Actually, dinner theaters were big in the 60s, 70s, and 80s.
In addition to performing in several dinner theaters as a teen in my hometown, I also did a few musicals at Club Bene in Morgan, NJ. By the time I got there in the early 80s, a young John Travolta had already made his debut. It was a fun place to get your feet wet. The rehearsal periods were brief and the runs were short. They'd pick the cast up in a van at Port Authority and truck us out to rehearse and perform. The owner, Joe Beninato, was a sweet, cigar-chomping Italian man who we all thought had ties to the mafia. We used to line up in the lobby on pay day and get our "checks" from his thick wad of cash.
The venue also hosted comedians (Regis Phiibin, The Smothers Brothers, George Carlin), singers (Jon Bon Jovi, Meatloaf), and small local bands. It was demolished in 1984.
I've been to the Westchester Broadway Theater in Elmsford, and I know that Toby's Dinner Theater in Columbia, MD still exists. They're doing "Kinky Boots" next season. |
