Photo courtesy of Homewood Theatre.
A scene from Homewood Theatre’s 2023 rendition of “’Til Beth Do Us Part.” Homewood Theatre is partnering with the Homewood Public Library for a Valentine’s Day dinner theater in February and will be performing “’Til Beth Do Us Part.”
When adult services librarian Leslie West first came to the Homewood Public Library 12 years ago, she was captivated by the success of the library’s long-running Mystery Dinner Theatre.
“I thought, man, this is so popular, we should try to do this for Valentine’s Day,” West said.
Eleven years later, the Valentine’s Dinner Theatre show is still going.
This year’s show, “Til Beth Do Us Part,” is a romantic comedy about a career-driven Southern woman, Suzannah Hayden, who brings in her new personal assistant, Beth Bailey, to “make her household run more efficiently.” Little does she know that her husband, Gibby (who hasn’t been attentive to their marriage lately), is about to be a part of that change as well. The play was written by playwrights Jessie Jones, Nicholas Hope and Jamie Wooten. Wooten was a longtime writer and producer of the classic NBC comedy “The Golden Girls.”
The library will hold two performances at its large auditorium: one on Friday, Feb. 9, and another on Saturday, Feb. 10. Tickets are $45 per adult, and the price includes dinner provided by Christian Catering Co.
“It’s a buffet meal that includes a chicken dish, saffron rice, tossed salad and yeast rolls,” West said. “And for dessert, we always have their bread pudding. It’s phenomenal. It’s the final blow to your senses at the end of the meal.”
The buffet begins at 6:30 p.m., and the show starts at 7:30 p.m.
This also is the first year the Homewood Public Library has teamed up with the Homewood Theatre.
“We’re excited to work with our own community theater,” West said. “I hope to do this for years to come.”
West said she first met Homewood Theatre Executive Director Kyle Bass at the Homewood State of the City dinner last year, and she was immediately drawn to his energy and enthusiasm.
“I thought, ‘This is the time to try something different,’” West said. “I knew I would really enjoy working with him.”
Bass said he was “tickled to death” when West asked him to work with her.
“They are all fabulous over there. They get good crowds. They’re moving and shaking up there at the Homewood Library,” Bass said.
Their first collaboration was last fall’s Mystery Dinner Theatre production, “Catch Me if You Can,” a classic Broadway play not related to the 2010 movie. West said it was a full house, and the show was well received.
“They have great actors. They’re all very funny and engaging,” she said. “You can’t ask for anyone better than Kyle and his people,” West said.
Bass said the Valentine’s Day show will have what he calls “six hunks of dynamite” performing, including David Coker, who recently toured with “How the Grinch Stole Christmas! The Musical!,” and newcomer Kristin Staskowski, a seasoned actress who will be doing her first performance with the Homewood Theatre.
“It’s a different audience and a different space for us to work with,” Bass said. “It’s been kind of fun for us to learn how we can move everything up the street.”
Tickets went on sale Jan 5 at homewoodpubliclibrary.org/vdt. For more information, contact West at 205-332-6620.
