Paul Batterson - Page 16

Surviving. A rock band and a television show may have named themselves after the concept and Gloria Gaynor may have sung about it. For the last 50 years, Otis Williams and the Temptations have lived it out.

The notoriously harsh London critics predicted a very short lifespan for WE WILL ROCK YOU, a musical centered on the rock band Queen's hits, when it opened May 14, 2002 at the Dominion Theatre in London's West End. The Guardian felt the production came across as 'ruthlessly packaged and manufactured,' with its plot finding 'more unlikely ways to wring out another Queen song' into the two and a half hour performance.

One of the great things about the theater is that art is constantly changing, constantly evolving. If it isn't, even the best of shows become stale, bland and, God forbid, boring.

Erica Peck was about five years old when Freddie Mercury died but the flamboyant lead singer for Queen has made a major impact on the Canadian singer's life.

When asked how long a novel should be, Ernest Hemmingway said he could tell a complete story in just six words. When the person doubted it, Hemmingway wrote 'For Sale: Baby Shoes. Never Worn.'

The 3 IN 30: WHITE ELEPHANT showcase, which will be performed 10:30 p.m. Dec. 13 and Dec. 14, at the MadLab Theatre, could easily be called the 'leftoverture.' The showcase, which features three 10 minute plays by area playwrights, presents works that just missed the cut of previous 3 in 30 productions.

Rarely has a curtain call so nicely traced the arc of a play as Otterbein University's production of SPEED-THE-PLOW did last Friday at the Campus Center Theatre. At the conclusion of the three-act play, each one of the actors Tori Hidalgo (Karen), Sam Ray (Charlie Fox) and Sean Murphy (Bobby Gould) try to sit in the comfortable leather chair behind the boss' desk only to be shooed away by another.

The Red Herring Productions' choice to stage Stephen Sondheim's ASSASSINS at the Riffe Center Studio One Theater couldn't have been more ironic. Less than a gunshot away from a stoic statue of William McKinley, Leon Czolgosz (played by Jay Rittberger) will assassinate McKinley for seven times between Oct. 31 and Nov. 9 and earn applause for it.

Christian Hoff has a record amount of voices inside his head. He holds a Guinness World's Record for 'Most Character Voices in an Audio Book' doing 241 separate voices in Tell Me How You Love the Picture, based on the career of movie producer Ed Feldman.

When Otterbein University sophomore Tori Hidalgo signed on to do the David Mamet play, SPEED-THE-PLOW, she thought it was a great chance to play Karen, a naive secretary that becomes the object of a bet between Bobby Gould (played by senior Sean Murphy) and Charlie Fox (senior Sam Ray).

With a white keytar strapped around his neck, Herbie Hancock provided one of the most musically iconic moments in the 1980s. His video for the instrumental 'Rockit' came in 10th on the VH1's '100 Greatest Videos of All Time.'

Fans of the show LES MISERABLES have had a smorgasbord of productions to choose from in central Ohio this year. After Cameron Mackintosh LTD released the rights to the musical to coincide with the release of the movie, several high schools and community theaters have taken on the massive task of presenting the musical.

Alex Huffman and Hayden Clifton both play roles that could be considered the bad guys in Otterbein University's production of LES MISERABLES.

Stan is not the type of person who goes to prison. With his conservative suits, ties and lifestyle, the tightly wound accountant is content to work his way to the top by doing the right thing in the dark comedy STATE OF CONTROL.

For a man who says he doesn't remember most of his dreams, Columbus-based playwright Bill Cook spends a lot of time writing about nightmares. Cook describes his latest work, STATE OF CONTROL, as a comic nightmare.

There were three ways out of New Jersey in the 1960s, according to the musical JERSEY BOYS. A person could get drafted in the military, mobbed up or become stars. JERSEY BOYS tells the true story of Frank Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio, four blue collar kids who chose the latter path and became the Four Seasons.

For a man who says he doesn't remember most of his dreams, Columbus-based playwright Bill Cook spends a lot of time writing about nightmares. Cook describes his latest work, STATE OF CONTROL, as a comic nightmare.

A health scare in 2011 and a rehab stint in 2012 did little to clean up comedian Ralphie May's act. The 2003 LAST COMIC STANDING runner-up ripped through an hour set of new material that left few taboos standing Sept. 13 at the Funny Bone in Columbus.

It is hard to overlook comedian Ralphie May when the 400-pound plus comedian will be performing four shows at the Columbus Funny Bone this weekend.

Nearly every person has experienced a bad date. But judging by the number of tales of woe shared July 27 at the Wall Street Nightclub, the cast of DATE ME, DO ME, DUMP ME has had experienced, and created, more than their fair share.