A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum - It was a "Comedy Tonight" at the Fort Wayne Civic Theatre

This farce is so wonderful - so clever and joyful.  It was great fun to introduce my partner in life to this delightful musical play, which I will abbreviate to AFTH. Originally a Broadway show and then later a 1966 film, this comedy was inspired by the stories of a real Roman playwright, Plautus, who was born in 254 BC.  The story centers around three adjacent Roman houses and their occupants.  In one house, a young man, Hero, falls in love with a beautiful, innocent courtesan next door. She, however, has been promised by the brothel's owner to a returning soldier.  Hero's own clever slave Pseudolus then creates a ruse to win the girl away for his master and buy his own freedom in the process.

The show is fast-paced, with many plot twists and madcap stage choreography.  The opening and slamming of doors and windows, characters coming in and out of same, and running all over the place, is charmingly vaudevillian.  No wonder Plautus himself was a great success as a writer - he's said to have written 120 or more plays, of which 20 still survive in their entirety.

As a child I saw the movie AFTH, starring Zero Mostel, Buster Keaton, Phil Silvers, and Michael Crawford.  I love the pratfalls and physical comedy.  AFTH was the legendary Buster Keaton's last role - the actor from silent film days.    The musical score is wonderful - written by the brilliant Stephen Sondheim.  The song "Comedy Tonight" is so catchy; my friend, who had never heard it before, began singing it spontaneously over the next few days.  In the great tradition of Greek and eventually Roman theater - "tragedy tomorrow - comedy tonight!" - is alive and well downtown in 'The Fort' as we call it.

The cast of this current production at the Civic Theatre is spot on.  When the actor portraying the soldier Gloriosus pounds out the song "Bring Me My Bride" in his deep baritone, I am simultaneously thrilled and terrified. I need to remind myself, "this is just a play!" When the talented actor who plays the slave Hysterium disguises himself as a girl and reprises the number "Lovely," mooning about himself that "I'm lovely," I'm completely convinced he is!  Truly lovely, in his short tunic, hairy legs and sandals, he is: shrouded in a white gown.  I don't want to give too much of the story away here, but it gets funnier.

The story is sexist - I can't change that.  It is what it is.  The female parts are rather stereotypical of the patriarchal times then in Rome - a shrewish wife, the sexpotly concubines, the dimwitted but luscious virgin.  It all had all of the early-1960s take on gender roles at that time, when the AFTH book was written by Burt Shevelove and Larry Gilbert. Sexist though it is, the actors in Fort Wayne portraying the "working women" of the sex trade are delightful.  They filled their obligations on stage with vim and relish.  

Characters including twins, an S/M dominatrix, a graceful feline, a flexible gymnast, and other actresses and actors were fantastic at the choreography and stunts they had to perform.  I loved their bright costumes and the classic sets.  Fort Wayne Civic Theatre is doing a great job. These have been a couple of extremely challenging years for all performers.  It's so good to see them back on stage in person.

There are three more performances of AFTH at the Arts United Center in downtown Fort Wayne:  this Friday evening August 6 at 7:30 pm, Saturday the 7th (same), and Sunday August 8 at 2 pm.  The Arts United Center is a grand place to see a play or musical performance.  The 660-seat auditorium is one of Fort Wayne's most important landmarks.  It was designed by the renowned architect Louis Kahn, and is the only Kahn building in the Midwest.  Born in Estonia, Kahn immigrated to the US with his family at a young age, and studied at the University of Pennsylvania and worked at Yale and in private practice.  Built in 1973, the building has a brick exterior, with tons of light and shadows in the sparse yet grand staircases and common areas.  Seating is accessible and comfortable, even roomy, in the modern, technically updated, inner shell.  Referencing a violin in a case as Kahn's inspiration, the auditorium itself is an inner compartment, with folded concrete walls making up its carapace. The box office is offering "socially distanced" seating in the back half of the theater, meaning every other row is occupied, and seats are blocked off between groups.  There isn't a bad seat in the house, and tech and sound were so good I could hear every word the actors said.

 

Go see AFTH this weekend if you're free.  Plautus's works are some of the earliest surviving comedies and dramas in Latin literature.  Plautus's epitaph reads, translated:

Since Platus is dead, Comedy mourns,

The stage is deserted; then Laughter, Jest and Wit, and all Melody's countless numbers wept together.

RIP, Plautus, Buster Keaton, and all: we are truly grateful for your gifts.

Arts United Center box office:(260)422-4226

The Hoppy Gnome Brings new Dining Trends and Choices to Downtown Fort Wayne

203 E. Berry Street, Fort Wayne. Locals would recognize this as a downtown address. Downtown is changing, though - there are condominiums, and parking in this high-rise building, and what else? Now, there's The Hoppy Gnome. Trendy food is not traditionally Fort Wayne. The old institutions in town - family owned Casaburos restaurants (Casa D'Angelo and others), Bourounis family (Cosmos), Hall's family restaurants, the Oyster Bar, etc., and others have consistently good (often excellent) food.

The owners of Baker Street Steakhouse seem to understand that folks are sometimes looking for new options and experiences. Generation X'ers and more significantly, Millenials, are looking for new dining and taste choices. Smaller plates, tasting menus, tapas-style dining, and sampling of beers and appetizers are all ways to try new things. The foods themselves are often fresher (more farm-to-table) and more globally styled. So Baker Street has branched out and created this - The Hoppy Gnome.

The Hoppy Gnome claims to specialize in tacos, but these are not the traditional Mexican variety. One can order choices including duck confit, Korean short rib, and ahi tuna. The menu rotates regularly. A guest may choose from flour or corn tortillas, and the tacos are served in beautiful stainless steel V-shaped tool trays.

The restaurant also serves some wonderful small plates, including kimchi chicken fingers, pan-seared scallops, steamed clams, short ribs, and tuna tartare. There are also vegan and gluten-free selections, and a great kids' menu. Soups full of vegetables and unique salads round out the menu.

The Hoppy Gnome is much more of a beer place than a wine bar. So I'll talk more about the beers - there are dark stouts, Belgian beers, ciders and IPAs. If you like good ol' American, have a blast from the past and order an Old Style lager made by Pabst. Want a pale ale with a sexy label? Order the Six Foot Blonde from Nashville, IN. Hey, I should go get a Honey Badger, brewed in Granger, IN, since I like the animal so much. You can get small servings of five different beers or so brought to you on a tray holding small glasses if you want to sample and choose for next time.

The decor looks fresh, modern and new. I like the polished stainless steel tables, and the large windows make for outstanding views. I was treated to an amazing, full-length panorama of the wonderful, historic Allen County courthouse and the skyscraper behind when I was recently there. If you're looking for something new to visit when you're out in downtown Fort Wayne, give The Hoppy Gnome a try if you want to push your taste buds and have a new adventure.

Embassy Theatre Rooftop Patio Open on Wednesday evenings in Summer

The Embassy Theatre has undergone lots of renovations recently, and it's worth taking a moment to talk about this one - the opening of a rooftop patio to the public. An elevator or stairs takes one to this panoramic view of downtown Fort Wayne, with cool breezes and a railing to look over. The Grand Wayne Center is to the north, Parkview Field and Lincoln National Corporation are within site, as is the Ash building, the Botanical Conservatory structures, and many beautiful old church steeples. There is seating, weather permitting. Because it had been rainy, the live music was not set up on the roof.

Beginning Wednesday nights in the summer of 2016, the 6th and 7th floors have been unlocked to host live music and other entertainment for patrons who bought $5 tickets. The night I went, a live combo played and sang familiar rock, jazz and blues cover songs - many of them, I noticed, with the word 'sunshine' in the title or lyrics. They really sounded great.

Music was sent through speakers to the rooftop above, so patrons sitting out on the patio could hear. Club Soda was catering the food, which was lovely. Coconut shrimp, burritos with fresh toppings, and a dessert selection all proved to be tempting. The dessert we split, a cheesecake with fresh berries, was wonderful. People spread out at tables with their drinks and food to hear the band, or took their items to the roof to look out over the city and have a conversation. It was cocktail hour, and people were partaking. I think the venue cares about its renovations and carpeting, because red wine and some other drinks were served in lidded sippy cups! That was new to me.

This lovely event will soon end for the season, so check the Embassy website, box office, or local Whatzup listings for the featured entertainment, 5 - 9 p.m. Parking is in the structure across the walkway: limited street parking is also available in the area. The year is slipping away, so get it all in if you can.