08/31/2007

Record-Eagle/Jan-Michael Stump
The cast of “Blue Moon Memories,” running at the Williamsburg Showcase Dinner Theater through Oct. 27. There also will be performances Nov. 3 and 24.

Where generations meet

Dinner theater rolls out 'Blue Moon Memories'

By AL PARKER

Special to the Record-Eagle

ACME — The decade of the 1950s — complete with coonskin caps, hula hoops and westerns all over the TV dial — is the era that gave birth to rock 'n' roll.

When Bill Haley's "Rock Around The Clock” became popular in 1955, Americans learned to swing to a whole new sound. The feel-good music of that era reflected a post World War II optimism in America in which teens were an emerging force. They were looking for music that was more exciting than the sounds of their parents.

A new dinner show at the Williamsburg Showcase Dinner Theater, "Blue Moon Memories,” pays homage to the popular music of those days. The show is running Thursdays through Saturdays at the theater, located on M-72 just east of the intersection with U.S. 31 in Acme.

Dominic Fortuna and Dan Kelly, two veterans of the northern Michigan entertainment and dining scene, again combine their talents for this production.

"This is a true '50s show with a lot of dancing and a great tribute to Elvis focusing on his years in the '50s to his last hits,” said Fortuna, who has been entertaining audiences for 29 years with his singing and dancing.

Fortuna creates, directs and performs in the shows. Also dancing and singing is a cast that includes Ashley Moeggenberg, Sterling Hill, Sarah Kaiser, Rachel Kaiser, Dawn Michelle, David Schmidt, Amy Peebles, Tony Rinehart, Wendy Veeder, Andy Trejo and Nikki Phillips.

Sparked by the success of the group's summer show, "I Believe in Magic,” Fortuna said the dinner theater is thriving.

"It's been our best summer, our best year, yet,” he said. "This is our fourth summer and we're starting to get a lot of return customers, people who enjoy our music and come out every year to see us. Our audiences are up 20 percent.”

No '50s-era musical show would be complete without a tribute to The Rat Pack. Fortuna's program features segments on both Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, along with the under-appreciated Bobby Darin. Jerry Lee Lewis' contributions to early rock are not ignored.

Aretha Franklin and Mama Cass Elliott get their props and there's also an homage paid to the girl groups of the early '60s, including The Angels ("My Boyfriend's Back”), The Ronettes ("Be My Baby”) and Motown's own supergroup, The Supremes.

While Fortuna directs the entertainment, Kelly oversees the dining experience, offering entrees of herb-crusted, grilled beef tenderloin with a wild mushroom demi-glace, fresh salmon stuffed with scallops and shrimp, roasted duck with a dried cherry glace, or bowtie pasta with a wild mushroom ragu and asiago cheese.

Each entrée is preceded by a salad of organic spring greens, tossed with a pear-infused white balsamic vinaigrette and topped with toasted almonds and dried cherries. Dessert is a chocolate mousse cup crowned with a raspberry sauce and white chocolate.

After dinner, Fortuna greets guests and interacts with the audience, acknowledging special occasions such as anniversaries or birthdays. Then it's showtime.

"Fifties and '60s music is a place where all generations meet,” said Fortuna. "For some of our guests, it's nostalgic. For kids, it's music that they listen to and love too.”

Tickets for the dinner and show are $44.95 for adults and $30 for children 12 and under. They are available by reservation only. The theater is a no-smoking facility. Doors open at 6 p.m. for a cocktail hour, with seating promptly at 7 p.m. For more information, call 938-2181 or visit www.conventiondinnertheater.com.