What Others Are Saying

Jimmy Mak, the head writer for the Shadowbox Live! theater troupe, isn’t one to throw an idea away. The Mak-penned “Cereal Killers” is one of eight new sketches in Shadowbox Live’s Halloween-themed FREAK SHOW, performed 7:30 p.m. Saturdays through Nov. 15 at the theatre company’s stage (located at 503 S. Front Street in downtown Columbus). It only took 22 years for the sketch about a group therapy session for children cereal mascots to go from its lonely exile in Mak’s idea folder to being performed.

MILLINNEUM, a two-act musical created by Davis and boyfriend Zach Tarantelli, follows the lives of Maria (Davis), Will (Jamie Barrow), and Millie (Riley Mak) as the trio navigate the path of chaotic coffee shops, careening careers and collapsing courtships in the early 21st century. The musical, which features a diverse catalogue of songs from the 2000s, opened June 5 and runs through Aug. 29 at Shadowbox Live’s theater (503 S. Front Street in downtown Columbus).

“As we evolved, people were using this more for a performance space,” he said. “We refer to it as our community space. So we might have some people from Shadowbox doing performances out there, something that's not what we do here in (the main) theater, but it's for everybody. So if someone gets an itch to do something, that's the place to do it.” As more people move to Columbus, the team at Shadowbox Live says they are ready to meet the demand.

With representatives from key venues and organizations, we take stock of the state of performing arts in Columbus with industry leaders for a look behind the curtains.

Kiss and Tell's sketches will take a hilarious peek into the funny, awkward, and steamy side of relationships that proves some stories are too good not to share. Music featured will include songs from Genesis, Lake Street Drive, Sarah McLaughlin, Teddy Swims, Thomas Rhett, Hozier, Journey, and more.

In its show, Rock This Way, Shadowbox Live! did something the members of Van Halen and Aerosmith could never do. The theater troupe proved the music of the two bands could peacefully co-exist … even if the members of the band couldn’t. ROCK THIS WAY, which presents 12 songs of Aerosmith and 11 songs of Van Halen in a two-act firefight, will run through June 1.