Lake Theatre ready for 51st season
LAKE GEORGE, N.Y. » Lake Theatre is beginning its 51st season at the Holiday Inn Resort in Lake George with the romantic comedy “Jerry Finnegan’s Sister,” through Sept. 1.
It is a title that few people will recognize, and that is a purposeful choice. Lake Theatre has a mission not to be a stereotype dinner theater. Their goal of being unique not only includes the choice to offer fresh material, it produces those plays using professional actors. Lake Theatre is one of the smallest professional theater companies in the country to operate under an Actors’ Equity contract.
In a recent telephone interview, Jarel Davidow, who is the new artistic director, said he is continuing in the path of Terry Rabine, who had to retire because of health issues. “I consider Terry my mentor, and totally believe in his philosophy that we are not and should not be the type of dinner theater that offers only familiar plays and an average meal. We want to be professional in every way and that starts by offering material that is fresh.” As for the meals, it is a threecourse dinner served at the tables by waiters – not the traditional dinner theater buffet.
He immediately clarifies that unique takes into consideration that Lake Theatre is a commercial organization and the material they offer should be easy to digest after a good meal. “We don’t want to present dreary, dark work. Many people who come here are on vacation. They want to have fun, laugh and enjoy themselves.”
Davidow insists that “Jerry Finnegan’s Sister” is that kind of play. It’s about a guy who has been in love with his best friend’s sis- ter forever. However, he gets tongue-tied whenever he is around her, and has never been able to express his feelings to her. Nowthat she is about to get married, he realizes something has to happen soon. The story is told as a memory play and we see the two as children, adolescents, teens, young adult and finally as adults in the present. Davidow promises a funny, heartwarming experience. Two actors play all the roles.
This is not to say things remain the same at Lake Theatre. There will no longer be weekday night performances. The only evening performances will be on Fridays and Saturdays. Curtain is at 8 p.m. dinner is served starting at 6:30. There will be matinees on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, with a 1 p.m. curtain and meals served starting at 11:30 a.m.
However, the space at the Holiday Inn Resort will not be totally dark on weekday nights. Davidow is initiating a new children’s theater project which will be offered on Thursdays at 6 p.m. It is performed by the interns of the theater and consists mostly of local college students with strong backgrounds in theater. Titled “Pookahs and Yams”, it is a telling of three different folk tales from around the world. It uses an ensemble of actors and a musician. It runs less than an hour and there is a $10 charge.
Davidow sees the youth program as an important expansion project. “I want us to be more involved in the community on a yearround basis. I’d like to see projects that include more young people – either on our stages, or in our seats.” He says another of his goal is to develop a core group of local adult actors who would form the basis of a professional repertory acting company at Lake Theatre. “We have so much professional talent in the area. We should feature them.”
Davidow, who was born in Brooklyn and raised in White Plains, is no stranger to Lake George. He remembers as a child spending summers at camp in Hague. “When I did my first show here in 2012, it brought back all those fond memories of my youth.” With the exception of 2014, he’s been back as an actor/director every year since.
He relocated to Glens Falls in December and immediately found home in the theater community. He appeared in a couple of productions with Creative Place International in Saratoga Springs and is directing with Curtain Call Theatre in Latham in the fall. He taught a theater course and is trying to form new alliances with area arts groups.
But until October 13, when “The Long Weekend,” the second show of the season closes, you can find him at the Holiday Inn Resort at Lake George.