Right Now Downtown

The Columbus High Five looked pretty good last weekend.  I took my 11-year-old daughter, Lilly, to a sold-out WICKED at the Ohio Theatre on Friday night.  Before the show, we ate at Tip Top.  Gay Street was full of sidewalk diners at Latitude 41, Plantain Cafe, Tip Top and Due Amici.

Speaking of Gay Street, the cast and crew of WICKED are staying at the Residence Inn.  Chandra Lee Schwartz, who plays Glinda in WICKED, says that she is enjoying her stay in Columbus and has flattering things to say about the “town.”

The Gay Softball World Series clearly added energy, with 2,500 athletes staying in downtown hotels.  As Lilly and I walked to the Ohio Theatre from Gay Street, we passed a rooftop party at the Renaissance Hotel and a surprising number of other pedestrians.

After the show, we encountered gridlock on High Street as we approached the Short North.  We turned on Vine Street to head west toward Neil Avenue and encountered more traffic as we passed Park Street at 11:30 p.m.  Vine and Park streets had hundreds of people walking from club to club.

As I sat in traffic, all I could do was smile.

IT’S A WICKED GOOD TIME

Summer often brings temperatures hot as Hades, but CAPA and Broadway Across America have a WICKED good way to cool off.

The last time WICKED came to C-bus in 2007, the smash-hit musical broke box office records and sold out in record time.  This year the show is here through August 29 and seats are still available, but flying fast.

“We are thrilled to have WICKED returning to Columbus,” stated CAPA CEO Bill Conner.  “The positive economic impact it has on Columbus and the extraordinary quality of the production make it a win-win for this community.”

If you wanna chance letting a little of your very own Wicked Witch cackle her way out, you can throw your name in the cauldron for the day-of-performance lottery.  Winners will land $25 orchestra seats, which will make your friends green with envy.  But if you don’t want to take the risk, ante up the cash and reserve your seats now while you still have time.

Dorothy and her little dog Toto may have stolen the show in OZ, but WICKED tells the story of two girls in the Land of Oz well before those ruby reds entered the picture.  Find out how these two unlikely friends grew up to become the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good.

And, if Glinda the Good is on your side, you might just win the set of free tickets that CAPA is giving away to a Right Now Downtown subscriber.  Aren’t a subscriber?  Sign up now to be entered to win.