The two dreaded words in today’s economy. Of course, it’s been “today’s economy” for about three years. And even though food prices, rent, royalties, and licensing all have gone up, our rates haven’t…at least, not until January 2012. We wish we didn’t have to do it, but there is just no avoiding it at this point. So, effective with January business, adult admission will be $42.00 for dinner and show. Seniors (age 62 & older), as well as students will be $38.00. Children between the ages of 5 and 11 will be $30.00. By the way, that still leaves us with the lowest rates for dinner theater in Maryland, which, in our opinion, still makes us the best value. (I realize that’s boastful, but…)

We opened this past weekend to two nearly sold-out houses and both performances were superb. Come and see the show. You’ll exit in wonderful spirits. There are three shows this coming weekend, (9th, 10th & 11th) so call and reserve now. Lots of beautiful holiday music and lots of Lucille’s unique philosophy. Join us.

For those of you who come here often and are not inclined to peruse the menu which appears over there to the left, take a look. We’ve just added a series of pages called “Viewing Galleries,” where you may peruse pictures of the shows produced at The Playhouse over the last couple of years. We’ll continue to add to the collection. They are candid shots taken during dress rehearsals. Some are good, some are great, some ain’t so hot, but still fun to see. Come back often to see what’s been added.

We had our first production meeting last night. The “we” was Zane Oberholzer, the director; Terry Moore, the music director; Emily DeTroye, the accompanist; and Liquored-Up Lucille (herself), the star. The show is going to be the best “Lucille production” to date.

The cast of 8 (Nicole Silver, Kelly Kozlowski, Addie Bavari, Ashley Myers, Andy Kopec, Xavier Lyles, Zane Oberholzer, and Terry Moore) will begin rehearsals soon. The show will have traditional holiday music and more current songs, all beautiful. There will be a unifying thread to the show, which is a tale of Lucille’s holiday past, present & future. (Sound familiar?) And, as always, there will be a healthy dose of Lucille’s unique philosophy. The show is already selling, so it would be a good idea to make your reservation now. LIQUOREd-UP LUCILLE’S HOLIDAY BONANZA BONANAZ. (or, Lucille’s Holiday Feeling.)

That’s the title of the interactive murder mystery that we will be producing at The Playhouse in March. It was written by Jason Hoffman, who was the director of  ALL SHOOK UP.

Here’s what it’s all about. The cast of  a hit sitcom is scheduled to do a live remote from Washington, DC. But, on their way, they get lost and their bus breaks down in Hagerstown. So, the cast is forced to do a live remote from The Washington County Playhouse. And that’s when things start going seriously wrong. Cast members begin dying, and the only witnesses are in the studio audience.

Join us for an evening of fully interactive mystery. It will leave you guessing, and possibly even “guesting.” Lots of fun. Join us.

What are you doing on New Year’s Eve? We have a ball at The Playhouse. In addition to the buffet, we also do tenderloin and lobster tails. Chef Jeff is already thinking about how he can make it even more special than last year’s Beef Wellington. (And the Bernaise was extraordinary!)

After dinner we’ll perform a one-act comedy/fantasy entitled WAITING, by J. Paul Clifford. It’s about a “soul” who is stuck at the way station between death and the final destination, and what he does to move on.

Then, after a brief intermission, we’ll do LIQUORED-UP LUCILLE’S HOLIDAY BONANZA BONANAZ. Lots of singing, dancing, and general fun and foolishness. Lucille will give her thoughts on 2011 and predictions for 2012.

At midnight, we’ll have a champagne (or sparkling cider) toast to commemorate the new year’s arrival. Then a continental breakfast and dancing ’til you drop. (Drop or leave…that’s up to you. And, as usual, we won’t be in any hurry to get you out the door. We love having you stay and enjoy yourself.)

We’ve still got room for you at this point, but call soon. We fill up quickly. It’s still only $75.00/person. And if you didn’t use your season ticket in December (if you’ve got one), you can use it as a discount coupon and get in for only $50! Woo-Hoo! We’re going to have a ball, as we always do. Come on down and join us.

When a show sells as well as JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECHNICOLOR DREAMCOAT is, I get a lot of calls from folks who ask if they can get seats where they aren’t sitting next to “strangers.” I explain to them that they should think of The Playhouse as a theater which also serves dinner. When you go to a busy theater, at least two in your party are going to be seated next to “strangers.” At The Playhouse, the fact that you’re eating dinner in the same seats as you will be while watching the performance, you get the opportunity to get acquainted with other folks who share at least one thing in common with you…you both like theater. And that’s usually enough. We have lots of folks who always book together who were once, a while ago, strangers, who by chance, were seated next to each other. So, don’t be shy. Expect to make new friends. You will.

Believe it or not, before I met my wife, Loretta, she was known as Lorrie. Everyone called her that. For some reason, I typically call people by their full given names. So, most people who know her through me, know her as Loretta. But, when I decided to start an annual award program for The Playhouse, and to name it after the Playhouse’s owner, “the Loretta Awards” just didn’t sound right to me. So, “The Lorrie Awards” it became.

Now to the point: last year, only those who were involved in productions were allowed to vote for their favorites. That made it a rather small pool of eligible voters. So, this season, which ends with JOSEPH AND THE AMAZING TECNICOLOR DREAMCOAT, I’ve decided to open it up to season ticket holders. So, after JOSEPH closes, we will make ballots available to season ticket holders by which they can vote for their favorite shows, actors, actresses, directors, music directors, and choreographers. Details will follow, so keep your eye on the web site.

Our holiday show this year will be a Lucille excursion. This time, instead of through Broadway, it will be through the holidays, with music, new and old, scenes from favorite holiday shows, dancing, and holiday comedy. Terry Moore is going to musically direct it for us. It is not yet cast, so if you’d like to be considered for a role, drop me a line or give me a call. We need four female singers who dance, four male singers who dance, and two youngsters with beautiful voices. It will be fun…I promise.

Abe Lincoln’s famous quotation about “fooling” people is often modified to make it more noble. For example, a frequent permutation of it is, “You can please some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time. But you can’t please all of the people all of the time.

This version, about pleasing people is a focus in the theater business. In fact, it’s axiomatic. Producers have to be singular in their efforts to please as many people as they possibly can, because that’s how they survive, by putting fannies in seats. But, no successful producer can afford to accept the law of understanding that they cannot possibly please everyone. They have to try!

If someone is pleased with a show, they may “talk it up.” But, then again, they may not. However, if someone is NOT pleased with a production, they almost always “talk it down.” So, the few who were not pleased can do a lot of damage. It is quite a quandary.

Now let me add another quote to the production equation. It is from Samuel Johnson, and dates back to 1765. The drama’s laws, the drama patrons give. For those who live to please, must please to live.”

Based on an understanding of these two famous quotes, how does one choose what shows to put on the stage and what shows to ignore? One bit of data we use, and on which we rely heavily, is whether or not WCP has produced it in the past, and how well it did at the box office. Theater at our level doesn’t have to present new work. In fact, our experience tells us that new work doesn’t sell very well at all. If our audiences don’t know the show, they don’t buy the ticket. And I guess that’s okay. It’s kind of like going to a restaurant and only ordering what you already know you like. You pass on the exotic in favor of the entrees that you know will please your palate, as it has in the past.

For example, last season we produced GODSPELL (for the third time in 25 years), HOW TO SUCCEED IN BUSINESS (for the third time), BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS (for the third time), THAT HOLIDAY FEELING (for the third time), THE ODD COUPLE (for the fourth time), and OLIVER (for the third time). And most people who saw those shows, enjoyed them. But, some people didn’t enjoy them. In fact, some people took exception to some of the productions because they felt the producton was inappropriate.

As a committed producer, I have to tell you that I take no comfort in the concept of not being able to please all of the people all of the time. Pleasing everyone is exactly my objective. There is however, one maxim in which I do take a small measure of solace. It is “Aim high. If you miss, you’re much better off than if you aimed low.