Ready Player Fun BY J E N I R U I S C H PHOTOS PROVIDED BY TERRY GILLIAM
T
he critics of old who deigned to acknowledge video games as media dismissed them as a vehicle for violence and isolation. How wrong they have been proven. How utterly surprised they would be to glimpse into the future and see those same pixelated characters portrayed on a stage, in a musical production meant to bring generations together—all personified by a surprising new cohort of theater kids who have found heart and soul in their quests, story arcs, and sidekicks. In Press Start! An 8-Bit Musical, CATCO is Kids has brought 21 Central Ohio youngsters together to bring to life some of the most memorable characters of kids’ video games from the last several decades. Or rather, versions of them which we will all recognize (without having to pay the hefty trademark fees…) Marco and Lorenzo the plumbers, Speedy the Hedgehog, Princess Pomegranate, and a host of other slightly askew heroes and heroines. These are versions of recognizable people and creatures, not from a single game or even gaming system world, but Nintendo and Sega characters from an era of animation and action that will bring back memories for the adults who attend the play. This jaunt through nostalgia hopes to teach a moral lesson to kids, and strike a nostalgic tone with mom and dad. • 82
(614) MAGAZINE MARCH 2020 614NOW.COM
