After nearly six months, Capital City Productions is ready to open its doors to an audience again.
The Jefferson City dinner theater group has been working on renovating its facility at Wicker Lane since moving there in January. The all-volunteer organization took on more than $150,000 in renovations and an ambitious schedule that originally sought to begin performances in late January. But delays led to shows being moved, postponed or canceled as work slowly progressed.
Tonight, the theater will officially open for the premiere of "Bonnie & Clyde: The Musical."
Director Ed Hanson said it's been quite a process. Auditions were first held in February, and they quickly began the rehearsal process - but, three weeks in, they had to shut down as the global pandemic halted much of daily business in Mid-Missouri in March. It wasn't until May 4 that rehearsals started back up, Hanson said, noting they lost a few cast members who couldn't make the new schedule work.
At the same time, they've had to rehearse in a space actively being renovated, which presented another set of challenges. Hanson said that during rehearsals earlier this week, they could hear the work on the drywall in the lobby or the stalls in the bathroom.
"We got a little bit of a double whammy," Hanson said as he described the challenges they faced this spring. "The show is definitely going to be worth it."
The musical tells the story of famed criminal couple Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow, who, along with their gang, became known for robberies across the central United States, including Missouri, during the Great Depression. Hanson said the show brings in a lot of historical accuracy and tries to give the audience an idea of the lives they lived.
"It gives you an interesting perspective of what drove them to find one another and to set out on this spree," Hanson said, noting the couple often were seeking publicity more than anything.
Parker had long dreamed of being famous, wanting to be an actress, he said. Given the era of the Great Depression, the pair's exploits were widely reported and many became fans of the criminal couple.
"They kind of took on this whole cult status," Hanson said. "The country was enamored with them."
The show features several musical numbers generally kept in the theme of the 1930s, Hanson said, describing them as having beautiful melodies and a few with that 1930s big band feel.
Hanson is the founder of Talking Horse Productions, a black box theater in Columbia. Because of his black box theater experience, which emphasizes a minimal approach to sets and costumes to focus on the acting, Hanson said he was approached to take on this production, which doesn't have large sets and relies more on a background projection to set the scenes. He noted the projections used at CCP will be the original projections from the Broadway production in New York City. The show will also include a real car from the 1930s, Hanson said.
In opening amid a global pandemic, CCP founder Rob Crouse said the organization has adopted a number of measures to incorporate enhanced cleaning and disinfecting procedures and enforce social distancing through seating reductions and table spacing. There will also be new serving procedures for the buffet.
But as recently as Monday, it was still in question whether the facility would be able to open.
Crouse said the Wicker Lane facility was inspected by city officials Tuesday and was ready to open. The group had been trying to get its occupancy permit, and though CCP will open tonight, it's with a temporary permit.
Jason Turner, spokesman for the Jefferson City Fire Department, said the issue is a needed sprinkler system the organization cannot yet afford. Turner said the department required the organization to adopt a number of fire safety measures, including a fire lane, marked exits, smoke detectors and a fire alarm. To allow the group to open and perform without the permanent permit, Turner said, the department cut the facility's occupancy down and adopted other measures, such as no open flames or bulky items and requiring an announcement before all shows that details procedures in case of emergency.
The plan, Turner said, is to return in 12 months and re-evaluate, with the hope the group will be in a better financial position to install the needed sprinklers, get the occupancy back up and receive a permanent permit.
Tickets are $38 and can be purchased at capitalcityproductions.org or by calling 573-681-9612. Doors will open at 6 p.m. tonight at 719 Wicker Lane, with dinner served at 6:30 p.m. and the show starting at 7:30 p.m. Performances are set for Friday and Saturday at the same times, as well as June 4-6. Matinee performances are set for Saturday and June 6, with doors opening at 11 a.m., dinner served at noon and the show starting at 1 p.m.