(out of 
)There has been a small resurgence of Dinner Theatres in the Valley of the Sun, after the boom and bust of the Murder Mystery variation of this genre earlier in the '90s. The latest rise has been in the "comedy wedding" type, and now the "dinner and a show" type. The latest contender is The Barn Comedy Theater, which is a resurrection of the popular steak house on Bell Road that nearly fell victim to its Arrowhead area restaurant usurpers. The good news is that The Barn is still offering great steaks. The bad news is that the show that goes along with it is not exactly polished. Given that this is their first attempt at what they hope will be several shows on a changing schedule, what does work in the show is a hopeful sign that things will get better as they get the hang of it.
Newly arrived in Phoenix, longtime Wyoming dinner theatre producer
Rocky Joe Quarles has rode in on his white horse just in
the nick of time to save The Barn restaurant, silly western script
in hand and generous talent in adlibbing under his ten gallon
hat. While many in "Rocky's Rascals," the performing
group he has brought together, are not as talented as he, Wild
Bill's Calamity at the Bull Belch Saloon rides on his
and his sidekick Lana Lyon's hilarious comic abilities,
and raise this show from painful punniness to generally enjoyable,
inane fun.
For the dinner part of this production, three choices are offered,
as well as extras like appetizers and desserts. The paltry appetizer
of fried mushrooms and onion rings was hardly worth the effort,
and the rolls were bland. After a lengthy wait (the house was
full on the Saturday night I took my parents), the dinner arrived.
While the pedestrian and cold mixed veggies were nothing to talk
about, the 10-ounce steak proved to be as tasty as The Barn restaurant
had ever offered, a great cut of meat cooked precisely to my request.
Also, my mother enjoyed her chicken, which had a very tasty marinade.
In this case, the supporting cast did little to bring down the
solidity of the star of the plate.
Ironically, the same can be said of the show that followed. Except
for a longish search for those in the audience with birthdays
and anniversaries that preceded the show, which should have been
taken care of by the box office when taking reservations, Mr.
Quarles showed his comic prowess during his introduction. His
natural rapport with the audience and self-assured way set the
tone for the entire evening. Once the silly exploits of Wild Bill
and Ms. Lyon as his wife, Calamity Jane, got underway, it was
obvious that silliness and lowbrow was the order of the day. The
hackneyed story by Kathy L. Stainbrook centers on a lien
coming due on the Hickock's saloon, all in the control of an evil
lawyer-wannabee, his inept assistant, and the daughter of the
Hickock's that the assistant loves. Despite this, Mr. Quarles
manages to string together as many silly and effective jokes as
possible without ever interrupting what there is of the plot.
The show, by all rights, is more stand-up routine than theatre
presentation. The moments when this fact is forgotten, the show
crawls until Mr. Quarles and Ms. Lyon can come to its rescue once
more. An example of this is when villain Wyatt Hyatt, played by
last minute replacement Ryan Hood, and his atrociously
inane assistant, Meeshaw, played over-the-top by Samuel Haldiman,
plan out their evil intentions during the song "Illegalese."
Other similarly silly songs are dropped in, such as the unlikely
love song sung sweetly by daughter Billijane, Kimanne Moss,
but these are filler until the jokes begin once more in earnest.
There are admittedly some clever moments, such as the shows final
slow-mo dumbshow with music by Phil Collins(!), but it's the jokes
that keep this show from becoming unwatchable.
The prospect of more western dinner shows at The Barn is a hopeful
one, as long as the quality of the appetizers and sides can rise
to the level of the main course, and the same can be done with
the food. Pure escapism has its place, and hopefully, The Barn
will be where it hangs its hat.
Production Details:
Wild Bill's Calamity at the Bull Belch Saloon by Kathy
L. Stainbrook
Rocky's Rascals
The Barn Comedy Theatre, Glendale
(602) 979-6382
Through May 2nd, 1999