Performance: “Til Death Do Us Part” (Ovation Dinner Theatre)
When: Saturday, Sept. 12 at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m.
Where: The Smyrna Opera House
7 W. South St.
Smyrna, DE 19977
To kick off the season, Smyrna Opera House will be hosting ‘Til Death Do Us Part by Ovation Dinner Theatre on Saturday, Sept., 12 at 6:30 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 13 at 3:30 p.m.
“This is the start of our fall season lineup because we are quiet in the summer months,” Emily Cummings, Smyrna Opera House communications manager, said. “We spent some time getting a lineup for our fall season and this performance will be our celebration to kick it off!”
Known as a hilarious comedy and murder mystery, ‘Til Death Do Us Part shows two unlikely families together in Holy Matrimony. The marriage is between Miss Stormy Fairweather and Mr. Jethro P. Gizzard. Miss Stormy Fairweather belongs to the DuPoint/ Fairweather ancestry while Mr. Jethro P. Gizzard is apart of the Nanticoke/Mispillion/Brandywne/Indian River ancestry. If this doesn’t make sense to you now, it will when you enjoy this event put on by the Ovation Dinner Theatre from Bethany Beach.
“We haven’t done a dinner theatre in awhile and this is the first time Ovation Dinner Theatre has performed here so we are really excited!” Cummings said. “We have 80 seats for each performance and they are really starting to fill up.”
This type of performance involves a great deal of participation from the crowd while the actors and actresses attempt to solve the mystery. The dinner will be catered by Main Street Market. Cummings says Main Street Market has catered several events for them in the past and they are really loved by the guests.
Smyrna Opera House
What began as a structure of new beginnings after the American Revolution, the Smyrna Opera House has stood on the corner of South and Main Steet for nearly one hundred and forty years, reminding the citizens of the town of the ‘past and promise for the future.’
Opening its doors in 1870, and formally known as The Old Town Hall, the building has served as a theatre, town offices, police and fire stations, a public library, a movie house, a lodge hall and a jail. The opera house was reopened in March of 2003, as a community cultural arts center promoting access to the arts in central Delaware.
The building, which has been recently renovated, boasts an art gallery, dressing rooms, box office, and other amenities making the building the cultural and social hub for the communities of Smyrna and Clayton. The opera house is operated by the non-profit Smyrna-Clayton Heritage Association.
The organization is ‘dedicated to showcasing and developing local creative, visual and performing artists while also offering affordable access to the arts and varied cultural and artistic experiences to people of all ages and backgrounds.’
What is Dinner Theater?
A meal and a staged play or cabaret-style show, that’s what dinner theater is all about. This form of live entertainment typically involves a pre-selected menu by the venue owners or a catered buffet before the show.
Supper clubs originated in the 1940s and 1950s in many popular night clubs, combining a dining room with a headlining cabaret act, variety show or big band entertainment.These supper club died out a short time later and new owners renovated the buildings to accommodate stage plays.
These dinner theater shows are usually chosen for their general appeal and relatively low production costs. Typical dinner theater shows may include a one-man show by a recognized star, an intimate cabaret performance, or an interactive murder mystery.
Links of Dinner Theaters
