Copperstate Dinner Theater

Apr 12 2010

Greater Tuna at ABT

Category: Archives,Events — Webmaster @ 8:47 am

The Copperstate Dinner Theater At Arizona Broadway Theatre is pleased to announce the opening of the hilarious comedy Greater Tuna. It will play in The Encore Room at ABT April 23 – May 30, 2010*.

Visit Tuna, Texas!! Greater Tuna is the hilarious comedy about Texas’ third smallest town, where the Lion’s Club is too liberal and Patsy Cline never dies. With a witheringly satiric look at small towns and even smaller minds, Greater Tuna lampoons every form of prejudice with humor and wit. The eclectic band of citizens that make up this town are portrayed by only two performers, playing 20 characters, with over 70 costume changes as they depict all of the inhabitants of Tuna — men, women, children and animals. With amazing characterizations and equally amazing quick-changes, Jack Dwyer and Peter J. Hill bring this wildly eccentric town to life!

Greater Tuna is directed by Peter J. Hill and stars Jack Dwyer and Hill recreating their AriZoni Award winning roles. Seating in The Encore Room is very limited, so early reservations are highly recommended.

Greater Tuna will play in The Encore Room of The Arizona Broadway Theater, 7701 W. Paradise Lane. Performances are Friday & Saturday evenings with dinner 6:30pm, curtain 8:00pm. And Sunday Matinees with dinner 12:30pm and curtain 2:00pm. The ticket price for all performances is only $39.00 per person which includes dinner and the show. Appetizers, desserts and beverages are extra. A full bar is available. Reservations can be made at (623) 776-8400.

PETER J. HILL

Originally from New York, Peter is the Producing Director of The Copperstate Dinner Theater, where, along with his wife Noel, he is proud to have led the company for the past 13 years. He is equally as proud of the more than 3 dozen AriZoni Awards for theatrical excellence that have been earned by the company during that time. As an actor, Peter has been seen in roles ranging from Antonio Salieri in Amadeus to the befuddled neighbor Stanley in Run For Your Wife and even President Harry S. Truman in Give ‘em Hell, Harry. Copperstate audiences roared when he took on the role of Psuedolus, the wily slave in our hit production of A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum. As director, he has helmed over 300 plays, musicals and revues including the Southwest Premiers of A Chorus Line, ‘night Mother, Lend Me a Tenor and 42^nd Street. As a playwright, Peter has created numerous shows including Ashes to Ashes, The Big Radio Broadcast of 1941, The Three Musketeers, Could You Repeat the Question?, Broadway by the Decade and Broadway Jukebox - all of which won the AriZoni Award for Best Original Production of the Year. He is currently at work on a new musical stage adaptation of Kipling’s The Man Who Would Be King. Peter was also honored in 2009 with the Outstanding Contribution Award from the AriZonis for his lifetime contribution to theater in the valley. Peter lives by the Motto: “I can’t, I have rehearsal”.

JACK DWYER

Jack is thrilled to be recreating his role as Arles and the rest of the gang in Tuna. “I have missed my friends from Tuna, they are definitely an odd bunch, but start to grow on you”. Jack has been performing on local stages since 1982 when he arrived here from the thriving metropolis of Princeton, IL. He has worked with almost every theatre company in the Valley including several shows here at Copperstate, Phoenix Theatre, Actors Lab, Actors Theatre, Arizona Jewish Theatre, and NAU Rep. Theatre. A few of Jack’s favorite roles have been Dracula, Chaz in Footlight Frenzy, Mortimer in The Fantastiks, and Smee in Peter Pan. By day Jack is a landscape designer. When not in a show, Jack is a very active youth baseball coach having run a local club team sponsored by the Chandler Lumber Company for four years.

*There will be no performances on May 8, 9, 15, 16, 21, 22 or 23.

Tags: greater-tuna-at-abt

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Nov 10 2009

Country Jukebox at New Venue!

Category: Events — Webmaster @ 2:57 pm

Hello Friends:

Well, it’s no secret that The Greyhound Park is closing, and with it The Copperstate Dinner Theater will close at that location as well. You’ll notice I said – at this location!! I promised to let you know and now you’re the first to hear about it… Copperstate is not closing, but only moving! Noel and I are very happy to announce that The Copperstate Dinner Theater will re-open at it’s new location inside The Encore Room of The Arizona Broadway Theatre!

That’s right. The valley’s newest dinner theater, Arizona Broadway Theatre has joined forces with the valley’s oldest, Copperstate, to create a new entertainment venue. Copperstate will be moving into The Arizona Broadway Theatre’s intimate Encore Room beginning Jan. 8th with the world premier of Country Jukebox! Right now plans are for the show to play weekends until Jan. 31st. If the new venue is a hit with our Copperstate customers like you, we have plans to make this a permanent collaboration.

Okay, here’s the details. Country Jukebox will open Jan. 8th, 2010 and will play through Jan 31st inside the intimate Encore Room of the Arizona Broadway Theatre, 7701 West Paradise Lane in Peoria. Performances are Friday & Saturday evenings dinner 6:30, curtain 8:00. Sunday matinees are presented with dinner 12:30 and curtain 2:00. The ticket price for all performances is only $39.00 per person which includes dinner and the show. Appetizers, desserts and beverages are extra. A full bar is available. Reservations can be made at (623) 776-.8400. Everyone, that’s only 4 weekends and the beautiful Encore Room only seats around 60 people, so call now for your reservations or you’ll miss out!!

Please notice that new phone number for reservations! (623) 776-.8400. That’s the Arizona Broadway Theatre’s box office. Call today at 623-776-8400 for reservations! Just ask for tickets for Country Jukebox! It’s a very intimate room and seating is very limited, so call today!

Country Jukebox is the World’s First and Only Interactive Country Musical!! Country Jukebox is the world’s most unique musical revue. During their delicious dinner, audiences are invited to select their favorites from our giant jukebox of over 100 of the greatest Country songs ever written. The choices are tallied and a brand-new, world premier revue, created by the audience, is brought to life before their very eyes by our talented and versatile cast. Each show is as unique and as different as the audience that created it! Broadway Jukebox was an enormous hit 4 years ago at Copperstate, winning many awards including being named Best Original Musical by both the AriZoni Awards and The East Valley Tribune, Hollywood Jukebox played to sold out houses and Christmas Jukebox also won the AriZoni Award for Best Production of the Year for the 2008-09 season. Country Jukebox is sure to be a hit as well.

Country Jukebox is produced by the Copperstate Dinner Theater, and was created and directed by Copperstate’s Producing Director, Peter J. Hill, and choreographed by Noel Irick. Reynaldo Saenz is the show’s musical director, and Flora Mogerman is the piano accompanist. Country Jukebox stars Kathy Donald, Charlie Jourdan, Dominic Kidwell, Amy Powers and Janine Smith.

See you at the NEW theater!
Peter J. Hill

Tags: country-jukebox

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Nov 02 2009

Return Engagement of Christmas Jukebox

Category: Events — Webmaster @ 12:15 pm

The Copperstate Dinner Theater At Phoenix Greyhound Park is pleased to announce the return of the world’s most unique musical revue Christmas Jukebox.

Christmas Jukebox was just named Best Original Production of the Year by the AriZoni Awards and so, Copperstate is bringing it back! The World’s First and Only Interactive Holiday Musical!! Christmas Jukebox is the world’s most unique musical revue. During their delicious dinner, audiences are invited to select their favorites from our giant jukebox of over 100 of the greatest holiday songs ever written. The choices are tallied and a brand-new, world premier holiday revue, created by the audience, is brought to life before their very eyes by our talented and versatile cast. Each show is as unique and as different as the audience that created it! Broadway Jukebox was an enormous hit 4 years ago at Copperstate, winning many awards including being named Best Original Musical by both the AriZoni Awards and The East Valley Tribune, Hollywood Jukebox played to sold out houses and Christmas Jukebox is sure to be a hit as well.

When no two shows are ever the same, it can be – to put it mildly – a challenge. As exciting for the performers as it is for the audience, a great part of the show takes place backstage out of the audience’s sight. Christmas Jukebox requires an amazing cast of actors whose versatility is put to the test each night as they adapt to the demands of each evening’s audience. Only one half hour before curtain, the cast mingles with the audience, and collects their jukebox selections for the evening. The pages are then carried backstage where the choices are quickly tallied and the most requested songs are compiled. With the help of the staff, songs are frantically put in dramatic and comedic order, divided by style, duets and ensemble numbers and then with literally only minutes to go until curtain, the final list is copied on to a giant whiteboard which is posted backstage, just in time for the cast to make their first entrance!

Peter J. Hill, who created Broadway Jukebox, Hollywood Jukebox and Christmas Jukebox, says that the audience misses possibly the most entertaining part of the show. “Half the fun is watching the performers prepare each show. Since they have no idea what they will be singing each night, this show really keeps them on their toes! Remember, the six member cast must have nearly 100 songs at the ready – lyrics, harmonies and even the dance steps. To call that daunting is a gross understatement!”

“I had this idea a few years back and after Broadway Jukebox was named ‘Best Original Musical of the Year’ by both the AriZoni Awards and The East Valley Tribune, I knew I just had to do this at the Holidays. We’re all so frantic at this time of year, I see no reason why our entertainment shouldn’t have a frantic edge to it too!”

The Copperstate Dinner Theater production of Christmas Jukebox is created and directed by Copperstate’s Producing Director Peter J. Hill, choreographed by Noel Irick and musically directed and accompanied by Reynaldo Saenz. It stars Kathy Donald, Peter J. Hill, Noel Irick, Charlie Jourdan and Amy Powers.

Christmas Jukebox will play at the Copperstate Dinner Theater, 3801 E. Washington inside the Phoenix Greyhound Park. Performances are Friday & Saturday evenings dinner 6:30, curtain 8:00, with Sunday matinees with dinner 12:30 and curtain 2:00. The ticket price for all performances is only $39.95 per person which includes dinner and the show as well as tax and gratuity. Dinner is a sit-down service, not buffet, with a choice of four delicious entrees: prime rib, grilled salmon filet, teriyaki chicken breast, and vegetable lasagna. Meals come with side dishes, salad with choice of dressing, rolls and butter. Appetizers, desserts and beverages are extra. A full bar is available. Reservations can be made at (602) 279-3129.

Tags: christmas-jukebox-2009

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