John D.
Yelp
I don't watch a theater production or film twice, and I should. You might think professional reviewers like me (I'm a film critic for NPR and Shadowbox Live advisory board member) always see productions multiple times. I believe only a few do. After attending the recent SBX sketch comedy and music magic (think Second City, SNL), Behind Closed Doors, I decided it was so good that I'd go back, and I did for the first time ever.
I found a show even better than the same one I saw a week ago, better because I could savor such genial sketches as The Ass-Trick, where ancient scholars devise new words with a decidedly butt orientation. Or a sketch where two sports-announcer-like commentators remark on the mental gymnastics a schlub-mate defends himself with against his love's infidelity accusations.
And so on, like giving a baleful look at the poor unknown caller on your smart phone, and a most serious-of-all comedy, the End of the World, where the last guy left standing resists the romantic notions of the last woman: uh, oh, it's a bit more than sex on the line!
Couple these Mak-Pak creations (Jimmy Mak's writing pack) with first-rate covers from The Killers to The B62's, and you have an evening arguably better than you might find in NYC or Chicago: it's fresh and unadulterated by big-city attitudes and smog.
Regardless, director Julie Klein and CEO Stacie Boord have once again brought the big time to Columbus, showing why it is the fastest-growing city in America and one of the top ten cities for young professionals.
John De Sando, Ph.D.