Dinner, comedy and theater West End founders believe they have the right blend
Looking around the dark, blessedly cool West End Theater in Los Alamitos on a sweltering afternoon, it's hard to believe that the place used to peddle drugs.
No, no, not the illegal kind the building on Los Alamitos Boulevard, two blocks south of Katella, was the Drug Fair pharmacy for many years. But then, the store closed and the building was vacant.
"The owner had no interest in the building for years," ' said Greg Leach, West End's producer.
But the owner changed his mind when he heard that Leach and fellow West End founder Kent Johnson were looking for a home for their fledgling dinner theater. They had just been kicked out of their makeshift digs at the Prop Room at the Long Beach Airport, and it had nothing to do with security concerns after Sept. 11.
Rather, Leach said, it was the new airline in town, JetBlue, who wanted their passengers to be able to grab a meal seven days a week without also taking in a show. So the two men, who had met while working together on the Los Alamitos committee of fine arts, decided to look for space closer to home.
This was easier said than done, especially when, after years of negotiating with the powers that be on the Los Alamitos Joint Forces Training Base for the right to rent the base's theater, the theater was suddenly given to another theater company.
"Everything has led us to this spot," ' Leach said, adding that he and Johnson are still navigating the shoals of theater ownership since the West End officially opened in December with a production of "Nuncrackers." ' Shows since have included "The Mikado," ' "Forever Plaid" ' and "Guys and Dolls." ' Upcoming shows include "The Fantasticks" ' and Gilbert and Sullivan's "The Gondoliers." '
However, both men have long backgrounds in theater; Leach has performed in shows for years, and Johnson has both directed and performed. They decided to go with the dinner theater format for several reasons.
"We felt there was a market for dinner theater," ' said Leach. "We felt we could provide a package." '
Moreover, that package is meant for comfort, not drama.
The West End, both men said, is meant to be a place where people decompress, and get a meal in the process. So, the theatrical bill of fare will be mostly musicals and comedies.
"There" s enough drama in our everyday lives,'' said Johnson.
Turning a drug store into a theater wasn't as difficult as it may seem. With the help of a local architect, Leach and Johnson were able to renovate the place in about five weeks.
The result was not just a black box theater with cabaret-style seating for about 110, but also an adjoining gallery for local artists to display their work (Leisure World residents have the gallery at the moment). And, while food is not prepared on site but catered by a local firm, there's also a kitchen.
It is unlikely that the West End will ever turn into a full restaurant, Leach and Johnson said, but that doesn't mean patrons won't get a good meal. Some of the recent offerings during "Guys and Dolls" ' were asparagus with hollandaise sauce, wild rice and chicken, with New York apple strudel cheesecake.
The menu for the upcoming "Fantasticks," ' which opens June 19, has yet to be set. But Johnson, who directs the show, is excited about it for other reasons.
"I" m a student of 'The Fantasticks'; I'm passionate about it,'' he said. "I have done over 300 shows in the past 50 years, and this one has resonated." '
The show, which is a takeoff on the myth of two lovers kept apart by their family feuds, takes a new turn when the lovers are separated again when the girl falls for a con-man named El Gallo.
Johnson said he feels the West End's intimate atmosphere is great for the show.
"It" s a small show, it's a gentle show, it's funny, it's an emotional show,'' he said.
Though the show doesn't open for another two weeks, that doesn't mean the West End will be dark.
As of tonight, Leach and Johnson are turning over the theater for a comedy festival presented by a comedy group called "Funny Farm Live." '
Run by Long Beach resident Alan Katz, the festival will give three shows one tonight, one July 18 and one Aug. 1.
Tonight's theme is "Funny Fest," ' and includes sets from comics around the area.
The July show will be called "Down and Dirty" ' and promises to be just that. The August show, however, will make up for the July one with "Squeeky Clean Comedy." ' Though September is not exactly summer, the festival continues Sept. 19 with an all-female show, "Chicks of Comedy." '
In all, it's quite a change for a building whose previous claim to fame was pharmaceuticals.
Alessandra Djurklou can be reached at (562) 499-1252 or by e-mail at alessandra.djurklou@presstelegram.com