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----------Feature • Fort Wayne Youtheatre --------- Dickens With a Twist By Kathleen Christian by youth but rather explain why youngsters are playing some adult roles. Fort Wayne is undoubtedly a great city The show will open up with a sparse to live in during the holidays. I can’t step a stage and a family desperately fighting to foot out of my door without hearing of more find set-pieces to put on a showing of A fun holiday attractions and activities. I can Christmas Carol after their stage coach has go skating at Headwaters Park, escape to veered off the road on its way to the theater. the History Center and see fantastical gin- Before the audience’s eyes, the set will be gerbread creations, then catch some tunes at scavenged and put together, then played by the Embassy while ogling the spectacle of trees. There are some holiday traditions how- ever, that are nothing short of mandatory. A Christmas Carol is one of those. For some, It’s a Wonder- ful Life is their sign that the holidays are here, but for me, I can’t wrap a single pair of pink bunny slippers until I’ve seen that crotchety old man’s heart turn to melted butter. Whether it’s the old 1930’s version in black and white, or A Muppet Christmas Carol, it’s magical. This year, the ----------Feature • Five Finger Death Punch -------- Fort Wayne Youtheatre will be performing A Christmas Carol on stage just for A CHRISTMAS CAROL me. And also for FORT WAYNE YOUTHEATRE many members the rest of Fort of the traveling They’re an American Band Wayne. Friday, Dec. 16 • 7:00 p.m. company’s ju- This is Saturday-Sunday, Dec. 17-18 • 2 p.m. nior members. By Ryan Smith Saturday December 17 along with fellow Christmas with Arts United Center Cox couldn’t say bludgeon-meisters Hatebreed and All That a twist though, enough about Five Finger Death Punch are one of those Remains. Tickets are $33 in advance and as Harvey Cox 303 E. Main St. • Fort Wayne the talent of his bands that were either going to hit paydirt or $36 same day. has taken Dick- Tix.: $5-$15, 260-422-6900 young cast play- be a yawn-inducing disappointment. Fortu- As one would expect from a band ens’ beloved ing adult parts, nately for them, the former was true and not named Five Finger Death Punch, the ma- tale and put his own special spin on it for the such as the ghost of Jacob Marley, played the latter. When the band formed in Los An- jority of their music is fast, aggressive, and Youththeatre audience. The idea to change by the 14-year-old Andrew Bower. Cox said geles in 2005, its hard-hitting. Tak- up the traditional play came far back in the of Bower, “He’s marvelous. He does a better members brought ing their name summer, Cox says. job than what an adult might have done in with them some FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH from classic mar- “I was talking to some kids … and I his place.” weighty creden- w/ALL THAT REMAINS, tial arts cinema asked what they would think if we did A Cox admits his background in theater, tials that started HATEBREED & RAINS and taking many Christmas Carol. Oh, it’s a frightening thing, having spent his entire life on or around a near-immediate of their cues from they told me. I talked to a couple adults, stages and many years on Broadway, lends buzz that has con- Saturday, Dec. 17 • 7 p.m. the martial arts, as and they’re frightened too,” Cox said. So to the Vaudevillian feel of elements of this tinued to surround Piere’s Entertainment Center well as the mili- he began work on rewriting the story to fit show. But it’s his experience that helped him them to this day. tary, the band’s the spirit of Youtheatre and its bright-eyed muddle through the murky waters of writing Lead vocal- 5629 St. Joe Rd., Fort Wayne hard-hitting sound volunteers. The resulting script was still the and directing a script, which is a tricky busi- ist Ivan Moody Tix: $33 adv., $36 d.o.s. thru very quickly es- story of Ebenezer Scrooge as envisioned ness. was perhaps the Ticketmaster or Piere’s box office, tablished itself as by Charles Dickens, but, says Cox, “I have “Having been on stage in New York and most high-profile a force to be reck- added comedy to it. It’s a version for young done original plays, writers sit there in the member, having 260-486-1979 oned with within people and adults.” front row and defy you to change a word of performed as the the heavy metal With an injection of light-heartedness their masterpiece. Sometimes when you’re frontman of Motogratr from 2002-2005. community. That doesn’t mean, however, and laughter, Scrooge finds himself in some writing you have visions, and you have to Guitarist Zoltan Bathory had formerly that they shy away from including a sense of slapstick-type situations trying to fight erase all those when you start directing a played bass in U.P.O., and now-former gui- melody and the occasional slow song to mix his way out of the midst of happy carolers play,” Cox explained. tarist Darrell Roberts had played in W.A.S.P. things up a bit, which may explain why the played by members of the Fort Wayne Chil- More than simply the director of this (he was replaced by Jason Hook in 2009). band has also become something of a target dren’s Choir and the Memorial Park Choir. play, Cox is the artistic director of the entire The band has been productive and has as- for online haters. In addition, the ghosts are all referred to as Youtheatre program and has been with them cended relatively quickly, delivering three Some of the haters decry them for be- spirits, and even the frightening spectre that for 33 years, having garnered his love of albums and playing on two Rockstar Energy ing too serious about their tough-guy image; shows Ebenezer the wake of his death has leading youth as a young man from reading Mayhem Festivals, in 2008 and 2010. While others from the metal-can-only-be-under- been changed to a charming flower girl. to orphans in poverty-stricken areas. Now he their first album, 2007’s The Way of the Fist, ground variety decry them for writing songs Like most Christmas traditions, this has put all of his passion, talent and experi- made dents mostly in heavy metal circles, with melodies and having radio hits. Others show is a family affair with on-the-set fami- ence into writing and directing this exciting the band began to break into the mainstream seem to just take any cheap pot shot they can lies who are off-the-set families as well. family show. with 2009’s War is the Answer. Two singles at the band – seemingly par for the course The cast is still largely supported by youth, Between the original story, the young from the album, “Walk Away,” and a cover for musicians or anyone else in public view. though, despite some adult involvement, so talent and the childrens’ choirs performing in of Bad Company’s song “Bad Company,” “People always get on us about the Cox still needed to make changes to accom- this holiday piece, seeing A Christmas Carol received a decent amount of airplay on rock whole “tough-guy” image, but they don’t modate his young actors. His rewrites to the tops my list of things to do in December. radio. original play don’t diminish the parts played Right after buying more bunny slippers. The band will be playing at Piere’s on Continued on page 13 December 8, ’11 -----------------------------------------------------------------www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------5 5FDP - From Page 5 NIGHTLIFE realize that it’s totally tongue in cheek with us,” com- recognized by their broad working class appeal and mented bassist Chris Kael in a recent interview with generalized disdain from critics. WARSAW the website the Great Southern Brainfart. “It’s really Five Finger Death Punch are obviously a popu- crazy. I can see how some people would get upset list band, not a protest-style band. Fittingly, their al- MAD ANTHONY LAkE city TAPHOUSE about it, but we really don’t at all ... we are completely bum American Capitalist was released not long after Music/Rock • 113 E. Center St., Warsaw • 574-268-2537 laid back and we absolutely love it. It keeps me enter- the Occupy Wall Street protests got into full swing. EXP E CT : The eclectic madness of the original combined with hand- tained out here on the road.” The attitudes contained in the album and the protests crafted Mad Anthony ales and lagers. EATS : The same 4-1/2 star Evidence of the band’s oft-overlooked sense of couldn’t be more opposite. menu, including one of the best pizzas in America and a large veg- humor can be found in their dis track to their haters, When asked about his take on the protests in rela- etarian menu. Carry-out handcrafted brews available. Live music on their recent single “Over and Under,” which features tion to their album in a recent interview with exam- Saturdays. GE TTIN G TH E R E : From U.S. 30, turn southwest on E. Center lead singer Ivan Moody sarcastically rehashing a laun- iner.com, guitarist Jason Hook commented, “I don’t St.; go 2 miles.

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