Arts & Culture

Unless you’re a game developer yourself you probably didn’t know that Central Ohio is home to several independent game studios. At the Ohio Game Developer Expo, held December 7th at the Ohio Union building on the Ohio State University campus, these developers got to show off established, new and upcoming games made right here at home. The popularity of Apple’s iPhone and iPad and devices running Google’s Android operating system has opened up an entirely new realm of opportunities for people looking to publish games without the backing of a major company like Activision or EA Games. Online distribution through the Steam platform has also made publishing accessible to those who never could have gotten their games out to a wider audience even a decade ago. It also means developers don’t have to be in Silicon Valley to get attention. The Ohio natives at Soulfire Software have chosen to stay right here at home. They were at the Expo with an iPad and an early build of their iOS game Thieves’ Plummet, a 3D action game where you guide your character on a controlled descent through a cavern lined with jewels.

Harvest Pizzeria has the best vegan pizza crust in town. I love this place for so many reasons. Their motto is LOCAL TASTES BETTER, and I agree, especially when it is organic, and I look forward to the day it all becomes veganic. Their website features some of the local farms from where they source their ingredients. When I spoke with the staff, they informed me that they are also highly conscious about recycling everything possible, even their “to-go” containers are made of recycled products. No Styrofoam (I can’t stand Styrofoam!). When I go, it is typically for lunch because of the lunch special pricing. The outdoor seating is enjoyable in the seasons you want to be outside (clearly not right now). I typically order the vegetable pizza, hold the cheeses and onion and tomato sauce, and substitute them for, vegan pesto, artichokes, basil, Marcona style almonds and when they have it, balsamic reduction. OH. MY. GAWD. I’m drooling thinking about one right now. They also offer a gluten-free pizza and sell some other locally produced products such as pasta. If you have a penchant for unique libations, Curio is right next door.

If you blink, you might miss is. Tucked away at 19 N. Pearl St. in downtown Columbus, Ringside Cafe is one of our city's hidden gems. It was empty when I walked in Monday afternoon. My curiosity had been piqued by the elaborately carved stone facade. “This place is old,” I thought as I pulled open the front door. Without having any idea of the purpose of my visit, manager Tim Hartman eagerly filled me in on the history of the quaint watering hole. The second oldest bar in Columbus (behind only the Jury Room), Ringside dates to 1897. Hartman explained that it was once a favorite hangout for politicians and he pointed out the stained glass window that depicts an elephant and a donkey. The story goes that one side or the other would be covered to signify which party was meeting there. There are many other stories associated with Ringside, such as the tunnel that supposedly once connected the tavern to the Statehouse. Ringside's menu serves as a history lesson.

A few Decembers ago, I wrote a column complaining that Columbus had no local productions of A Christmas Carol. I went so far as to suggest that people travel to Cincinnati or Cleveland to catch the heartwarming holiday chestnut. No need for that this year. We now have no fewer than three local shows that spread Charles Dickens’s timeless message of generosity and redemption. One is a musical (Shadowbox Live’s Scrooge), one features a female Scrooge (Columbus Civic Theater’s A Christmas Carol), and one is a new adaptation that amounts to a play within a play. Written by Patrick Barlow and presented by CATCO, this version begins as a small group of British actors gather in a deserted London theater during World War II. After one of them passes out copies of the script, they begin acting out the familiar story of the 19th century skinflint who considers the Christmas season an affront to rationality. In other words, “humbug.” How do World War II and the German blitzkrieg dovetail into Dickens’s morality tale? Well, they don’t. After doling out the parts, the fictitious actors simply go about the business of leading us through Scrooge’s spiritual journey.

Take 5 with Donna Mogavero Donna Mogavero is a singer, songwriter, acoustic and electric guitar performer in central Ohio. Some of her music awards include Outstanding Acoustic Solo Performance, Outstanding Folk & Rock Singer Vocalist, and Best Female Vocalist. She has shared the stage with the likes of: Warren Zevon, Osbourne, America, Jessie Colin Young, Livingston Taylor, Ellen DeGeneres, and many others.

I have detected more than a slight whiff of common identity between the Affordable Care Act and Lady Gaga. Or more precisely, between their audience--which grammatically does not make sense. But in America 2013 explains nearly everything wrong in the country today. Lemme explain, my little pumpkin. The other day as I was navigating like Amerigo Vespucci around the bad Cape Horn back in the day of fearless sea-going Italians unhappy with what they had and hellbent for leather in their pursuit of a two-horse-and-buggy garage with accompanying villa, I was somehow or other guided by the net to a telephone connection with Kathleen Sibelius's office. The phone message quite impersonally told me: "You have reached the office of Kathleen Sibelius. Our hours are nine a.m. to five p.m. Monday through Friday. Please hold." Lady Gaga's new album, the artless Artpop, clicked on. Ugh. Horrible. More re-fried, re-shat Madonna-meets-Barnabas-Collins-in-a-dressing-room-built-for-a-fool that Britney's too good for.

Ever wanted to make your own video games? Do you have some great ideas but no idea how to follow through with them? Or do you just want to see what indie game developers are doing right here in Ohio? This Saturday (December 7), the Ohio Union building will host the Ohio Game Developer Expo, a day-long event where aspiring and established developers can attend lectures and panels on game design and development as well as the marketing, funding and other business aspects of the industry. Speakers include Lise Worthen-Chaudhari, who works with the OSU Medical Center to gamify physical therapy, Stephan Smith, president of Columbus-based FreshGames and Chase Grozdina, a Hilliard-based Kickstarter success story with his upcoming game ForgeQuest. The Speaker Series starts at 11 AM, with tickets for the entire day $15 in advance, $20 at the door, and discounted to $8 for students. You can also see what others are making at the Game Showcase. This part of the show is free and open to the public, so if you’re more interested in playing games than making them and want to see what our community is up to, there’s no cost to drop in.

Long time readers know about my fond memories of the Galaxy Cafe which closed years ago. Starliner Diner and The Explorer’s Club have Galaxy connections in their kitchen DNA. So when I heard that Jerry Burgos, co-founder of the original Galaxy Cafe and long time driving force at the Starliner Diner, was opening a new place I was curious to see how this new restaurant would compare to my memories. Jerry sold his share in Starliner about four years ago but wanted to come back into the business of owning a restaurant and running a kitchen. This new incantation in the Galaxy Universe opened in mid-November. Long time fans will find the elements they associate with the name. The fare will be comforting to Starliner and Explorer’s Club fans. Most of the dishes are southwestern/Cuban themed eclectic classics. The decor is a hodgepodge of folk art, flea market and cool cookie jars mixed with bright walls and black and white checkered ceiling tiles. Jerry has teamed up with his wife Jenny and a small staff to add the Galaxy to the dining choices of Hilliard.

You wouldn’t expect a revenge thriller from the director of 2009’s Crazy Heart. But if you got one, you’d expect it to be as grittily atmospheric as Out of the Furnace. Co-written and directed by Scott Cooper, the tale unfolds against the backdrop of an Appalachian Pennsylvania steel town filled with grimy poverty and despair. It’s here that Russell Baze (Christian Bale) works extra shifts at the mill in hopes of building a life with girlfriend Lena (Zoe Saldana). Meanwhile, family keeps demanding his attention. His father is dying, and his brother, Rodney (Casey Affleck), keeps piling up gambling debts. Warm-hearted and nurturing to a fault, Russell tries to protect Rodney from his own mistakes until a traffic accident changes everything. Russell ends up in prison and doesn’t get out until Rodney—now a former soldier and current bare-knuckle fighter—is in three times as much trouble as he was before. All this sounds like the makings of a touching family drama, but Cooper never lets us forget where it’s going. Before the credits even roll, we’ve already gotten an eyeful of the evil that’s lying in wait for the Bazes.

Going to Holiday Hoopla is one of Columbus’s scarier annual traditions. You never know just what to expect. When Shadowbox Live presented its first Hoopla 21 years ago, the highlights were a touching one-act play and a flaky lounge act called the Santa Babies. Other than bringing back the comical Babies each year, the troupe has been tweaking and re-tweaking the show’s formula ever since. In recent years, it’s tried tying the whole evening together with one plot line (bad idea) and dropping such beloved elements as the gorgeous harmonized tune Children Go Where I Send Thee (terrible idea). But rest assured, Hoopla fans. The 2013 version is one of the best. Things do slow down a bit toward the end, but most of the show strikes just the right balance between laughs and music, edginess and sentiment. The Act 1 skits are particularly clever, starting with Christmas Tree Plea, which pits a jaded hipster (Jamie Barrow) against a talking evergreen (Stacie Boord).