The Marvel Cinematic Universe makes room for yet another superhero in Captain Marvel, an action-packed addition to the gargantuan series which is noteworthy for its female lead but not for much else.
It’s a perfectly acceptable product from Marvel Studios, which has produced an average of two comic book movies a year for the past 10 years. But it rarely distinguishes itself enough to transcend that dubious designation. For a film that revolves around its superheroine searching for her true identity, it’s painfully ironic that the film itself doesn’t break with the “Marvel formula” l... Read more

Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck’s Captain Marvel, starring Brie Larson, Samuel L. Jackson, Ben Mendelsohn, Jude Law, and Annette Bening, opened big, selling $153 million in the U.S. and $455 million worldwide over its first three days of release, making it the 18th most successful opening of all-time (despite mostly ho-hum reviews from critics).
It looks really bad to me, but I love seeing Boden, Fleck, Larson, Mendelsohn, and Jackson get the rock star treatment worldwide, as I know these are all people who will leverage the exposure this silly film offers them into more interesting work. The fil... Read more

The works of Shakespeare — be it the comedies, the tragedies, or the histories — are revered and untouchable.
Unless, of course, you’re the musical comedy Something Rotten! which not only skewers the legend of the Bard but also tackles the holy tropes of musical theater and Broadway hits in general while simultaneously paying homage.
With its story of two brothers who are trying to make it in theater against the juggernaut of Shakespeare, Something Rotten!’s farcical romp was so strong that its pre-Broadway run in Seattle was canceled, allowing the show to go straight to the Great Wh... Read more

After years of black-tie fundraisers, the Community Harvest Food Bank decided to try something different in 2018.
The organization hosted “Boots and Bling,” a cowboy-themed event.
This year, it’s “Under the Big Top” with circus accents, carnival games, auctions, raffles, and the sort of performers who are usually introduced by a ringmaster. It happens March 21 at Ceruti’s Banquet and Event Center.
“Our goal is to raise $100,000 for hunger relief,” said Katie Savoie, a marketing specialist for the food bank. “Mayor Henry and his wife will be there so we’re pretty excited to... Read more

With its instantly recognizable hook, referencing one of the most popular competitive shows on television, Dancing with the Arc Stars has become a popular event for Easterseals Arc.
Now in its 11th season, the event serves to raise both funds and friends for the organization which serves people with disabilities in northeast Indiana, helping them to remain independent while also offering support for family members. Although Easterseals receives government funding, there is a gap between that funding and what is needed to fully provide their wide range of services.
And that’s where Dancing ... Read more

March 21 offers a unique opportunity to take part in a guided tour of the downtown Allen County Courthouse and the historic Thomas & Lucy Swinney House on West Jefferson Boulevard.
Settlers Inc. hosts the event that begins at the Swinney House where you will find a 1½-story brick and limestone structure that was later enlarged to 2½ stories. Built in 1844 by Thomas J. Swinney, a pioneer settler of Allen County and a prominent Fort Wayne businessman of the time, the house features an Eastlake Movement front porch and was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1981. The house a... Read more

Beth McLeish grew up a student by day and a professionally trained ballet dancer by night.
“I never had time to be with family or have any sort of normal life as a kid,” McLeish said.
Today, she is the founder and artistic director of a hidden gem: a Fort Wayne educational institute that allows young dancers the opportunity to have the best of both worlds.
The Project Ballet Academic Conservatory is designed for young elite performers to spend mornings learning reading, writing and arithmetic until 12:45 p.m., when they can begin training.
“So our concept was that by creating an all-... Read more

Fort Wayne Ballet, the Philharmonic team up

One of the most famous and beloved of all fairy tales, Cinderella, has been charming generations for decades. This year’s spring production for Fort Wayne Ballet will be a staging of this fairy tale, the first for the company since 2013. Always a popular offering, Karen Gibbons-Brown said there are a few differences between the ballet and the animated version that many know best.
Collaborating with the Phil
“One of the differences is that the stepsisters are comedic figures,” she said. “Many times those roles are performed ‘e... Read more

Muncie based The Cocaine Wolves will headline a night of punk rock attitude and guitar driven rock at The Ruin on Friday, March 22. If you read about them on their Facebook account it becomes immediately clear that The Cocaine Wolves are not Nickelback fans, so if that is your idea of great music, this show is not for you. However, if you like your music a bit edgier, The Cocaine Wolves might be what you are looking to hear.
The band’s first album, Royal Feast, is an amalgam of everything they loved about hard rock and metal while growing up in a town full of characters that provided inspir... Read more

Mother Sea, Haha Naru Umi: Sayaka Ganz, on display through March 22 at Artlink in Fort Wayne, features the Yokohama, Japan, born Ganz using reclaimed metal and plastic objects to create sculptures depicting animals in motion with rich colors and energy.
Raised on Japanese Shinto beliefs, Ganz was taught that all objects and organisms have spirits, and objects that are discarded before their time weep at night inside the trash bin. This imagery became very prominent in her growth. The constant need to adjust to a new environment as she moved from Japan to Brazil to Hong Kong during her formati... Read more

When Christopher Durang’s Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike opened on Broadway in 2013 — a run, by the way, that won the Tony Award for Best Play that year — theater goers and critics alike hailed the comedy as a brilliant new adaptation of Anton Chekhov’s The Cherry Orchard.
But Durang was quick to respond, “My play is not a Chekhov parody... . I take scenes and characters and put them in a blender!”
And, indeed, this reiteration of the Russian playwright’s characters and situations follows a pattern of disagreements and challenges that have haunted the history of The Cherry... Read more

Local historic preservation organization ARCH is shining its spotlight on the Arts United Center, a building that many people do not realize is historic and architecturally significant.
As part of ARCH’s Fun & Free lecture series, Miriam Morgan, chief operating officer of Arts United, will speak on the “Preservation and Activation of the Arts United Center.” The lecture, which will take place at the downtown Allen County Public Library on Saturday, March 23, at 11 a.m., puts the spotlight on not only the history of the building but its future as well.
“Every year we leave one slot open... Read more

The popularity of Seussical the Musical underscores how Dr. Seuss and his amazing collection of books have become the cornerstone of children’s literature. The Broadway production of the musical opened in November 2000 and ran for less than six months, but it has found immense popularity in school and community performances.
The University of Saint Francis is staging the colorful musical at their Performing Arts Center this month. Brad and Leslie Beauchamp are partnering to bring the story to life, with Brad serving as director and Leslie as assistant director and choreographer.
Family-F... Read more

Which of these is the impossible object?
I think the bottle, pipe and flowerpot
Are too much victims of serene neglect.
The string isn’t tied with a proper knot.
The opened can and the crumpled up box
Are both containers that don’t come with locks.
Nothing is whole in itself — the heel plate,
The cork, or the sardines someone just ate.
Even the tool (I don’t know what it’s for)
Needs some receptive substances to score.
You think I’m ignoring the obvious,
A crystal globe that’s pierced with pyramids,
An object of reflections marring grids.
The only impossible things are us.... Read more