Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

Sagebrush wreaths adorn the concessions stand, melting snow is seeping through the cracks of the Ole' Building (though no icicles have formed yet), the elk are out grazing five miles north of town and two inches of new snow is covering the sidewalks of Jackson Hole, making that crunching sound under your boot wherever you walk.

Yes, Christmas is here in Jackson Hole once again!


And along with the season comes one of the best Christmas shows yet! "Christmas At The Playhouse" is full of silly fun, corny jokes, and heartfelt songs that are sure to get you in the Christmas 'wassailing' mood.

Speaking of which, the Playhouse, for the first time ever, is offering festive alcoholic beverages. It's still pretty early to tell, but they seem to be selling well and with good reason too! From Hot Cocoa with Bailey's or Peppermint Schnapps to Wassail with Rum, the new drink menu is sure to keep you warm and toasty while you enjoy dinner & the show. Then of course we're offering a small but selective bar menu including gin, rum, whiskey, and vodka along with a Pinot Grigio white wine and a Cabernet Sauvignon red and a lager and pale ale from the local Snake River Brewing Company.

Mind you, this is only supplementing the delicious entrees which we're cooking back in the kitchen this Christmas season.

From Prime Rib to Salmon, with sides of sweet mash potatoes to wild rice, the food is absolutely delectable.

Anyway, I deviate. It's easy to do when we have such good food and drink. This year's show "Christmas At The Playhouse" is one of the funnest show ever! Paul Nelson, who recently starred as Bellomy in the very successful run of The Fantasticks at the Playhouse, is the director/writer of this year's ensemble of Christmas carols, jokes, stories, and joy. Our opening night was a stupendous success. We had a lot of concierges from local hotels so they could spread the word once the tourists start showing up, along with a lot of the Garnick family and friends which was great!

Saturday's show was a little bit smaller but not any less fun. We were having so much fun we even made up some of our own lyrics to one of that classic Christmas song, "Let It Snow":

Ben: "The fire is slowly dying,
and my steer, we're still good-bying..."
Savanna: (giggling)
Audience: (giggling)
All: (laughing)

It goes to show that when you're having fun, even the mistakes the audience catch don't really matter. It's all about maintaining happy spirits and good intentions and giving it to the people you interact with daily. :)

Monday and Tuesday's shows were canceled due to lack of people. So the cast filled up their time bundled up like eskimos, cajoling around the town of Jackson, singing Christmas songs from the show and handing out brochures and two-for-one comps to more concierges at local businesses and hotels. If you're reading this blog, spread the word! Or keep us in your prayers, good chi, and power of intention. Either that, or come see us yourself! Even twice. Christmas time only comes but once a year!

Anyway, that's the newest development here at the Jackson Hole Playhouse! Hope your season is filled with warm greetings, gifts of love and...may all your days be merry and bright!

Have yourself a merry little Christmas!

Monday, March 15, 2010

Spring is almost here in Jackson Hole!! We're all preparing for the April thaw, and with that comes the excitement of another summer season at the Historic Jackson Hole Playhouse. This year, we are proud to present, Annie Get Your Gun. We are currently casting, and have already auditioned in Utah, California, Wyoming, Idaho, New York, Lander, Alabama, Guam, and St. Thomas Islands. There will be some familiar faces returning to our cast as well as some talented new ones! The theater is starting her post-hibernating ritual waking. She stretches, yawns, scratches her back side, and opens her sleepy eyes. This is our favorite time of year, as we sweep the stage, turn back on all the lights, and start popping the best popcorn this side of the Mississippi. The set designers, costumers, lighting crews, prop managers, sound engineers, and musicians are already getting in and working on the stage. You ask yourself, What's all the rush? What's all the Ballyhoo and why all the Rigmarole? Perfection takes time folks!! We only want to give our guests the best, just as we've been doing year after year. So, I will keep you posted as we get things ready, all you have to do is call now 307-733-6994 to reserve your seats for dinner and show. And when you do call, tell them you want the early bird special, and there will be a free sarsaparilla with your reservation. If they give you any guff, tell them your a guest of Conway and your sarsaparilla will be waiting for you when you arrive! There's NO BUSINESS LIKE SHOW BUSINESS!!!