On the surface it looks like the beginning of any other Feast Dinner Theatre season — plenty of excitement, nervous energy and last-minute changes.
In one room at the Brother’s Two Restaurant in Summerside, actors Alicia Altass, Thayne Campbell and Nadine Haddad rehearse a step dance number for the Charlottetown production of Stop in the Name of Love, which begins June 24.
In another, five actors playing musical instruments sway from side to side on the stage as they rehearse a rollicking rendition of Viva Las Vegas for the Summerside edition of the same show that starts tonight.
But appearances can be deceiving because this season will hold a true milestone moment — a momentous occasion the producer of the show can’t wait to celebrate.
“Some day next month, Feast Dinner Theatres will sell its 500,000th ticket to a lucky winner,” says Don Groom, enthusiasm ringing loud and clear in his voice.
On that date, someone will receive a telephone call informing them that he or she has won dinner theatre tickets for four in the location of their choice.
“And we’ll pick up the tab,” says Groom, who is elated with the success of what he calls Atlantic Canada’s longest running dinner theatre.
“If someone had told me 33 years ago that we’d be selling the 500,000 tickets, I wouldn’t have believed it,” he says.
Adam MacGregor, this year’s musical director, is also impressed with this feat.
“It’s a testimony to how much people like dinner theatre. Islanders have a sense of ownership about it. And it shows because we have so many repeat customers,” he says.
So what’s the secret to the dinner theatre’s success?
“Simply put, it’s about people having fun. Everyone who comes has a good time,” says Groom.
In this brand of dinner theatre, cast members escort audience members to their seats, sing and dance on stage and serve the various courses to the guests as the story unfolds.
“Once you’re down in this room it becomes a whole other world. Your imagination kicks in and it really brings out the child inside,” says Bobby McIsaac who plays Norman, the studious nerd with taped-together glasses in the Charlottetown production.
To ensure that cast members are the best for this special season, Groom held auditions across the Maritimes.
He also made sure actors received a week of improv training so they will have the necessary skills to interact with guests at the tables they’re serving.
Then there’s the menu that includes a garden salad, homemade bread, steamed Island mussels, chicken cordon bleu or salmon with all the fixings, a choice of tea or coffee and dessert to consider.
“So it’s a winning combination,” Groom says.
