Theaters Play With Their Food

Karen Sanchez has her share of guilty pleasures. There’s the chocolate, the late Sunday mornings in bed, even the Arnold Schwarzenegger movies. The early ones, where he had long hair and swung a sword around a lot.

But her guiltiest pleasure, the one she blushes about, is this: Karen Sanchez loves dinner theater. “I know that serious types are not supposed to take it seriously, but I find the whole thing very relaxing,” she said. “You get the food, you get the wine, the setting is nice, and then you get the show. It may not be Broadway, but it can be a really enjoyable experience.”

Sanchez, a 28-year-old Santa Ana teacher, seemed relieved by her confession. But then she tensed, “Oh God, now all my SCR (South Coast Repertory in Costa Mesa) and LATC (Los Angeles Theater Center) friends will know. They just won’t understand. They think dinner theater is (on the same level) as the circus, and not a very good one at that.”

Dinner theater. It always sounds like an oxymoron. Would you ask for more gravy during a Shakespeare soliloquy? At least that’s how a purist would see it. But dinner theaters, by embracing the American tenet that bigger is better and more is even better still, have succeeded by combining the performance with the potpourri, the stagy with the starchy.

Locally, there’s the Grand Dinner Theatre, a fixture in the Grand Hotel in Anaheim for 15 years, and Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call Dinner Theatre, which opened in Tustin in 1979. Sanchez, a small, dark-haired woman who subscribes to SCR and regularly attends the Grove Shakespeare Festival in Garden Grove, likes the Grand more because of its “opulence” but has kind words for Elizabeth Howard as well (“Everybody is so friendly, and it looks very nice too.”).

What they have in common, say Sanchez and other dinner theater fans, is a complete and convenient entertainment package usually appropriate for the family; hard-working performers, and a certain predictability that appeals to anyone who has been embarrassed by David Mamet’s scatology or confused by one of Eugene Ionesco’s absurdist forays.

Of course, this lack of surprise or even challenge is what prompts serious playgoers to dismiss dinner theaters. Do we need another revival of an early Neil Simon play or a pooped-out Broadway musical, they ask?

“I think, as far as theater is concerned, (dinner theaters) are sort of like bad television comedy. You’re so used to the scenes and the characters, you know exactly what to expect,” said Jacob Winsock, a San Juan Capistrano realtor who used to act, sometimes at dinner theaters. “I guess that’s reassuring to some people, but who wants to be a party to stuff that doesn’t make you think or get you in the gut? Not me. You’d have to be nuts to like it.”

Ouch. But doesn’t Winsock concede the adage, different strokes for different folks?

“OK, maybe they don’t have to be nuts,” he allowed, “but what kind of a weird idea is it to have food served (during) what should be intimate entertainment?” The image of a waiter tumbling down a flight of stairs, dessert tray flying, during key theatrical moments, does give one pause. Even the tinkling of a spoon in a coffee cup can disrupt the stage experience.

In defense of dinner theaters, they do try to minimize noise and other distractions. The curtain is usually raised well after each patron has been served or visited the buffet line. And dessert tends to be kept in the fridge until intermission.

Still, as Winsock pointed out, there’s always somebody coming in late who must be fed, or the late-arriving chocolate mousse that finds its way to a table after the show has resumed.

Another frequent dinner theater patron, Mark Hansen of Costa Mesa, said you get used to the distractions. “What about the movies? People talking, eating popcorn and hot dogs, walking in and out. We tend to ignore that, so why not a little noise during a comedy? And (if it’s a musical), you probably won’t even notice.”

Hansen, who’s married and has two children--one 11, the other 13--also emphasizes the family-oriented nature of most dinner theater shows. He said his children loved tagging along, especially to a revival of “Zorba the Greek” at the Elizabeth Howard a few years back. No provocative themes or nudity to fret about, nothing to explain after the performance is over.

The Hansens may not be typical, though. Most patrons find the atmosphere more conducive to dating, or at least an evening away from the kids.

Sanchez said one of her first dates with her boyfriend was to a show at the Grand. She said the accommodating environment was intimate enough for them to get to know each other better. “We had some wine, looked in (each other’s) eyes and had fun. The Grand is sort of plush, and we both felt a little luxurious.”

Plush to one person, however, may be tacky to another. Actually, both the Grand and Elizabeth Howard’s look vaguely like Las Vegas showrooms, with the Grand being the slightly more spacious of the two.

As for the productions, just about everybody interviewed said they wouldn’t win any Tony awards. Like many smaller theaters, dinner playhouses usually operate on fairly tight budgets and don’t always have all-professional casts, although the Grand is noted for bringing in at least one “star” for most productions. Elke Sommer showed up awhile back.

Asked to describe the shows, Sanchez took a reflective moment and said they were “decent but usually unspectacular.” Hansen offered, “pleasant, colorful, nice.” The question angered Winsock: “Uncommonly insignificant and bland.”

And what about the food? “Really pretty good, if you’re not expecting Spago’s” Sanchez said.

“I really like it, but I’ve always liked simple foods like roast beef,” Hansen said.

Winsock held his stomach: “Don’t ask.” (A bit harsh. The cuisine won’t make anybody forget the great chefs of Europe, but it’s usually solid fare doled out generously.)

A couple of years ago, a Times restaurant reviewer described the fare at the Grand as “surprisingly good . . . with an intelligent selection” of main courses. He characterized Elizabeth Howard’s menu as “straightforward” with an especially good prime rib.

Another option for those who prefer a show with side orders is Medieval Times Dinner Tournament and Wild Bill’s Wild West Dinner Extravaganza, both in Buena Park. More like theme parks than dinner theaters, these tourist-fed stepchildren of Disneyland and Knott’s Berry Farm provide atmosphere and family entertainment instead of productions of musicals or comedies.

Everything is geared toward the specialized environment. Medieval Times, as you’d expect, tries to take you back to a time when jousts and sword fights supposedly passed for arena entertainment. Actors duel with each other while you eat chicken and ribs, with your hands if you want.

Wild Bill’s has rope twirling, tomahawk throwing, pistol shooting, country singing and some folksy humor, all delivered between a four-course meal of beef stew, green salad, barbecued pork ribs, fried chicken, etc.

Yeehaw! and pass the butter, please.

Orange County’s Dinner Theaters

The Grand Dinner Theatre is in the Grand Hotel, at 1 Hotel Way in Anaheim. “Camelot” continues through Feb. 2. Seating times: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 6 p.m.; Fridays at 6:30 p.m.; Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Prices: $19.95 to $34.95. Information: (714) 772-7710.

Elizabeth Howard’s Curtain Call Dinner Theatre is at 690 El Camino Real, Tustin. “My Fair Lady” continues indefinitely. Seating times: Tuesdays through Thursdays at 6:30 p.m.; Fridays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays at 6:30 p.m., Sundays at 11:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. Prices: $19.95 to $30.95. Information: (714) 838-1540.

The Medieval Times Dinner Tournament is at 7662 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. Seating times: Mondays through Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 6:15 and 9 p.m.; Saturday at 4, 6:30 and 9:15 p.m., Sundays at 1, 4:45 and 7:30 p.m. Prices: $18.95 to $32.95. Information: (714) 521-4740.

Wild Bill’s Western Dinner Extravaganza is at 7600 Beach Blvd., Buena Park. Seating times: Mondays through Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.; Fridays at 6:15 and 9 p.m.; Saturdays at 4, 6:30 and 9:15 p.m., Sundays at 1:30, 4:30 and 7:30 p.m. Prices: $20 to $31. Information: (714) 522-6414.

All prices include dinner.