Jubilations Dinner Theatre -- Star Warz: A Galactic Rock Comedy

Each December our residents' association purchases a few tables for an evening at Jubilations Dinner Theatre at West Edmonton Mall. I'd never been to any sort of dinner theatre before and was glad for the opportunity to change that when offered an extra ticket for Star Warz: A Galactic Rock Comedy yesterday evening.

I had no clue what to expect, as we were led to our tables in a large dining room by an assortment of space creatures -- dressed in everything from capes to zentai suits -- who would be our servers for the evening. Just watching them putter around with drinks, staying in character with robotic gaits or put-on voices, was entertainment enough while we waited for everyone to be seated.

The menu was set -- roll, soup, salad, entrée, dessert, and coffee or tea -- with several Star Wars-themed options to select from:

Soon after we'd made our menu selections, an animated commander appeared on stage to welcome us to the imperial ship. He was soon joined by an eccentric cast of characters: Hand Solo [sic], Obi-wan Kenobi, Princess Leia, Darth Vader, R2-D2, a couple of storm troopers, and Luke and Darian -- husband and wife NASA astronauts.

the main cast (source)

They enthusiastically carried the audience through a clever and comedic parody, every couple of minutes breaking out in song and dance...not unlike Glee (so naturally, I loved it). The song repertoire consisted of numbers like Baba O'Riley, Dust in the Wind, The Joker, and American Girl; definitely geared towards the predominantly senior audience. Fortunately I really love classic rock, so it was fine by me. I thought the actors had fantastic singing voices and was really impressed by the amount of choreography they'd memorized -- there were so many songs!

so energetic!

The lights came on intermittently for us to have portions of our dinner, with the actors and servers walking around to mingle and entertain while we ate.

"imperial souper star destroyer" (cream of mushroom soup)

"Darth citrus" (mixed greens topped with cranberries, mandarin orange, glazed spicy pecans, and house citrus vinaigrette)

"beep beep beep beef" (roast beef with gravy, mashed potatoes, and vegetables)

"chocolate cake it is" (chocolate cake with custard filling, topped with coconut, pecans, and caramel drizzle)

We were never sitting idle for long; the food arrived quickly and it seemed that as soon as our plates from one course were cleared, the lights were down again for the play to resume.

impressively choreographed lightsaber fights (source)

Between utilizing three stages and traipsing around amongst the tables, the actors were always visible and interactive. What could easily have been corny was not at all, thanks to the cast's charisma, enthusiasm, and unfaltering energy, during the nearly four-hour-long production. From the cast to the wait staff, no one ever broke character. The production went seamlessly, with tons of technical details (sound effects, lights, a robotic spaceship) pulled off with perfect timing.

costumed servers

I thought the food was great and really enjoyed the whole production much more than I'd expected to. The play was surprisingly long and even when it looked to be over, there were a few songs to come (including Don't Stop Believin'...see, Glee-esque!). I'd definitely recommend catching a show if you can (though it's a little pricey -- the best deal being around $50 per show (including dinner) if you buy a multiple-show pass). It's just such a fun time and something different to check out! Highly recommend :)