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THE KENT STAGE

175 East Main Street
Kent, OH 44240



Review: BAT OUT OF HELL: THE MUSICAL at Palace Theatre


by Paul Batterson - April 21, 2026

That’s both the draw and the danger of Jim Steinman’s music. While it comes with a built-in 50-and-over audience, jukebox musicals run the danger of relying on nostalgia, being underperformed by its actors, and/or having a paper thin plot. BAT OUT OF HELL avoided two of those three pitfalls. As ...

Review: FOR THE LOVE OF DANCE at Davidson Theatre At The Riffe Center Theatres


by Steve Sucato - April 10, 2026

'Alexi Ratmansky’s 'Seven Sonatas' was a cut above anything I have seen from BalletMet in recent memory.'...

Review: A‑Maize‑ing Fun: SHUCKED Pops with Heart and Humor at the Ohio Theatre


by Christina Mancuso - April 08, 2026

Originally conceived as an adaptation of the long‑running TV variety show Hee Haw, Shucked popped into the Ohio Theatre on Tuesday night packed with deliciously corny puns, ear-to-ear smiles, and rapid‑fire one‑liners. What begins as a wink‑and‑nod celebration of pun‑loving humor quickly...

Review: SAMARA JOY at Southern Theatre


by Paul Batterson - March 24, 2026

What did our critic think of SAMARA JOY at Southern Theatre? When people describe Samara Joy as an “American jazz singer,” they aren’t wrong. But they’re missing the point....

Review: MISS SAIGON at Short North Stage


by Paul Batterson - March 23, 2026

Short North Stage is never one to back down from a challenge. At the end of every season, the Columbus theatre group asks its audience what shows it would like to see the following season....

Review: THE OUTSIDERS: A NEW MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre


by Paul Batterson - March 18, 2026

There appeared to be a serious breach of theatre etiquette in the March 17 production of THE OUTSIDERS at Ohio Theatre (37 E. State Street in downtown Columbus)....

Review: JAJA'S AFRICAN HAIR BRAIDING at The Contemporary Theatre Of Ohio


by Paul Batterson - March 10, 2026

Whether it is Floyd’s Barber Shop in THE ANDY GRIFFITH SHOW, Truvy’s Beauty Salon in STEEL MAGNOLIAS or even the Suburban Salon in EDWARD SCISSORHANDS, hair care is the center of society. Gossip is distributed like shampoo, lies are covered up like hair dye, and life’s tangled knots are cut aw...

Review: THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Ohio Theatre


by Paul Batterson - February 25, 2026

What did our critic think of THE SOUND OF MUSIC at Ohio Theatre?...

Review: COLUMBUS CHILDREN'S THEATRE'S CABARET at Riffe Center


by Paul Batterson - February 23, 2026

In the Columbus Children’s Theatre production of CABARET, nothing is what it appears to be. A line can be repeated but cast a completely different meaning and things that are commonplace in the first act take on a darker symbolic meaning by the second....

Past Shows

In The Heartland brings The Music of Michael Stanley Band to The Kent Stage 4/10!
In The Heartland brings The Music of Michael Stanley Band to The Kent Stage 4/10!
Apr 10

In The HeartlandThe Music of MSBIN THE HEARTLAND features MSB guitarist Danny Powers on Lead Guitar, Eric Brooke on Guitar and Lead Vocals, Johnny Sustar...

The Irish Tenors
The Irish Tenors
Dec 3

The Irish Tenors have been the acknowledged Celtic music kings since they burst upon the scene during a 1998 TV special from Ireland and then...

Iam Tongi
Iam Tongi
Nov 20

You can hear it in the gentle rasp of his wave-washed vocal soul. You can see it in his smile. For Iam Tongi, music is...

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