We were right! The News-Sentinel's top guess, when we heard Memorial Coliseum was hosting a major arena event in December, was "Batman Live," and coliseum officials confirmed it today.
Coliseum officials had kept the nature of the event secret since sending out a news release Tuesday inviting media to the press conference today.
Three shows are scheduled for Dec. 4 and 5. Ticket prices range from $19.50 to $79.50.
The "Batman Live" website describes the show this way: "Batman Live features a cast of 42 actors and circus trained acrobats, a 3D Gotham City landscape, an original symphonic score, a custom-built and state-of-the-art stage, a 105-foot, bat-‐shaped LED video wall, big flight sequences, pyrotechnics and the impressive Batmobile, designed especially for the show by legendary racing car designer Professor Gordon Murray."
It's not exactly new, having already toured the United Kingdom, Europe and Latin America, but the arena show "Batman Live" starts its first U.S. tour Sept. 5 in Anaheim, Calif.
Memorial Coliseum officials made the announcement at a news conference this afternoon in the building's lobby.
The show is among the largest ever to play at the Coliseum, traveling in 19 trucks, said Randy Brown, Coliseum general manager. In size, it rivals the "Walking with Dinosaurs" arena shows that played at the Coliseum in 2008 and 2010.
Some of the people working on "Walking with Dinosaurs" now are involved with producing the "Batman Live" show, Brown added. The connections made during the "Walking with Dinosaurs" shows here helped the Coliseum attract "Batman Live."
Brown also emphasized "Batman Live" is a family-friendly show based on an original storyline.
"The story is exclusively for this show," he noted.
It features not only Batman, Robin and trusty butler Alfred, but numerous other favorite "Batman" characters, including villains The Joker, Catwoman, the Riddler, Harley Quinn, Poison Ivy and The Penguin.
Local officials also expect the show to make a significant impact on the local economy, said Allen County Commissioner Nelson Peters, who spoke at the press conference.
Fort Wayne will be one of the first cities in the eastern United States to host the show, so local officials believe it will attract a lot of people from out of town, Peters said.
"We are truly looking forward to this opportunity," he added.
