Curtain falling on Naples Dinner Theater
By Charles Runnells
crunnells@news-press.com
Originally posted on March 20, 2007
Every day, they swamp the box office at Naples Dinner Theatre.
“That’s all we get all day,” says co-owner Stuart Glazer. “They keep coming up and saying, ‘Please, please, don’t close.’
"They’re heartbreakers.”
Actor Barry Marcus hears it, too, during his speeches before each show.
“I tell them we’re closing,” he says. “And every night, there are moans and groans. It’s very sad.”
It’s not that Glazer and Marcus want to drop the curtain on Naples Dinner Theatre, a popular Immokalee Road landmark since 1975.
They just don’t have much choice.
“It’s sort of depressing,” says artistic director Michael Wainstein. “This is happening despite all the good work we’ve done.”
The theater will lock its doors April 30. Sometime after that, the bulldozers will arrive to plow it all down.
In the theater’s place: A public-storage facility. The Lock Up facility could be up and running by early 2008, according to David Stevens, a real estate agent who represents the property owners.
When Naples Dinner Theatre closes, there won’t be another full-time, professional troupe in Naples. The Naples Players are community theater, and the professional TheaterZone only stages a handful of shows each year.
“It’s very sad,” says Elaine Hamilton, executive director of the United Arts Council of Collier County. “It’s sad anytime we lose a member of the arts community.
“There are so few permanent facilities like that. And certainly there’s not another dinner theater in the Naples area.”
Even so, the theater isn’t dead. People can choose from several other venues, including the Philharmonic Center for the Arts (which features mostly traveling shows) and the upcoming Gulfshore Playhouse in Estero. That professional theater could open within a few years.
“Obviously, there are other options for live theater,” Hamilton says. “But this is a loss. No doubt about it.”
The theater has been a part of Naples life since the Fiske family built it in 1975. Back then, it was called the Starlight Supper Club.
The Starlight closed in 1997 and reopened two years later with a new name and new owners: Wainstein, Marcus and Glazer.
Their first show was the musical “Forever Plaid.” Since then, they’ve staged about 85 more.
Now the dinner theater is taking its last bow. And over and over again, people keep telling The News-Press the same thing: It’s a darn shame.
Richard Pappas, 75, of Naples has been coming to the theater for years with members of his men’s club.
Pappas isn’t sure what his club will do after this. Members may drive all the way to Fort Myers to see the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.
“This is a place we’ve always felt very close to,” he says. “It’s just a sad affair.”
It’s even sadder considering that Naples Dinner Theatre has been playing to packed houses this winter season — especially for its current powerhouse, “Show Boat.” One more show — the smaller “Seussical: The Musical” — opens March 27.
Of course, that begs the question: How could this happen to such a popular theater? About 20,000 people will watch “Show Boat” before it ends, Marcus says.
Truthfully, the theater has never been as successful as it seems, Glazer says. And it’s never really made a profit.
Management blames that on several things, but mainly it’s the seasonal nature of Naples. The theater is packed during snowbird season, but for the other eight months of the year, actors often play to a half-filled house.
“We’re going to walk away with basically no profit after all these years,” Wainstein says. “And that’s frustrating.”
Shows are expensive to put on, Glazer says. It costs $85,000 to pay everyone’s payroll for two weeks, including actors. And that doesn’t even include the costs of sets, equipment, food, etc.
The theater’s closing leaves about 70 actors, stage hands, musicians, cooks, wait staff and office employees without jobs.
Wainstein, himself, says he’s not sure what he’s going to do. He’s applied for jobs teaching theater in college or directing elsewhere, but so far nothing has come through.
Marcus and Glazer plan to stay in their Naples house and enjoy their newfound free time.
Developers have approached them about perhaps anchoring a shopping center (Glazer wouldn’t say which groups). But they’re ready for a break.
“At this point, we’re not giving it much thought,” Glazer says. “We’re just looking forward to doing the stuff we haven’t been able to do for the last seven years. We’re taking time off.”
Marcus — one of the main draws at Naples Dinner Theater — plans to keep acting at other local theaters.
“I’m available,” he says and chuckles. “Get the word out.
Theater managers have already sold their entire collection of props, costumes, and theater equipment to two other theaters. And they may sell the remaining chairs, tables and other equipment in a giant “yard sale.”
“We’ll be gone after April 30,” Wainstein says. “We’re starting to close down, and we’re starting to think about all the things we have to do to exit from here.”
Others aren’t sure Naples Dinner Theatre is down for count.
Dick Westlake — who has acted in 21 shows there — thinks the couple may take a few years off, get bored and start something new.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” he says.
He hates to see such a great theater disappear, even for the short term.
“I think it’s a shame,” he says. “We can always use good theater.”
They’re not going out without a party, though.
Naples Dinner Theatre plans a celebration after the last show on April 22. It will include champagne, cake, speeches — and probably some tears, too.
There are lots of memories packed into that building, Marcus says. He’s had a great time playing everyone from Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” to the narrator in “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“It’ll be a strange feeling,” Marcus says. “Suddenly, we’re no longer here. This has been our home.”
During a recent speech before “Show Boat,” thanked the audience members for all their love.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been here from the very beginning,” he said. “And for those of you who are here for the first time, you’ll see what you’ve been missing for the last seven years.
“Thanks for being here.”
Timeline:
1975: The Fiske family builds the Naples Dinner Theatre, then called the Starlight Supper Club
March 30, 1997: The Starlight closes. The owner cites health problems.
Dec. 20, 1999: The Starlight opens with new owners and a new name, Naples Dinner Theatre. Their first show is “Forever Plaid”
June 2005: The Lock Up public-storage business strikes a deal with the Fiske family
April 22, 2007: Final shows at Naples Dinner Theatre
April 30, 2007: Theater management locks the doors and leaves for good
Summer 2007: Bulldozers begin tearing down the building
Early 2008: The new Lock Up storage building is expected to open for business
Here’s what The News-Press reviewers have written about Naples Dinner Theatre through the years:
“The bulldozers are circling, and time is running out for Naples Dinner Theatre. But you’d never know that from watching its latest musical.
“Show Boat” is one of the catchiest, most touching musicals Naples Dinner Theatre has done. And actor Barry Marcus — a Naples Dinner Theatre mainstay — seems to sum up the theater’s attitude in Act 1.
“Whatever happens,” his character says, “always remember to smile.”
Naples Dinner Theatre puts on a big, bright smile for its last show. And it’s downright infectious.”
— “Show Boat” (Charles Runnells, 2007)
“The theater’s production of ‘Sugar’ packs a tommy-gun wallop thanks to high-energy dance numbers; powerhouse singing; glitzy, Prohibition-era costumes; and several stand-out comedic performances.
— “Sugar” (Charles Runnells, 2006)
“A rock musical about a ‘sweet transvestite’ from Transsexual, Transylvania ... doesn't sound like it would go over well in conservative Southwest Florida.
“Well, the camp classic is back for a third season at the Naples Dinner Theatre, and it's a blast. Director Michael Wainstein pulls out all the stops and winds up with a sexy, funny, rocking good time.”
— “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Drew Sterwald, 2003)
“Barry Marcus’ every mannerism, every vocal inflection contributes to a fully embodied characterization of the much-performed Russian peasant.
“His poor man is a rich mixture of emotions — ambition, devotion, disappointment, hope — that play across his face and alter the dynamics of his voice.
“It's a plum role, and Marcus makes the most of it.
— “Fiddler on the Roof” (Drew Sterwald, 2002)
“To call ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ colorful would be the understatement of the year. This musical comedy bursts with so much color and glitz it could almost get by without stage lighting.”
— “La Cage Aux Folles” (Charles Runnells, 2001)
“Sizzling and sexy, ‘Ain't Misbehavin'’ shimmies off the stage at the Naples Dinner Theatre, turning the bordello-red venue into a hothouse of lust, jealousy and longing.
“Directed and staged by Michael Wainstein with musical direction by Ben Bedenbaugh, the show steams by in about two hours, propelled by passionate singing and playing.”
— “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Drew Sterwald, 2001)
“First you hear the rhythm, a chugging, hypnotic, almost tribal beat on a scuffed rehearsal floor. Then the curtain raises partway to reveal a line of fiercely tapping legs, pounding with percussive fury, pounding, pounding, pounding.
“The effect is nothing short of stunning.”
— “42nd Street” (Charles Runnells, 2000)
“The ensemble of 16 rises, their voices soaring, their movements expressing passion. A viewer can't helped but be stirred by the grand scale of it all.”
— “Evita” (Drew Sterwald, 2000)
“I hate to keep harping on the same subject here, but let's give credit where it's due. Something miraculous is happening at Naples Dinner Theatre.
“This troupe has topped itself with every show, continuously wowwing this critic with some of the best, most consistent musical theatre in Southwest Florida. And it's current production of "Godspell" does nothing to break that admirable habit.”
— “Godspell” (Charles Runnells, 2000)
“What counts is that the performers are loaded with talent, beginning with Ethan Popp playing piano on stage.
“They sing with such purity of tone playgoers surely must be lifted to a higher plane.”
— “Forever Plaid” (Maureen Bashaw, 1999)
By Charles Runnells
crunnells@news-press.com
Originally posted on March 20, 2007
Every day, they swamp the box office at Naples Dinner Theatre.
“That’s all we get all day,” says co-owner Stuart Glazer. “They keep coming up and saying, ‘Please, please, don’t close.’
"They’re heartbreakers.”
Actor Barry Marcus hears it, too, during his speeches before each show.
“I tell them we’re closing,” he says. “And every night, there are moans and groans. It’s very sad.”
It’s not that Glazer and Marcus want to drop the curtain on Naples Dinner Theatre, a popular Immokalee Road landmark since 1975.
They just don’t have much choice.
“It’s sort of depressing,” says artistic director Michael Wainstein. “This is happening despite all the good work we’ve done.”
The theater will lock its doors April 30. Sometime after that, the bulldozers will arrive to plow it all down.
In the theater’s place: A public-storage facility. The Lock Up facility could be up and running by early 2008, according to David Stevens, a real estate agent who represents the property owners.
When Naples Dinner Theatre closes, there won’t be another full-time, professional troupe in Naples. The Naples Players are community theater, and the professional TheaterZone only stages a handful of shows each year.
“It’s very sad,” says Elaine Hamilton, executive director of the United Arts Council of Collier County. “It’s sad anytime we lose a member of the arts community.
“There are so few permanent facilities like that. And certainly there’s not another dinner theater in the Naples area.”
Even so, the theater isn’t dead. People can choose from several other venues, including the Philharmonic Center for the Arts (which features mostly traveling shows) and the upcoming Gulfshore Playhouse in Estero. That professional theater could open within a few years.
“Obviously, there are other options for live theater,” Hamilton says. “But this is a loss. No doubt about it.”
The theater has been a part of Naples life since the Fiske family built it in 1975. Back then, it was called the Starlight Supper Club.
The Starlight closed in 1997 and reopened two years later with a new name and new owners: Wainstein, Marcus and Glazer.
Their first show was the musical “Forever Plaid.” Since then, they’ve staged about 85 more.
Now the dinner theater is taking its last bow. And over and over again, people keep telling The News-Press the same thing: It’s a darn shame.
Richard Pappas, 75, of Naples has been coming to the theater for years with members of his men’s club.
Pappas isn’t sure what his club will do after this. Members may drive all the way to Fort Myers to see the Broadway Palm Dinner Theatre.
“This is a place we’ve always felt very close to,” he says. “It’s just a sad affair.”
It’s even sadder considering that Naples Dinner Theatre has been playing to packed houses this winter season — especially for its current powerhouse, “Show Boat.” One more show — the smaller “Seussical: The Musical” — opens March 27.
Of course, that begs the question: How could this happen to such a popular theater? About 20,000 people will watch “Show Boat” before it ends, Marcus says.
Truthfully, the theater has never been as successful as it seems, Glazer says. And it’s never really made a profit.
Management blames that on several things, but mainly it’s the seasonal nature of Naples. The theater is packed during snowbird season, but for the other eight months of the year, actors often play to a half-filled house.
“We’re going to walk away with basically no profit after all these years,” Wainstein says. “And that’s frustrating.”
Shows are expensive to put on, Glazer says. It costs $85,000 to pay everyone’s payroll for two weeks, including actors. And that doesn’t even include the costs of sets, equipment, food, etc.
The theater’s closing leaves about 70 actors, stage hands, musicians, cooks, wait staff and office employees without jobs.
Wainstein, himself, says he’s not sure what he’s going to do. He’s applied for jobs teaching theater in college or directing elsewhere, but so far nothing has come through.
Marcus and Glazer plan to stay in their Naples house and enjoy their newfound free time.
Developers have approached them about perhaps anchoring a shopping center (Glazer wouldn’t say which groups). But they’re ready for a break.
“At this point, we’re not giving it much thought,” Glazer says. “We’re just looking forward to doing the stuff we haven’t been able to do for the last seven years. We’re taking time off.”
Marcus — one of the main draws at Naples Dinner Theater — plans to keep acting at other local theaters.
“I’m available,” he says and chuckles. “Get the word out.
Theater managers have already sold their entire collection of props, costumes, and theater equipment to two other theaters. And they may sell the remaining chairs, tables and other equipment in a giant “yard sale.”
“We’ll be gone after April 30,” Wainstein says. “We’re starting to close down, and we’re starting to think about all the things we have to do to exit from here.”
Others aren’t sure Naples Dinner Theatre is down for count.
Dick Westlake — who has acted in 21 shows there — thinks the couple may take a few years off, get bored and start something new.
“I wouldn’t be surprised,” he says.
He hates to see such a great theater disappear, even for the short term.
“I think it’s a shame,” he says. “We can always use good theater.”
They’re not going out without a party, though.
Naples Dinner Theatre plans a celebration after the last show on April 22. It will include champagne, cake, speeches — and probably some tears, too.
There are lots of memories packed into that building, Marcus says. He’s had a great time playing everyone from Tevye in “Fiddler on the Roof” to the narrator in “Rocky Horror Picture Show.”
“It’ll be a strange feeling,” Marcus says. “Suddenly, we’re no longer here. This has been our home.”
During a recent speech before “Show Boat,” thanked the audience members for all their love.
“I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have been here from the very beginning,” he said. “And for those of you who are here for the first time, you’ll see what you’ve been missing for the last seven years.
“Thanks for being here.”
Timeline:
1975: The Fiske family builds the Naples Dinner Theatre, then called the Starlight Supper Club
March 30, 1997: The Starlight closes. The owner cites health problems.
Dec. 20, 1999: The Starlight opens with new owners and a new name, Naples Dinner Theatre. Their first show is “Forever Plaid”
June 2005: The Lock Up public-storage business strikes a deal with the Fiske family
April 22, 2007: Final shows at Naples Dinner Theatre
April 30, 2007: Theater management locks the doors and leaves for good
Summer 2007: Bulldozers begin tearing down the building
Early 2008: The new Lock Up storage building is expected to open for business
Here’s what The News-Press reviewers have written about Naples Dinner Theatre through the years:
“The bulldozers are circling, and time is running out for Naples Dinner Theatre. But you’d never know that from watching its latest musical.
“Show Boat” is one of the catchiest, most touching musicals Naples Dinner Theatre has done. And actor Barry Marcus — a Naples Dinner Theatre mainstay — seems to sum up the theater’s attitude in Act 1.
“Whatever happens,” his character says, “always remember to smile.”
Naples Dinner Theatre puts on a big, bright smile for its last show. And it’s downright infectious.”
— “Show Boat” (Charles Runnells, 2007)
“The theater’s production of ‘Sugar’ packs a tommy-gun wallop thanks to high-energy dance numbers; powerhouse singing; glitzy, Prohibition-era costumes; and several stand-out comedic performances.
— “Sugar” (Charles Runnells, 2006)
“A rock musical about a ‘sweet transvestite’ from Transsexual, Transylvania ... doesn't sound like it would go over well in conservative Southwest Florida.
“Well, the camp classic is back for a third season at the Naples Dinner Theatre, and it's a blast. Director Michael Wainstein pulls out all the stops and winds up with a sexy, funny, rocking good time.”
— “Rocky Horror Picture Show” (Drew Sterwald, 2003)
“Barry Marcus’ every mannerism, every vocal inflection contributes to a fully embodied characterization of the much-performed Russian peasant.
“His poor man is a rich mixture of emotions — ambition, devotion, disappointment, hope — that play across his face and alter the dynamics of his voice.
“It's a plum role, and Marcus makes the most of it.
— “Fiddler on the Roof” (Drew Sterwald, 2002)
“To call ‘La Cage Aux Folles’ colorful would be the understatement of the year. This musical comedy bursts with so much color and glitz it could almost get by without stage lighting.”
— “La Cage Aux Folles” (Charles Runnells, 2001)
“Sizzling and sexy, ‘Ain't Misbehavin'’ shimmies off the stage at the Naples Dinner Theatre, turning the bordello-red venue into a hothouse of lust, jealousy and longing.
“Directed and staged by Michael Wainstein with musical direction by Ben Bedenbaugh, the show steams by in about two hours, propelled by passionate singing and playing.”
— “Ain’t Misbehavin’” (Drew Sterwald, 2001)
“First you hear the rhythm, a chugging, hypnotic, almost tribal beat on a scuffed rehearsal floor. Then the curtain raises partway to reveal a line of fiercely tapping legs, pounding with percussive fury, pounding, pounding, pounding.
“The effect is nothing short of stunning.”
— “42nd Street” (Charles Runnells, 2000)
“The ensemble of 16 rises, their voices soaring, their movements expressing passion. A viewer can't helped but be stirred by the grand scale of it all.”
— “Evita” (Drew Sterwald, 2000)
“I hate to keep harping on the same subject here, but let's give credit where it's due. Something miraculous is happening at Naples Dinner Theatre.
“This troupe has topped itself with every show, continuously wowwing this critic with some of the best, most consistent musical theatre in Southwest Florida. And it's current production of "Godspell" does nothing to break that admirable habit.”
— “Godspell” (Charles Runnells, 2000)
“What counts is that the performers are loaded with talent, beginning with Ethan Popp playing piano on stage.
“They sing with such purity of tone playgoers surely must be lifted to a higher plane.”
— “Forever Plaid” (Maureen Bashaw, 1999)