber reading of “Black and Blue” as images of newspaper coverage of lynchings and hate crimes are projected in the background....

While not all the sketches are home runs, most offer a solid chuckle to nearly everyone. It may not be an event you can feel comfortable taking your grandparents to, but maybe you could bring a drunk Aunt Martha and Uncle Bill this time around....

What is refreshing about AMERICAN IDIOT is since it’s a pre-professional project, the entire cast is in the 14-19 age range. That is about the same age as the characters in the show. This cast doesn’t come across as amateurish. Lavery nails his role as Tunny, who comes home from the Gulf War bro...

SNS elevates its presentation with another stellar cast, tight choreography and several minute details and musical director Jonathan Collura helps the cast deliver the show’s snappy, tightly fashioned songs with power. The net result far exceeds the entertainment value of the original non-musical ...

What did our critic think of BEN PLATT AND BRANDY CLARK at Mershon Auditorium?...

Under the direction of Julie Klein, the theater troupe weaves together the divergent catalogue of the two icons with a variety of singers and styles, multimedia presentations, and the storytelling of Michelle Daniels....

While at times THE LION KING seems like a note for note repetition of the movie, what pushes the musical into new territory is the costume design, a stellar group of actors, and of course, an empowering soundtrack....

Two questions almost immediately sprang up when people were told that the Temptations and the Four Tops were performing June 11 at the Jeanne B. McCoy Center for the Arts in New Albany. People asked, Those two groups are still around? and How many of the original members are left?...

What did our critic think of JOE JACKSON at At Davidson Theatre?...

What did our critic think of A WALK IN THE WOODS at The Abbey Theater? Bishara’s non-nonsense Honeywell verbally spars with Holliday’s frivolous Botvinnik. The Soviet diplomat believes the only way the treaty can work is if the two develop an attitude of friendship and trust. Honeywell believes ...

HAIR is not your typical linear, point A to point B musical. It roughly ambles through vignettes of the members of a “tribe” of hippies in New York City. And yet, HAIR is as important as it is subversive. Without it, shows such as RENT, ANGELS IN AMERICA, and HAMILTON probably wouldn’t stand a...

TINA: The Tina Turner Musical came blazing in like a bolt of lightning with thunderous applause on opening night at the Ohio Theatre, just as most of our state was under severe tornado warnings.  TINA tells the remarkable story of the musical legend, and shares it all – the good, the bad, and the...