Lisa Norris - Page 4

Great theater abounds in Columbus and summer is a great time to step outside your regular theater-going routine and try a new venue. We all know that CAPA's Broadway in Columbus Series is stellar, and while the extremely popular, 'Wicked' sets up shop in Columbus June 5-23, if you are looking for some sizzling summer sensations, exploring local theater groups will also result in fabulous entertainment that the whole family can enjoy, and you won't break your summer fun budget!

Actors' Theater of Columbus opened its 32nd summer season with its Annual Opening Night Tent Dinner last night in the Schiller Park amphitheater. Despite the uncooperative weather canceling the performance of "King Arthur and the Sword of Britain", the crowd was abuzz with excitement over this season's line-up of free summer theater productions in the park.

If you liked Short North Stage's recent production of "Passing Strange", you'll love CATCO's current show, "Five Guys Named Moe". Both musicals, each show features a young, lost, African-American man who gets a schooling from some older, wiser musicians. While the former was a good show in its own right, CATCO's "Five Guys Named Moe" production is an entire ensemble as smooth as the jazz tones the characters sing, in glorious harmony.

Short North Stage opened the regional premiere of the Tony-Award winning 'Passing Strange" last night in the gorgeous Garden Theater. Directed by Mark Clayton Suthers, "Passing Strange", with book and lyrics by Stew, tells the story of a young black musician on his artistic journey of self-discovery from his start in middle-class, South-Central Los Angeles in the late 70's, to the hash bars of Amsterdam, and the post-punk scene of Berlin, where he finds a temporary family in a group of German radicals, and struggles desperately to find his own "artistic soul".

Shadowbox Live continues its reputation for having no topic off-limits, with its new sketch comedy and rock n' roll show entitled, "Taboo". The witty sketches poke fun at virtually everyone and everything, to the point that the show is "equal opportunity" offensive, and surprisingly enough, none of its jabs cut too deeply.

Remember when the best part of your week was a bowl of Cocoa Puffs and Saturday morning cartoons? CATCO Is Kids' production of 'Schoolhouse Rock Live, Jr.' is an energy packed, fun-filled trip down Nostalgia Road that parents will adore, and children will find equally delightful. The educational messages set to catchy tunes that stuck in the heads of their original audience are just as enticing to the younger generation, who also don't mind being schooled, as long as it's disguised in entertainment.

A&B Theatricals and director Joe Bishara took on middle-class unemployment last night with local playwright, Bill Cook's original script, 'The Promised Land'. Those familiar with Cook's previous work, especially last year's, 'Love In An Age of Clamor', will find several similarities between the two productions, however this one, finds middle-aged, middle-class, Simon (Nick Baldasare) suddenly downsized from his life-long career as a financial analyst.

Billie Joe Armstrong, Green Day's vocalist/guitarist wrote the lyrics for 'American Idiot' in the rock opera style of 'The Who', with songs that follow three disenfranchised young men- Johnny (Alex Nee), Will (Casey O'Farrell), and Tunny (Thomas Hettrick) as they attempt to leave their stifling suburban selves in the hopes of not becoming another 'American Idiot'.

A& B Theatricals will present, 'The Promised Land', and original play written by local playwright, Bill Cook, opening this Friday, March 22nd at the Columbus Performing Arts Center (549 Franklin Avenue). Mr. Cook took a few momenets to chat with me about this new production, and share his excitement about its opening.

Central Ohio's Pleasure Guild will present its 56th annual musical production, 'Peter Pan' at The Palace Theater this weekend, March 8-10th. A benefit for Nationwide Children's Hospital's pediatric hospice and palliative care program, the proceeds from the show (last year totaling almost a half-million dollars!) are directly donated, as well as the cast and crew's generous donations of their time.

With enough of a fan base to generate the nearly $20,000 needed to fully-fund its production in less than two weeks on its Kickstarter.com pledge site, Shadowbox Live's self-created musical, 'Underland' opened to a not-surprisingly sold-out crowd last night. The original script, created by Shadowbox Head Writer, Jimmy Mak, is inspired by 'Alice In Wonderland', but instead tells the tale of Albert Ice (Robbie Nance), a Vietnam veteran who is searching for his lost daughter in the 60's hippie culture of San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury District. While it has the feel of Shadowbox's fabulous, 'Back to the Garden' in its opening scenes, this show immediately takes a much darker, mind-bending tone, and it's difficult to tell what is a drug-trip gone wrong, and what is Ice's completely warped post-traumatic stress-induced reality.

SRO/ CATCO delivered a fun and entertaining performance of the Tony-Award winning 60's-style musical, "Hairspray", playing its second of three weekends at the Columbus Performing Arts Center. The story of big-hearted, plus-sized teenager, Tracy Turnblad (Logan Eva Rathmann), who dreams of dancing on the local TV dance show, is directed by CATCO's Joe Bishara, with Musical Direction by Matt Clemens, and Choreography by Liz Wheeler.

The Short North Stage may be small in size, but the talent in the theater for their latest musical is of gigantic proportions. They opened the Columbus premiere of Adam Gwon's musical, 'Ordinary Days' last night with the production's creator in the audience, and if that lead to any nervousness, it certainly didn't show.

The Columbus premiere of John Logan's, 'Red' fell on Valentine's Day, but the 2010 Tony Award winning play's only lover's obsession is that of artist Mark Rothko's relationship with his own art. The intensely intellectual two-man play stars Kevin McClatchy as the mid 20th Century painter, and Tim Simeone as Ken, his recently hired assistant. 'Red' details the two year span of Rothko's career in which he was working on a commissioned series of paintings for the new Four Seasons Restaurant in the posh Park AvenueSeagramBuilding. 'What do you see?' begins Rothko, and as such, the audience gets an extraordinary opportunity to see an artist seeing his own work, a perspective that proves entrancing, profound, and deeply heart-wrenching.

In a partnership with ColumbusStateCommunity College, CATCO presents its version of Beauty and the Beast, entitled "Beauty and the Beast: Isabella e la Bestia" in Studio One at the Riffe Center now through January 27th. Set in Venice, this rendition bears virtually no resemblance to the Disney animated version bearing its name, but as it was attended by many Groveport Elementary students during its matinee, I can attest, it is still enjoyable for a younger crowd.

The premise of "Rough Draft: A Writer's Thought Process" is a jaunt through the mind of writer, Opal (played by Candice Oates), as she attempts to create a literary masterpiece. The characters that she originates include a woman named Cynthia (Emily Sellevaag), a mysterious man believed to be an injured veteran named Rupert (Bryan Hartman), and Rupert's talking pet dog, Skippy (Jeff Kemeter).

Shadowbox Live began the run of it its latest production, "Between the Sheets" last night. In its tried-and-true sketch comedy/rock 'n roll format, "Between the Sheets" focuses on sex, love, and romance- well, mostly on the former. Aimed at heating up the chilly winter season, "Between the Sheets" is a great night of entertainment as a date night with your significant other, or a girls-night out, as many of the sketches poke fun at the Mars vs. Venus communication problems of the two sexes. The sold-out show played well to an audience who seemed in the mood for some post-holiday cheer.

As 2012 draws to a close, Broadway World Columbus has a lot to celebrate! We have expanded our local coverage and participated for the first time in the BWW Regional Awards, recognizing some of the best arts performances the Columbus area has to offer. In 2013, we hope to bring you even more coverage, as well as additional special features, and interviews with local talent. We can't wait to see what our amazing local artists bring to our hometown venues this year!

Broadway veterans and husband and wife team, David Ayers and Angela Gaylor are returning to Central Ohio to conduct a Master's Level Musical Theater class at Columbus Children's Theater for one day only on Monday, December 17th.

Based on the novel by Michael Ende, the stage version of "The Neverending Story" bares only a minimal resemblance to the 80s cult-classic movie of the same name, but the CATCO is Kids production about a fantasy world being destroyed by a lack of imagination, offers its audience plenty of opportunity to let their imagination run wild.