Columbus Theater Reviews

Review: REVIEW: THE WILD PARTY at Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - May 15, 2023

What did our critic think of REVIEW: THE WILD PARTY at Garden Theater?...

Feature: Inside THE WILD PARTY At Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - May 09, 2023

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Review: REVIEW: PRINCESS BRIDE at Palace Theater
by Paul Batterson - May 01, 2023

What did our critic think of REVIEW: PRINCESS BRIDE at Palace Theater? The throng of attendees turned the showing into part rock concert, part Episcopal Church “call and response” worship service. Every joke received a burst of laughter and applause like the crowd was seeing the movie for the first ...

Feature THE PRINCESS BRIDE at Palace
by Paul Batterson - April 24, 2023

THE PRINCESS BRIDE won no Oscars, was a moderate box office success ($30.8 million on a $16 million production budget), and had only a few established TV stars (Billy Crystal, Peter Falk, and Andre the Giant) when it was released, However, it is listed as 50th in Bravo's '100 Funniest Movies' and 88...

Review: AIN'T TOO PROUD at the Ohio Theatre - A Sensational Celebration of Motown and Brotherhood
by Christina Mancuso - April 19, 2023

AIN'T TOO PROUD - The Life and Times of The Temptations, came rolling into the Ohio Theatre with explosive energy, incredible talent, phenomenal voices, dashing costumes, and Tony-Award winning choreography that had Columbus up on their feet. This sensational production, brilliantly directed by Des ...

Review: REVIEW: A YANKEE GOES HOME at At Abbey Theater Of Dublin
by Paul Batterson - April 17, 2023

What did our critic think of REVIEW: A YANKEE GOES HOME at At Abbey Theater Of Dublin? When he first learned the Abbey Theater of Dublin was interested in doing the world premiere of A YANKEE GOES HOME, Irish American playwright Sean Cooney was thrilled to be doing a production in his homeland. Then...

Review: CAPA SEASON at Ohio And Palace Theatres
by Paul Batterson - April 05, 2023

What did our critic think of CAPA SEASON at Ohio And Palace Theatres? Be it their birthday, anniversary, Halloween, or the Fourth of July, everyone has a special day to which they look forward....

Review: REVIEW: INTO THE WOODS at Short North Stage
by Paul Batterson - March 20, 2023

What did our critic think of REVIEW: INTO THE WOODS at Short North Stage? There are two adages most people know about the theatre: 'Break a leg' and 'The show must go on.' Short North Stage experienced both as it prepared for its 19-show run of INTO THE WOODS....

Review: HITS! THE MUSICAL at Southern Theatre
by Paul Batterson - March 19, 2023

What did our critic think of HITS! THE MUSICAL at Southern Theatre?...

Feature: HITS! THE MUSICAL at Southern Theatre
by Paul Batterson - March 12, 2023

When HITS! THE MUSICAL was gearing up to embark on a 48-city tour of the United States, a reality TV crew was brought on board to document the journey. The thought of 29 young adults between the ages of 10 to 22 traveling as an army across the United States seems to be ready made for a sudsy docudra...

Review: BEETLEJUICE at the Ohio Theatre - A Farcical Show About Death Draws Big Laughs in Columbus
by Christina Mancuso - March 09, 2023

A seemingly crowd-pleasing, high-energy, sensory-overloaded BEETLEJUICE was resurrected at the Ohio Theatre on Tuesday night to a devoted cult fan following. While slapstick jokes, disturbing references, and visual diversions dominate much of the show, there are also moments of heart-warming tendern...

Feature: INTO THE WOODS at Short North Stage
by Paul Batterson - March 09, 2023

After reciting the 'The Witch's Entrance' for 19 shows in Short North Stage's production of INTO THE WOODS, Diana DeGarmo may never look at a salad the same way again....

Review: SLAVE PLAY at Short North Stage
by Paul Batterson - February 05, 2023

What did our critic think of SLAVE PLAY at Short North Stage? People always ask critics two questions: “did you like it?” and “is it worth seeing?” When it comes time to discuss SLAVE PLAY, these two questions are going to be tough to answer. Did I like it? From a theatrical rubric, it checks off th...

Review: SIX: THE MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre
by Paul Batterson - January 26, 2023

What did our critic think of SIX: THE MUSICAL at Ohio Theatre?...

Review: THE PRICE OF POWER at Abbey Theater Of Dublin
by Paul Batterson - January 17, 2023

What did our critic think of THE PRICE OF POWER at Abbey Theater Of Dublin? As the director of THE PRICE OF POWER, Abbey Theater of Dublin director Joe Bishara is up against an interesting challenge. How does one present a show about John F. Kennedy, one of the most famous faces in the history of Am...

Interview: THE PRICE OF POWER at Abbey Theater
by Paul Batterson - January 06, 2023

What did our critic think of THE PRICE OF POWER at Abbey Theater?...

Feature: 2022 HOLIDAY SHOWS In Columbus
by Paul Batterson - December 19, 2022

I will proudly admit it. I don't like Christmas shows. I once videotaped HOW THE GRINCH STOLE CHRISTMAS and purposely stopped taping right about the time the Grinch was about to dump the presents off the edge of Mount Crumpet. I empathize with Miles Finch and Mr. Potter more than I do with Buddy the...

Interview: ELF: THE MUSICAL at Palace Theater
by Paul Batterson - December 07, 2022

Most Christmas shows seem to follow a simple pattern: Someone doesn't have that festive spirit meets someone who does, a miracle happens, and the bah humbuger sees the joy in the holidays....

Review: VETSAID at Nationwide Arena
by Paul Batterson - November 16, 2022

What did our critic think of VETSAID at Nationwide Arena? When the Eagles appeared in Columbus for the 'The History of the Eagles' tour, the members of the band appeared in nearly identical black suits. One of the first questions readers always ask is: 'Joe Walsh has a suit?'...

Review: ASSASSINS at Columbus Performing Arts Center
by Paul Batterson - November 14, 2022

What did our critic think of ASSASSINS at Columbus Performing Arts Center? Stephen Sondheim issued a not-so-subtle warning to critics attending his musical ASSASSINS. In the song, 'the Ballad of Booth,' the balladeer questions the Abraham Lincoln killer for his motives: 'Some say you killed a countr...

BWW Review: HAIRSPRAY at Ohio Theatre - An Inspiring Musical with Blazing Energy
by Christina Mancuso - November 09, 2022

The audience was thrilled to welcome home Columbus’s own sextuple superstar, Andrew Levitt aka Nina West, who has successfully conquered the entertainment genres of TV, film, theatre, music, web series, and most recently as an author of children’s book, “The You Kind of Kind.”  His role as Edna Turn...

Review: INDECENT at Riffe Center
by Paul Batterson - November 07, 2022

What did our critic think of INDECENT at Riffe Center? Read the review here!...

Review: Jonathan Larson's RENT Rocks at Garden Theater
by Paul Batterson - October 17, 2022

What did our critic think of RENT at Garden Theater?...

Review: THE WHO at Schottenstein Center
by Paul Batterson - October 12, 2022

What did our critic think of THE WHO at Schottenstein Cente? When the Who, a 1990 inductee to the Rock-N-Roll Hall of Fame, announced their current 'The Who Hits Back' tour, the response of many 'fans' on one website was a hard pass....

Review: HAMILTON at Ohio Theatre
by Paul Batterson - October 10, 2022

What did our critic think of HAMILTON at Ohio Theatre? Before the lights fade and the curtain parts on HAMILTON at the Ohio Theatre, the audience receives a message from King George (Peter Matthew Smith) reminding them to shut off their cell phones and to enjoy 'MY show.'...