BWW Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL - Simply the Best in Columbus
by Christina Mancuso - May 09, 2024
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 ug...
Review: TINA: THE TINA TURNER MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre
by Paul Batterson - May 08, 2024
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
by Paul Batterson - May 05, 2024
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: BEHIND CLOSED DOORS at Shadowbox Live
by Paul Batterson - April 20, 2024
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
by Paul Batterson - April 10, 2024
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: SNS' THE PROM at Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - March 17, 2024
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
by Dylan Shaffer - March 18, 2024
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 expectations out of t...