Entertainment Is LIVE In Van Wert: Scooby-Doo Is Live And Worth The Short Drive
When “Scooby-Doo! and The Lost City of Gold” comes to the Niswonger Performing Arts Center on Saturday, March 26 at 7:00 PM, fans of the great big Great Dane will see the gang singing and dancing alongside music, puppetry, magic, aerial arts, video mapping, and interactive audience response video. The audience will follow Scooby-Doo, Shaggy, Daphne, Fred, and Velma as they drive the Mystery Machine to Alta Luz - a fictitious South American town where ghostly sightings of La Dama de Oro (The Lady In Gold) threaten to scare attendees away from the annual music festival and Incan sun god celebration. Jinkies!
Although it's the same edge-of-your-seat fun, the characters in the Scooby Gang of mystery-solving, “meddling kids” have been updated.
Daphne, for example, is more than just the pretty face she may have appeared to be in 1969, when Scooby-Doo and his friends made their first appearance in a made-for-television cartoon. In the updated story, Daphne is bold, assertive, and brave.
“We try to bring a new vision to this exceptional brand that was there for 50 years,” Allaire said, noting that Velma, too, has undergone some personality tweaks.
As for Fred, he's taken on a new perspective as leader of the gang.
“There’s an element to his leadership,” Allaire said. “He’s respectful. At some point, we take away the lead from him and the two girls solve the mystery.”
As for Shaggy, he’s still Scooby-Doo’s best friend. And the two of them are a bit more interested in food than mysteries. Speaking of Scooby Snacks, you can grab your own at the Niswonger Concession. Rhonda's Sweet Treats and Convoy Road Coffee Roasters will be serving up the perfect intermission sweet fix.
The show features plenty of music and dancing. For added excitement, La Dama de Oro is played by an acrobat adding a new dimension to the choreography. The stage is elaborate and the storyline and comedy are well suited from ages 2 to 102.
And if you are a Scooby-Doo fan who enjoys the villains’ chagrin when they meet their inevitable unveiling, rest assured you will hear some version of the immortal line:
“I would’ve gotten away with it, too, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”
“Scooby-Doo! and The Lost City of Gold” is set for this Saturday at 7:00 PM at The Niswonger. Tickets start at $35 and are available at vanwertlive.com or by phone 419-238-6722 from 10A - 3 P, Monday - Friday.
Saturday night is just right for having some family fun close to home. Save gas and have a blast in Van Wert!