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: 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: 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....