With so many positive qualities, it is hard to decide where to begin a recommendation for attending a show at Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre in Goodfield.
Permit me then to further explicate the title of this column. Theater as a business activity is indeed a “magnificent invalid” completely devoid of economies of scale. A medium budget film may turn a profit during its first weekend; $50 million box office sales are commonplace. Add in DVD, foreign distribution and cross-over merchandise and soon we are talking real money.
Furthermore the “product” will have a shelf life for as long as technology exists to show it, and re-runs generate revenue for years. This is an economy of scale cash cow. Conversely, theater, the magnificent invalid, is a custom, hand-made product that must be re-manufactured for each performance. A “re-run” comes in the form of a revival which is the current offering at Conklin’s to kick off its celebration of 40 years of entertaining central Illinois audiences.
Think of that, 40 years in business in one of the most difficult businesses known…show biz.
“Is There Life After Fifty?” played to sold-out houses (Barns?) this past summer and is now back by popular demand and is already sold out for all Saturday performances through March 1.
Although the script is unremarkable, it is played with skill and energy by the accomplished actors. Most notably is Lana Warner, who received applause for her exit with an ironing board on opening night (trust me, you had to be there, but you can see for yourself if you go). She is joined by Barn veterans: Bob Lane Jr., John Johnson and Maria Lane, also Dan Challacombe, who could no doubt make me laugh by reading the phone book.
Some theaters are known for the playwright. Shakespeare’s Globe comes to mind. The Barn is an actor’s theater and as such goes to the very roots of live performance. These talented actors through their energy, delivery, pacing and skill take a script that is infinitely forgettable and turn it into comic gold.
Aside from the acting, another reason to go is to experience seeing a play in the Barn, which becomes a character in the evening as surely as those on the stage. The joy of looking at the scale of the wooden structure while the actors double as servers of soup and salad is part of the overall experience.
These grand agrarian structures are slowly disappearing from the landscape as more farms give up on livestock operations in favor of commodity row crops of corn and beans. The Barn Alliance is a statewide group dedicated to preserving these massive structures but without very deep pockets a structure such as Conklin’s would probably not survive.
In the film, “Babes in Arms” from 1937 starring Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney the famous line “I’ve got a barn, let’s put on a show” is spoken. Well, they could only wish to have such a barn as Conklin’s. It is both expansive and intimate at the same time and a wonderful theater space.
The old line about dinner theater is, “ham on stage, roast beef on the table,” and that is celebrated at the Barn with each performance. The food is really very good. The service is excellent and the procedure for moving a few hundred people through the buffet is smooth and efficient. After 40 years they have it down and could give lessons on customer satisfaction for many local restaurants. Bring your own bottle of wine if desired and the wait staff will uncork it for you.
The final reason to go to Conklin is the incomparable Mary Simon, a consummate actress with a voice as warm as melted summer butter and as smooth as honey. She is the heart and soul of this tax-paying, non-subsidized business which consistently provides employment for 25 workers and entertainment to hundreds four times a week. That she has been able to keep the doors open without the benefit of selling alcohol for years is testament to her business acumen. She combines the characteristics of a work-horse and a show-horse. She is the real deal and is currently beginning the 40th season at the Barn. That success in show business only happens by delivering the goods each night.
I encourage you to give the Barn a visit instead of sending your teenagers off to see “Hangover 3” or any such current must see. Give them a real treat of a dinner and a show. Let them experience how life used to be. You will have a great time. The box office number is: 965-2545.