Embassy Theatre Entire Novel – and in Doing Kind of Struggle, One Which So Featuring All of the Char- Leads to Discussions of Labor 125 W
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NOV. 4.OCT. 2015 29- JesusJesus GoingGoing DowntownDowntown JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR PAGE 4 FESTIVAL OF PRAISE PAGE 5 FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFORTWAYNE WWW.WHATZUP.COM FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFORTWAYNE LYNN FUSTON PAGE 7 RAGTIME ART & ENTERTAINMENT CALENDARS Also LEGENDARY TRAINHOPPERS DAVE ARCARI Inside THE REDBIRDS MUSIC, MOVIE & BOOK REVIEWS ---------------------- Cover Story • Ragtime -------------------- A Story More Fully Told By Michele DeVinney with several others. A film faithful to the book would have had people walking in and out of each other’s When it was released in 1975, E.L. Doctorow’s lives in an astonishing series of coincidences. That novel Ragtime was a remarkably sweeping and epic might have been a good film, too. tale of America’s history told in a brisk 270 pages. “Ragtime is a loving, beautifully mounted, grace- With three intricate plotlines seamlessly interwoven, ful film that creates its characters with great clarity. the stories depict life in the United States during the “We understand where everyone stands, and most first decade of the 20th century, focusing on topics of the time we even know why. Forman surrounds them which, when Doctorow spun the tale 70 years later, with some of the other characters from the Doctorow were still fraught with dissension and complications. novel (including Harry Houdini, Teddy Roosevelt and In fact, 40 years later the issues continue to be debated Norman Mailer as the architect Sanford White), but and dissected, making Ragtime an almost frustratingly in the film they’re just atmosphere, window dressing. timeless tale. Forman’s decision to stick with the story of Coalhouse One story focuses on an affluent, seemingly tra- is vindicated, because he tells it so well.” ditional, New Rochelle, New York family in which a But when Broadway decided 17 years later to character simply known as “Mother” struggles with a retell Doctorow’s Ragtime, it took a much more am- desire to break the chains of her role and join the 5)&#*((&454)080'5)&:&"3 women’s movement to explore a larger world beyond her comfortable home. Part of her new perspective comes from 8&%/&4%": /07&.#&3 watching the parallel %003401&/ũ1. 4)085*.&ũ1. story of African-Amer- ican couple Coalhouse &.#"44:5)&"53& Walker Jr. and Sarah, the 5*$,&540/4"-&/08"5&.#"44:5)&"53Z''*$& woman who has borne his child. Coalhouse tries to woo Sarah, and the dignity which Coalhouse demonstrates resonates with Mother, who under- stands the plight of being a second-class citizen in America. Finally, another key character, Tateh, is a patriarch much different from Mother’s husband. RAGTIME bitious approach. Choos- An immigrant and a labor- 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 5 ing to put the focus on the er, Tateh introduces a new Embassy Theatre entire novel – and in doing kind of struggle, one which so featuring all of the char- leads to discussions of labor 125 W. Jefferson Blvd., Fort Wayne acters and plotlines fully – unions and income equality. Tix: $28-$58 thru Ticketmaster, the author’s real intent, to Throughout the telling tell the patchwork story of of these three stories, Doc- Embassy box office America in all of its depth torow, interweaves a steady & 800-745-3000 and complexity, is finally stream of historical figures realized. When it debuted ranging from Evelyn Nesbit to Emma Goldman, with in 1998, Ragtime was a musical of large scope and J.P. Morgan, Harry Houdini, Henry Ford, Sigmund powerful depth. The casting of Brian Stokes Mitchell, Freud and Booker T. Washington all making appear- previously best known as a supporting character in the ances. The stories ultimately intersect, of course, and television series Trapper John, M.D., as Coalhouse the results are moving, inspirational and tragic. Walker seemed surprising – until his performance of With so many characters and stories to juggle, the musical’s powerful ballad, “Wheels of a Dream” it’s not surprising that, when Hollywood turned Doc- demonstrated how he landed the role. Beloved Broad- torow’s novel into a film, there were some narrative way star Audra McDonald portrayed Sarah, and Marin sacrifices. While the slate of characters were mostly Mazzie played Mother. With a popular cast recording intact, the Coalhouse character became the focus – to (released before the show even opened) and solid re- the detriment of the other two plotlines which took views, the show struck a chord with theatergoers more a backseat to the story of Coalhouse, his woman, than 30 years after the book had captured its own de- his child and a car. Thanks to a strong performance voted audience. by Howard E. Rollins Jr. and an appearance by the “WOW! The new musical Ragtime is not simply legendary James Cagney (in his final role), the film a colossal hit, it is a fantastic machine for a colossal was highly anticipated and mostly delivered. Directed hit, firing on all cylinders like gangbusters,” wrote by Milos Forman, the film garnered eight Academy Clive Barnes, theater critic for the New York Post. Award nominations and was well-received, particu- “You might have thought it couldn’t have been done larly in this review by Roger Ebert: in this day and age – a totally (well, totally enough) “Doctorow’s novel was an inspired juggling act successful, traditional all-American Broadway musi- involving both actual and fictional characters, who cal. Well, it has been done. Ragtime last night swept sometimes met in imaginary scenes of good wit and imagery. The Coalhouse story was more or less equal Continued on page 7 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ------------------------------------------------------------October 29, 2015 whatzup Volume 20, Number 13 e’re just about to run out of October which means that your opportunities to have the crap scared out of you are about to run out. It was fun while it lasted, but those jack-o’-lanterns Wwill soon be making way for Santas and reindeer, just as the crisp fall weather will be giving way to winter. Our advice is to get out of the house now and find some fun things to do before you have to stuff your- self into six layers of clothing. If you’re of a like mind, well, you’ve come to the right place. You’ll find UPCOMING EVENTS plenty of Halloween stuff within these pages and on whatzup.com, and plenty more as well – everything from theater (Ragtime and Jesus Christ Superstar) to Scottish blues guitar (David Arcari) to Gypsy folk (The Ragbirds). We also profile sound engineer-turned-writer Lynn Fuston and a Fort Wayne-based band that is as legendary as it’s name, The Nov. 4 | 7pm Legendary Trainhoppers. That’s just the featured stuff. You’ll find plenty more in the ads, columns FESTIVAL O F PR AISE and reviews spread throughout these pages. We bring it all to you abso- lutely free, thanks to the advertisers you’ll find listed on page 4. Please November 5 | 7:30pm get out and give them some of your business and, as always, remember to tell ’em whatzup sent you. RAGTIME inside the issue November 8 | 3pm • features PICKS ............................................ 12 GR EAT RUSSIAN Dave Arcari, The Ragbirds RAGTIME ......................................................2 ROAD NOTEZ ................................. 14 NUTC R ACKE R A Story More Fully Told FLIX ................................................ 16 TICKETS Steve Jobs JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR ......................4 START AT November 13 | 7:30pm Jesus Going Downtown SCREEN TIME ...............................16 JUST FESTIVAL OF PRAISE................................5 The Martian $ I R LS IGHT UT Songs of Celebration ON BOOKS .....................................17 29 G N O LEGENDARY TRAINHOPPERS ................6 Monsters in the Movies THE MUSICAL Back Aboard the Old Train THE GREEN ROOM ........................ 18 LYNN FUSTON .............................................7 Nov. 14 | 8pm From the Boards to the Page • calendars DISNEY IN CONCERT: EASTON • columns & reviews LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ...................9 TIM BURTON’S MUSIC/ON THE ROAD ...................12 THE NIGHTMARE CO R BIN SPINS ...............................................8 ROAD TRIPZ ..................................15 BEFORE CHRISTMAS Hollywood Vampires, Night Birds Nov. 17 | 7:30pm ART & ARTIFACTS .........................17 BACKTRACKS ..................................8 SATURDAY, OCTOBER 31 A Certain Ratio STAGE & DANCE ...........................18 7:30 P.M. | Embassy Theatre OUT & ABOUT ...................................9 THINGS TO DO ..............................19 JACKSON The Rail Hosts a Ween Halloween Cover by Greg W. Locke See the movie on the big screen, with the music BR OWNE played live by the Fort Wayne Philharmonic! SAVE THE DATE! Festival of Trees ............... Nov. 25-Dec. 3 The Piano Guys ............................... Dec. 3 Straight No Chaser ......................... Dec. 9 Rudolph the Red-Nosed Ɗ WEST CENTRAL QUARTET / Reindeer: The Musical ...................Dec. 16 HIDEOUT 125 f Romeo & Juliet ................................Jan. 20 $5 MEMBERS $12 GUESTS FEATURING: Embassy Theatre 125 W. Jefferson Blvd. đ đ FWPHILđORG | 260 481 0777 Fort Wayne, Indiana Fort Wayne Museum of Art is funded in part by Arts United. ticketmaster.com October 29, 2015 -------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------3 BROUGHT TO YOU BY: -----------------------Cover Story • Jesus Christ Superstar ---------------------- 20 Past 4 and More ................................................................13