For
a theaterphile
like me, there is nothing like the excitement of going to a
theater festival and the 2004
Columbus Festival was no exception. The Festival
was a feast of talent and diversity, and a
source of pride to me that there really is a
Purple Circuit.
Most of what I
saw at this Festival was extraordinary.
Unfortunately, I was only able to attend the
last four days of the Festival. So was
disappointed that I missed so much.
I
expected something from the “stars” of the
2002 Festival — Jeffrey Solomon, Marjorie Conn,
and
Jade Esteban Estrada
— and their entries lived up to their
reputations.
Estrada,
the hot Latino singer, director, writer,
producer, and performer from New York brought
his touring show “ICONS: The Lesbian and Gay History of the World, Vol. 2”
to Columbus. A fantastic performer,
Jade has a
unique interpretation of her/history complete
with musical numbers. Who knew Susan B. Anthony
could sing?
His portrayal
of Billie Jean King is not to be missed. He also
covers Alexander the Great, Queen Christina of
Sweden, Harvey Milk, and Mark Bingham. What
energy! Highly recommended. See his show.
The
ultimate success of the festival must go to the
tireless efforts of Act Out Productions’
artistic director Frank Barnhart and his
admirable staff including Dale Gregory, Courtney
De Cosky, Isaac Nippert, James Hutchison, Keri
Godsey, Tom Cardinal, as well as the many
volunteers and supporters of the Columbus
community.
It will be
exciting to see what they accomplish in 2006!
©2004
Purple Circuit
