The Walker Evans Effect

Columbus is a city filled to the brim with entertainment options. Even for someone like me who stays home to watch very little TV, it’s hard to make it out to every venue and experience everything this city has to offer. I’ve got a short list of places that I’m embarrassed to say that I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing, and I’m glad to finally have crossed Shadowbox Cabaret off that list. (Perhaps attending a Crew game will finally get checked off in 2010.)

If you’re unfamiliar, Shadowbox Cabaret is a Rock’n'Roll/Comedy troupe that performs live at their dedicated venue out at Easton. Their shows are a mix of live music, sketch comedy, digital video display, and dance performance… all with a bit of an edge (so you shouldn’t be surprised to hear some swearing here and there and see some pretty scantily-clad performers, both male and female). The group has been a home-grown Columbus staple for over 20 years now. They were originally located Downtown, and have plans to eventually make a return when the funds can be raised.

The show we experienced last night is their monster-themed “Bad to the Bone” (which is actually ending tomorrow, so you better hurry if you want to see it). I’ve been chatting with head writer and performer Jimmy Mak, who is somewhat of a regular these days on Columbus Underground, and he was kind enough to hook Anne & I up with free tickets, so it was a great push to get us to finally go. (Thanks again, Jimmy!)

The doors open a little over an hour before the performance starts so that patrons have plenty of time to order food and drinks for dinner. Not being extremely hungry, we grabbed an appetizer (Marinara Bread – $5) and dessert (Mt. Shadowbox – $7 – a giant brownie, ice cream, syrup, peanut, and whipped cream concoction). Our items were pretty standard bar-food, although the other guests who sat at our table had some pretty good looking pizzas and nachos in front of them that I had kind of wished I had ordered. Perhaps a more in-depth food review will come next time.

Around 30 minutes before the show started, the waitstaff started taking “last call before intermission” which I at first assumed was to prevent the need to carry hot food through the crowd in the dark and risk spilling or interrupting. We soon found out that it was because the performers in the show were also doubling as our waitstaff. My already high level of respect for these folks jumped up a few extra notches after hearing that. They not only write and sing and perform, but they’re waitstaff and cooks and bartenders too? Very, very impressive.

So, the show started up and the entertainment began. I don’t want to go into too much detail on the performance if anyone is planning on making it out tonight or tomorrow to see it. Jokes are always less funny the second time around, so I’d hate to spoil anything. I will say that the biggest laugh from me came from some spontaneous Thriller dance moves to escape from zombies.

Overall, some of the sketch comedy was pretty hilarious, and some of it fell flat for me. There’s been a recent conversation on Columbus Underground about what it takes to make good live/sketch comedy, and I personally think that Shadowbox has a nice balance going on. My wife and I have a sense of humor that skirts the norm, but we also understand the limitations of live performance comedy and appreciate the hard work that goes into making it entertaining. I think that a lot of people don’t realize that much of tv/film comedy is done in the editing room… but I digress. If you like comedy, you’ll like Shadowbox. Nuff said.

If you like live rock music, you’ll like Shadowbox even more. I had heard good things about their house band, and even with high expectations I still ended up really impressed. They performed a variety of cover songs that fit the theme of the show, and the musical prowess of both the band and the rotating singers really surprised us. I was a bit worried at first that our table was a bit too close to the stage and that the music was going to be deafening, but it was actually at a good volume. We’ve gone home with ringing ears from Skully’s enough times to appreciate the proper sound levels for an event space the size of Shadowbox’s.

The balancing act between music and sketches seems to be what makes the show work, as the various areas of the stage take turns in the spotlight and allow the actors time for costume changes and stage placement. It was really well orchestrated, perhaps due to the fact that we saw one of the final performances of this show, so the group has performed it probably 200 times by this point. They’ve got it nailed down like clockwork.

The show included a brief intermission for drink refills and plenty of “great jobs” being doled out to the performers/waitstaff. It was really cool to have that extra level of interaction and intimacy with the cast and crew. I’m not sure if this is a common practice with similar types of groups in other cities, but I can’t think of anything else in Columbus quite like it.

After the second half came to a close, Jimmy Mak came over to our table to offer us a quick backstage tour before we left. He walked us around through their offices, storage spaces, dressing rooms and kitchen… many of these tight quarters serving multiple functions. It was very cool to see some of the inner-workings of their facility, and it gave us a completely different perspective on the type of hard work these folks do.

As I mentioned before, this was our first time at Shadowbox, but definitely not our last. We’ll not only be back ourselves, but I will wholeheartedly endorse this entertainment option to friends who are looking for something out of the ordinary. It goes to show that you don’t have to travel too far to find something new and exciting. Some of the best things about Columbus can sometimes be found where you least expect it… and that includes that dark mysterious door at the end of the bathroom hallway inside the mall at Easton.

For more information, visit www.shadowboxcabaret.com.