MARCH 15-21, 2018 FACEBOOK.COM/WHATZUPFTWAYNE // WWW.WHATZUP.COM ------------------- Feature • Fort Wayne Ballet ----------------- Bringing Magic to Life By Michele DeVinney ably universal. “The characters in Coppélia are more relatable Although a popular ballet, and one which Fort than in some of the fairy tale ballets,” says Gibbons- SPRING Wayne Ballet last performed in 2011, Coppélia isn’t Brown. “It’s a light-hearted look at the struggles of always instantly recognizable to the casual dance fan. relationships and communities.” The story of a toy maker who creates a doll to love as There’s a lot to behold visually as well. his own is perhaps less familiar than fairy tales like “The costumes for Coppélia are always a feast for Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty which have a strong the eyes, and the toymaker’s toy shop in the second SAXOPHONESALE non-dance following of their own. But Coppélia comes act is also beautiful. This isn’t FAO Schwartz. This is from the same mind as perhaps the most famous and the place of a man who wants a child of his own and ubiquitous ballets of all time, The Nutcracker. wants to bring this life-like doll to life. And for awhile E.T.A. Hoffmann has he really believes it. It’s in created a world in Cop- the toy shop that we have pélia that is very similar some of our student danc- UNBELIEVABLE PRICES ON SAXOPHONES! to the Sugar Plum fantasy ers who get to perform as that audiences flock to see the dolls which is a lot of every holiday season, with fun for them.” the mysterious Dr. Coppe- The production will lius paralleling the equally also be a feast for the ears mercurial Herr Dross- because the spring ballet UP elmeyer. Hero or villain, also provides another op- the character captivates portunity for Fort Wayne from the start. Ballet to collaborate with TO % Bringing the magic to the Fort Wayne Philhar- life will be the company monic, who provide or- dancers and advanced stu- chestral accompaniment to dents of Fort Wayne Bal- the first three performances OFF let under the leadership of of The Nutcracker each Karen Gibbons-Brown, year. Leading the orchestra SELECT SAXOPHONES executive and artistic di- at Coppélia will be second 60 rector for more than 20 year assistant director Ca- years. Although she says leb Young, who is looking the choreography will be forward to the opportunity. the same as the one staged “Collaborating with seven years ago, there is the Ballet is a highlight of much that will be different mine, in our Philharmonic this time around. season,” he says. “We are “It’s such a charming so fortunate to have such a little romantic comedy,” strong artistic partnership FINANCING she says. “I’m having fun with Karen and the whole with the dancers who are company. The music that AVAILABLE all different from when Delibes wrote for Coppélia we performed it the last COPPELIA is songful, charming and ASK FOR DETAILS! time. It’s fun explaining FORT WAYNE BALLET witty. I feel art becomes the different emotions and 7:30 p.m. Friday, March 23 ever more impactful when working with them so that their we collaborate, and ballet is a acting skills are as definitive as 2:30 & 7:30 p.m. prime example of that power to their dancing skills. The danc- Saturday, March 24 inspire.” ers have really had to do their For those who regu- homework and think about what 2:30 p.m. Sunday, March 25 larly attend the after-show par- this is going to mean in terms of Arts United Center ties geared for youngsters, there their performance. It requires a 303 E . Main St. , Fort Wayne will be a slight change this year. broad range of skills. There’s a Instead of those ticketed gath- lot of comedy so the timing is $19-$44 thru box office, erings, the performances will essential to making it work.” 260-422-4226 or instead be preceded by a free- $ Gibbons-Brown sees many fortwayneballet.org of-charge carnival in the lobby 495 common themes between Cop- before the shows. With mario- STUDENT SAXOPHONESAS LOW AS pélia and The Nutcracker and thinks both bring a spe- nette shows and a variety of activities, Gibbons-Brown cial message along with beautiful dance. encourages audiences to arrive early for the four per- “Hoffmann spun both tales to be stories of morals, formances – evening shows on Friday and Saturday, a lesson to be learned. In The Nutcracker we see what matinees on Saturday and Sunday – so that the mood happens when children are faced with evil. In Coppé- can be set before walking into the Arts United Center lia the moral is to be kind, be free, be true. Those are main stage for Coppélia. always good lessons. Both timely and timeless.” As has become a tradition at Fort Wayne Ballet, Gibbons-Brown says that in larger cities Coppé- beginning with The Nutcracker performances in 2010, lia is extremely popular, in fact second only to The the ballet will be partnering with Fort Wayne Animal 3710 Hobson Road MynettMusic.com Nutcracker on some stages. She believes that as more Care and Control to help find forever homes for dogs places establish the name recognition, it will eventual- in the shelter. Originally dubbed the “Muttcrackers,” Fort Wayne, IN (260) 482-5533 ly rise to compete with some of the more familiar titles Fort Wayne Ballet now includes adoptable pets in in ballet. But whether the audience is well-versed in the story of Coppélia or not, the themes are unmistak- Continued on page 17 2 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- www.whatzup.com -------------------------------------------------------------- March 15, 2018 whatzup Volume 22, Number 30 e’ve been telling you for awhile now that things are getting ready to heat up in Fortland, and that’s indeed what’s starting to happen now. Irregardless of whatever the weather happens to be doing (and it’s impossible to tell as we write Wthis because three days from now could bring anything from snowstorms to heat waves) you can consider the concert season officially underway as of Wednesday, March 21 when Earth, Wind & Fire play to a packed Embassy Theatre audience. Those icons of soul and funk happen to be this week’s cover story, and whatzup’s Michele DeVinney snagged an interview with one of the founding members, Ralph Johnson, the results of which are on page 4. DeVinney also penned our other two features this week: a preview of the Fort Wayne Bal- let’s production of Coppélia on page 2 and a piece on Arena Dinner Theatre’s director and 90 Years of Film actor Brian Wagner on page 6. Speaking of the Arena, Jen Poiry’s review of its current production, Tennessee Williams’ The Glass Menagerie, appears on page 18, and on page A nostalgic film series 19, you’ll want to read Gregory Stieber’s Director’s Notes on the Civic’s upcoming produc- celebrating the Embassy’s tion of Buyer & Cellar. historic past As is always the case, there’s a whole lot more to check out in these pages than we can Audience participation musical performance on the theater’s historic Grande Page pipe describe here, and there’s even more online at whatzup.com. And to get the very most out Saturday, Apr. 14 • 8pm • $25-$30 organ precedes each show! of what whatzup has to offer, we strongly encourage you to download our brand new app, whatzupFW, from your favorite app store. It’s absolutely free, and it’s absolutely the best Frozen (2013) ........................................May 13 Wings (1927) ........................................June 17 way to keep tabs on your favorite performers and venues. BIGG ROBB Independence Day (1996) .................. July 13 So that’s it – one more week under our belt. We hope you have a good one, and we hope Saturday, April 28 • 8pm • $20-$80 Pirates of the Caribbean (2003) ........Aug. 24 we’ve helped you find fun stuff to see, do and groove to in the days and weeks ahead. All The Sound of Music (1965) ...............Sept. 21 we ask in exchange for bringing all this fun stuff to your awareness is that you remember to tell one and all who it was who sent you: your favorite arts & entertainment weekly. TORONZO CANNON March 20 | 7:30pm inside the issue Friday, May 11 • 7:30pm • $20-$35 ROCKIN ’ ROAD • features ROAD NOTEZ .................................. 12 The McCARTNEY PROJECT FLIX ................................................. 16 TO DUBLIN The Greatest Showman FORT WAYNE BALLET ................................2 March 21 | 7:30pm Bringing Magic to Life SCREENTIME ................................. 16 Panther Tops $1 Billion Worldwide EARTH, WIND & FIRE ..................................4 Three Men on a Mission CURTAIN CALL ................................ 18 EARTH , WIND The Glass Menagerie BRIAN WAGNER .........................................6 The Man in the Arena DIRECTOR’S NOTES ....................... 19 Buyer & Cellar & FIRE March 31 | 7:30pm • columns & reviews • calendars Tuesday, May 22 • 7:30pm • $35-$75 FOREVER YOUNG LIVE MUSIC & COMEDY ....................8 SPINS ................................................7 GIVE HEAR ‘SOUND OF LOVE’ May 4 | 5pm Justin Timberlake, Joe Satriani, Brandi Carlile MUSIC/ON THE ROAD .................... 12 BENEFIT CONCERT BACKTRACKS ...................................7 ROAD TRIPZ ................................... 15 MARQUEE GALA The Godz, The Godz (1978) THINGS TO DO ............................... 17 OUT AND ABOUT ...............................8 MANDY HARVEY Harkening Back to Brown Band Days ART & ARTIFACTS .......................... 18 MAND Y PICKS ............................................. 10 STAGE & DANCE ............................ 19 Joseph Dailey Tuba Trio, Creed Bratton Cover by Brandon Jordan GONZALEZ Membership Makes ON SALE NOW The Difference NABBA Championships 2018 ............... Apr. 6 • Job Referrals Wednesday, May 23 • 8pm • $20-$35 BSU Showcase/Canadian Brass ............ Apr. 8 • Experienced Negotiators Buddy - The Buddy Holly Story ..........Apr. 11 • Insurance PJ Masks ...................................................May 1 MARCUS KING BAND Steve Martin & Martin Short • Contract Protection w/The Steep Canyon Rangers & Jeff Babko ...........................................May 18 Fort Wayne GO TO OUR WEBSITE Musicians Association FOR TICKET INFO & MORE Call Bruce Graham for ALL SHOWS ALL AGES Embassy Theatre more information 125 W.