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JUNE 15, 2017

Labyrinth Summer Intensive 2007 at Phil Seymour Labyrinth (workshop) theatre group.Photo by Monique Carboni

[artmakescbus-blog]

Weekend Warriors: Tickle Those Ivories, Piano Man

By Jenica Money

7/18/18

I wasn’t exactly raised listening to jazz, but at a certain point in my adolescent theater career, my vocal portfolio ballooned to include little ditties by the likes of Etta James and Peggy Lee. Like several other teenage girls with a range capable of reaching subterranean depths, I reveled in the glory of finding a purpose for my talent. It’s weekends like this that give me stagelust, and I’m eager to find a few numbers to belt out at home. And in the car. And when my boss plays Jefferson Starship.

Hold onto your pork pie hats, and let the bugles blow you away with a trifecta that satisfies your soul tooth. We mentioned the JazZoo concert series last week, and this Friday brings another chance to see Bobby Floyd’s handiwork once more on the Columbus Zoo stage. But I’m one to start my weekend early, and Thursday I’ll get a chance to watch Byron Stripling lead the Columbus Jazz Orchestra into full swing at Jazz in July at the Sunny 95 Park. These two cats will usher in the long-awaited Jazz & Rib Fest, A.K.A. the happening place to be Friday through Sunday. Say, my office is itching for a taste of both barbeque and blues…for a celebrity guest appearance on Friday, look for the Arts Festival teammates strutting their best sauce bibs. But please, no autographs (photographs of tasteful slobber permitted).

If your festival motor is still in gear on Sunday, hit up the South Asian Theater Festival at Shedd Theater. The program includes a few Bengali plays with English supertitles, which excites my inner linguist. And who doesn’t love to learn a thing or two about another culture’s art? I mean really? I’ll admit, I had no idea that Puss in Boots originated in Italy, but Actors’ Theater opens this folktale Thursday on the Schiller Park stage. One could say, it’s going to be the cat’s pajamas. You might as well grab enough Schmidt’s for the weekend, and visit the German Village Art Crawl on Saturday night. I hear lederhosen has plenty of room for emergency cream puffs!

A childhood confession: I once punitively bit my piano following a frustrating fumble-through of Maple Leaf Rag. The piano won that scuffle, but to this day my chipped front tooth is my greatest battle scar. Surely the experts have had similar experiences, right? When the Russian Winter Festival meets Picnic with the Pops this weekend at Tchaikovsky Spectacular, I’ll reminisce about my own symphonic beginnings. Watch conductor Rossen Milanov lead the Columbus Symphony on the Columbus Commons this Saturday. But I’ll be sure to park myself near the commons for even more musical offerings. On Thursday, join me in lugging my lawn chair from Jazz in July to the Free Downtown Live Concert. Local favorites Angela Perley & the Howlin’ Moons will join the Floorwalkers for a wallet-friendly treat.

Whether you’re proficient on keys or barely able to plunk out Chopsticks, make sure you share your weekend adventures with #artmakescbus. And don’t forget those extra cream puffs when you scat your way into work Monday morning.

Jenica Money is the Greater Columbus Arts Council’s festival coordinator who is hoping for more than a pity laugh at that cat’s pajamas pun.