Local playwright premieres 'The Rich and the Destitute' in downtown Columbus

COLUMBUS, Ohio — This weekend, an original work by local multihyphenate theatre artist Mark Tomsic premiered at the Columbus Performing Arts Center.

"The Rich and the Destitute" takes a comedic look at everything from families, fame, classism and the meteoric rise of early-2000s reality TV.

The story centers on Baxter Cunningham, a former child actor who returns to his small country hometown of Wattawo, ostensibly to visit his family. However, while weathering the dramas of small-town life at The Lazy Susan Bed and Breakfast (his mother's business), the waning star is intent on reinvigorate his celebrity status by bringing a camera crew along in hopes of hitting it big in the burgeoning reality TV craze.

"But he comes home to all of this unresolved conflict with his brother, Wyatt, [who