For theater lovers, foodies, and everyone who misses Circle Bar B, Nancy Gutfreund and Joan Robb Fradkin have teamed up to produce what Gutfreund calls “elevated dinner theater.” Their show, A Dark and Stormy Night, a traditional murder mystery, will play at Opal Restaurant this fall. Guests will enjoy a three-course dinner, libations, and a killer, comic conundrum to unravel. “Behind all this was the idea of bringing something new to Santa Barbara,” says Gutfreund. “Upscale dinner theater. I love the idea of fine food in a nice atmosphere … having fun Santa Barbara style.”
A Dark and Stormy Night (written and directed by Fradkin) is set in the home of a best-selling author, where Mr. Harrington of Harrington Publishers has called a meeting to discuss “up-and-coming” writers with potential. “It’s totally a parody, filled with clichés,” says Fradkin. “We’ve got the cliché maid. And the cliché seductress. And the cliché jealous girlfriend. I told the actors when we did our read-through, ‘There’s no backstories here. No big subtext. Think of yourself as cartoon characters. Caricatures.’” Like the best dinner theater, interactive elements prevent the audience from passive observance, keeping them engaged with solving the mystery.
Gutfreund and Fradkin say that a big impetus for creating this production was bringing the community together in a positive environment and providing opportunities to local performers. They’ve also teamed up with community nonprofits, with a portion of ticket proceeds donated to the Santa Barbara Wildlife Care Network.
At the time of writing, the show still has remaining tickets for almost-sold-out performances on October 15 and 22 (with a potential third show in the works). Performers include Nick Woolf, Matthew Tavianini, Alaina Dean, Felicia Palmer, Jonathan Malindine, and Ivy Vahanian, with S.B. theatre stalwart Maggie Mixsell offering production consultation.
Due to high demand, performances on October 15 and 22 are now sold out, with an additional performance added on November 12. Email Nancy Gutfreund for tickets at ngmft@aol.com.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect the addition of a a third performance on November 12.
