Legacy
Shadowbox Live
Worly Building
The Brewery District
Columbus, Ohio

by Rick Brown

I’m not certain that by the time I finish writing this piece anyone could call it a “review” in a traditional sense. But hey … I AM the editor here. And Naked Sunfish has never been … never will be … about rules. I mean … opening night at a brand new venue, in Columbus’s Brewery District, with a combined Newport/Columbus cast, who had painted and nailed and practiced sometimes all night … can hardly be limited to a synopsis and evaluation of what happened on the stage. (Which is HUGE by the way)

My wife Yvonne and I had seen the Worly Building in a couple stages of development. And sure, I wondered while in line about whether people would be standing in the cold, waiting to get into the place this coming winter. I looked at the 2X4 makeshift railing and knew that the “Homecoming” is not just a labor of love, but also a work in progress.

The performance space is at once open and wide, yet somehow cozy and at least implicitly intimate. I commented to our server that it felt like a classy supper club and he took it for the compliment I intended. And even though Shadowbox Live’s new place holds over 100 more people than Easton, it never felt that way. Without a balcony the crowd is altogether, one entity. And that also felt immediately comfortable.

I was a little surprised two shows were scheduled for grand opening night. There obviously was a lot to work out. But the troupe’s enthusiasm fuels their “pedal to the metal” approach on this project.

The show was awesome. And I almost never use that well-worn adjective. Of course, there is so much experience (especially with the merging of the two troupes) that I am sure their repertoire is so familiar to them that it requires less rehearsal. I did hear about the one that went to 6 a.m. And I’m sure that probably had as much to do with getting to know the new place as anything.

The sketches in Legacy come from 22 years of performing. There was even a skit or two from the now defunct 2Co’s Cabaret. This is the best of the best of the best. “Wiz Kids” is a delightful ensemble piece lampooning The Wizard of Oz. I love their “children’s pageant runs amok” pieces and this might be the finest. “Love is a Battlefield” is a skillfully conceived skit about a couple fighting while their hidden “war rooms” plan the strategy. “Helen and Ethel”, “Vera and Laverne”, “Jason’s Scary Stories”, “JBF Hair Products”… all of these familiar bits are amped up to a new level because the talent pool is so much larger now. The return of Stacie Boord to Columbus, the addition of Robbie Nance, Leah Haviland, Edelyn Parker, and many others to a Columbus troupe featuring Jimmy Mak, David Whitehouse, Nikki Fagin, Amy Lay, JT Walker III (and I am leaving way too many names out) is nothing short of amazing.

Musically it’s the same scenario. BillWho? becomes a super group in a sense that necessitates THREE bandleaders! (Jennifer Hahn, Matthew Hahn and Keith Gibson). There is also a triple threat on guitar. Joining Mr. Hahn is Dante Wehe and Chris Lambert. Andy Ankrom and Keith Gibson share bass responsibilities and Matt “The beast” Buchwalter is joined on drums by Brandon Smith, as Fred Coperman IV plays keyboards with Ms. Hahn. This isn’t ONE band … this is TWO or THREE bands … good ones.

The songs are Shadowbox Live’s musical showcases. Stev Guyer on the Allman Brothers’ “Whipping Post”, Julie Klein belting out the Who’s “Won’t Get Fooled Again”, the delicious 4 part harmony of Amy Lay, Ms. Hahn, Nikki Fagin, and Stacie Boord for En Vogue’s “Never Gonna Get It” … live music doesn’t get any better than this folks. My favorite on this night (because I had never heard BillWho? perform it before) was Edgar Winter’s “Frankenstein”. Frighteningly fabulous!

Sure there are some things to be tweaked. There always are. The pace before the show needs to slow. That will come with time. The band’s sound mix has to be more consistent, although it did get much better by show’s finale. These are logistical challenges inherent to a new performance space.

I’m leaving a lot out: the names of performers, the titles of sketches and songs. I apologize for that. But as I wrote earlier this is not a typical “theater review”. Shadowbox Live is far from typical theater. Their move to the Worly Building in the Brewery District is much more than a desire for a new venue. It solidifies the troupe’s commitment to the community, to the renaissance of a vital Columbus downtown, to the arts in our schools, and to the quality of life in Columbus, Ohio.

Shadowbox Live’s Legacy is a terrific show, in a great new venue. Go see it. Tell them what you think. They want to know … really. The best night out in Columbus just got better. After the Legacy production closes there will be another great one following it. But I think the real, genuine legacy of Shadowbox Live isn’t just a show. It’s their place in this city, their determination to make a “Greater Columbus”.

And THAT legacy … is just beginning.

Legacy runs through November 12th. For more information please go to: www.shadowboxlive.org/shows/legacy