Broadway Comes to Columbus!
I'm a huge Broadway fan, so I'm always excited to hear about a new show coming into Columbus! These shows usually come to one of my two favorite theaters downtown - the Ohio Theatre and the Palace Theatre. If you're a Broadway aficionado - or if you've never seen a show before in your life - you should definitely check out the line-up at these theaters. I'm sure you'll find something of interest!
This week I went to see Million Dollar Quartet. This musical is set on one night - December 4, 1956 - when four music legends were all together for a recording session. These musicians were Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash, and Elvis Presley. This would be the only time these artists, who all debuted with Sun Records in Memphis, Tennessee, were all together. The show featured memorable songs such as "Hound Dog," "Blue Suede Shoes," "Great Balls of Fire," and "Walk the Line." The actors did a fantastic job and took the audience members back to the '50's for this session.
My favorite of the artists portrayed in this musical is Johnny Cash. My freshman year at Ohio State, I had the privilege of taking a seminar course solely focused on Johnny Cash and his songwriting. Each class session, we would listen to a couple of his songs and discuss what we thought the lyrics meant to Johnny and what they meant to us. Some of my favorites of Johnny's were actually covers - not his original lyrics - and many were spirituals. In the Sweet By and By and Hurt were two in particular that I enjoyed, although I also love his most famous original songs like Folsom Prison Blues, Walk the Line, and Ring of Fire.
I would highly recommend this show - or any off-Broadway shows - that stop by in Columbus for a week or two. Ohio State's theater department also puts on shows throughout the year, so you might check out their line-up for the spring. Even if Broadway isn't your thing, it's definitely important to get away from campus for a few hours a week and do something that takes your mind off of classwork. You have plenty of time to spend in class and working on projects, so be sure to take a break and explore Columbus!