Columbus Theater Reviews

Review: LEGALLY BLONDE at Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - July 15, 2024

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 mo...

Review: BEN PLATT AND BRANDY CLARK at Mershon Auditorium
by Paul Batterson - July 05, 2024

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

Review: EVOLUTIONARIES at Shadowbox Live
by Paul Batterson - June 18, 2024

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
by Paul Batterson - June 16, 2024

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
by Paul Batterson - June 13, 2024

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
by Paul Batterson - May 27, 2024

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

Review: A WALK IN THE WOODS at The Abbey Theater
by Paul Batterson - May 21, 2024

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 the ...

Review: HAIR: THE AMERICAN TRIBAL LOVE-ROCK MUSICAL at Garden Theatre
by Paul Batterson - May 13, 2024

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 chanc...

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: THE HUNCHBACK OF NOTRE DAME at Lincoln Theatre
by Paul Batterson - April 29, 2024

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
by Paul Batterson - April 23, 2024

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
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: Lending an ear to VAN GOGH'S IN THE ATTIC at Abbey Theater In Dublin
by Paul Batterson - April 09, 2024

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
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...

Review: PAT METHENY at Riffe Center
by Paul Batterson - March 10, 2024

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
by Paul Batterson - March 04, 2024

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 his...

Review: Gender-Swapped COMPANY Falls Flat at the Ohio Theatre Despite Genius Sondheim Score
by Christina Mancuso - February 14, 2024

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 Sond...

Review: INFAMOUS LOVE SONGS: AN OVER THE RHINE VALENTINE'S CONCERT at Lincoln
by Paul Batterson - February 11, 2024

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
by Paul Batterson - January 31, 2024

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.  ...

Review: THE WORRIES OF WESLEY (OR: HOW I LEARNED TO STOP HAVING ANXIETY, OR NOT REALLY, BUT I AM TRYING TO) at Riffe Center
by Paul Batterson - January 29, 2024

In lesser hands, THE WORRIES OF WESLEY could turn into an afterschool special on television. However, Alan Tyson’s direction and Moss’s idiosyncratic screenplay turn the issue of anxiety into something far deeper...

Review: THE COLOR PURPLE at Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - January 26, 2024

A show about domestic violence and oppression doesn’t sound like a cheery night at the theater. Here’s what makes the show work: the music and lyrics, especially in the opening three numbers, are about as uplifting as one can get in a show and secondly, there are opportunities for redemption for eve...