Our Columbus Critics
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Review: WILD THINGS at Shadowbox Live
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....
Review: AMERICAN IDIOT at Abbey Theater Of Dublin
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...
Review: LEGALLY BLONDE at Garden Theater
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 ...
Review: BEN PLATT AND BRANDY CLARK at Mershon Auditorium
What did our critic think of BEN PLATT AND BRANDY CLARK at Mershon Auditorium?...
Review: EVOLUTIONARIES at Shadowbox Live
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....
Review: THE LION KING at Ohio Theatre
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....
Review: THE TEMPTATIONS AND THE FOUR TOPS at McCoy Center For The Arts
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?...
Review: JOE JACKSON at At Davidson Theatre
What did our critic think of JOE JACKSON at At Davidson Theatre?...
Review: A WALK IN THE WOODS at The Abbey Theater
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 ...
Review: HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL at Garden Theatre
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...
BWW Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL - Simply the Best in Columbus
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...
Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre
This musical would flounder without a dynamic leading woman. In this case, TINA has two – Zurin Villanueva (who performed in the May 7 show) and Ari Groover because of the energy and vocal demands of the role....
Review: JON BATISTE at Southern Theatre
The first night Batiste went from performing solo, to playing with a jazz trio to playing with a 41-piece orchestra in a two-hour span. The following night The former musical director of LATE NIGHT WITH STEPHEN COLBERT unveiled a previously unheard piano concerto commissioned by ProMusica. Either ni...
Review: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at Lincoln Theatre
Brilliant acting mixed in with a powder keg of singing, dancing, and orchestration stuns its audience....
Review: RIDE THE CYCLONE at The Contemporary Theatre Of Ohio
RIDE THE CYCLONE is more like an eccentric Tim Burton film than a John Hughes hug fest. However, the moments of genuine humanity and sentiment keeps the show from going off the rails....
Review: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS at Shadowbox Live
The Shadowbox motto is to do to sketch comedy what Second City does for improv. To do that, it uses a simple formula: crisp writing and solid acting produce big laughs....
Review: CLUE at Ohio Theatre
The script is filled with pratfalls, sight gags, puns and “Dad jokes,” but what makes this play work is the backstory and the personality given to each character and each role contributes something to the plot....
Review: Lending an ear to VAN GOGH'S IN THE ATTIC at Abbey Theater In Dublin
Cooney’s script is much like a van Gogh painting. Some characters, like Erin, are created with intricate paintbrush strokes; others are fingerpainted in concentric circles....
Review: SNS' THE PROM at Garden Theater
Broadway Musicals are often fantasies, musical representations about things that could not possibly happen. The saddest thing about Short North Stage’s production of THE PROM, which runs from March 14 through April 7 at the Garden Theater, is that it is based partly in truth....
Review: MAMMA MIA! Delivers Dynamo Performance at the Ohio Theatre
With familiar hits such as “Dancing Queen,” “Mamma Mia,” and “Honey, Honey,” MAMMA MIA! has a leg up on most musicals: audiences already know the songs. But to surmount and overcome the expectations of audiences is no easy feat. The 25th Anniversary Tour of MAMMA MIA! blows all expectati...
Review: PAT METHENY at Riffe Center
In his two-hour set, Metheny, the only artist to win Grammys in 10 different categories, was like a magician as he revealed the skills that garnered him gold records for Still Life (Talking), Letter from Home, and Secret Story....
Review: SKELETON CREW at Studio 2 At Riffe Center
Rico Parker joins a talented quartet of actors, performing with Wilma Hatton (Faye), Clarissa Rai (Shanita), and Alan Tyson (Reggie), in bringing this two-act, two-hour show to life. Each actor brings out certain nuances to his or her character, revealing the character’s strengths and concealing h...
Review: Gender-Swapped COMPANY Falls Flat at the Ohio Theatre Despite Genius Sondheim Score
Nominated for a record-setting 14 Tony Awards and winning 6 in the original production in 1970, Stephen Sondheim’s COMPANY was one of the first musicals to deal with contemporary dating, marriage, and divorce. Originally played by a male lead, Director Marianne Elliott (with approval from So...
Review: INFAMOUS LOVE SONGS: AN OVER THE RHINE VALENTINE'S CONCERT at Lincoln
The two seem to have that innate ability to write simple poetry without making them seem like something you would find at the Valentine’s cards bin at Walmart....
Review: THE DREAM AND BEYOND at ShadowBox Live
Shadowbox Live reached deep into their skill sets to celebrate the 11 leaders’ achievements through art, words, dance and song while educating the audience on their significance. ...
Videos
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Wicked Ohio Theatre (7/28-8/15) |
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To Die For Weathervane Playhouse (7/23-8/01) |
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An Evening with Leslie Odom, Jr. The Palace (7/28-7/28) |
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Doo Dah Parade + Party 2026 On July 04, 2026 Goodale Park (7/04-7/04) |
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Water for Elephants – The Musical Ohio Theatre (6/09-6/09) |
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Dirty Talk Shadowbox Lice (4/12-8/15) |
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The Fab Four: The Ultimate Tribute LIVE in Concert in Columbus, OH Hollywood Casino Columbus (8/21-8/21) |
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Caamp Value City Arena at The Schottenstein Center (8/29-8/29) |
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MTP Presents: Sister Act John, James and Clara Knight Stage (7/31-8/16) |
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The Music Man Weathervane Playhouse (7/09-7/18) |
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