Lake Theatre 2017: 50th season brings mid-life crisis and fish tales to the stage

Barney Cashman is surrounded by the Sexual Revolution, and he desperately wants to shake up his humdrum life by joining in. Neil Simon’s classic comedy “Last of the Red Hot Lovers,” which tells of Barney’s frustrated attempts at infidelity, returns to Lake George July 20 to open the Lake Theatre’s Golden Anniversary season.

The Lake Theatre, formally The Lake George Dinner Theatre, took up summer residence at the Lake George Holiday Inn in 1974 and has been producing professional theatre, along with dinner, ever since. Prior to the collaboration with Holiday Inn, the theatre group performed at Towers Hall, the Fort William Henry Hotel’s old garage, which the theatre company converted into a 400-seat arena.

The misadventures of Barney Cashman first came to life in Lake George on the Towers Hall stage in 1972 under the direction of Lake Theatre’s co-founder Bruce Jordan. The 2017 performance will be directed by Brenny Rabine and, in a casting twist, actor Karen Sternberg will play three roles, the three women Barney pursues. “Last of the Red Hot Lovers” will run through Sept. 2.

For the second half of the season, the Lake Theatre will premier Norm Foster’s “The Great Kooshog Lake Hollis McCauley Fishing Derby.” Wall Street meets rural folk when uptight investment banker James Bell is stranded in the town of Kooshog Lake during “…one of the most competitive fishing derbies known to man.” Unlike Lake George’s King George Fishing Derby, the object is not to reel in the largest fish, but to catch a specific catfish, Hollis McCauley, named for a local high shop teacher (apparently there is a resemblance between the two.) “The Great Kooshog Lake Hollis McCauley Fishing Derby” runs Sept. 14 through Oct. 21.

The Lake Theatre holds evening performances each week of the season Wednesday through Saturday, with dinner seating at 6:30 p.m. and curtain at 8 p.m. Matinee performances are scheduled Tuesday through Thursday, with luncheon seating at 11:30 a.m., curtain at 1 p.m. Ticket holders may choose one of four entrees:

• Medallions of Beef with Bordelaise sauce
• Oven-baked chicken breast with spinach-artichoke cream cheese and roasted red pepper sauce
• Broiled Atlantic salmon with lemon and white wine sauce
• Vegetarian pasta with sautéed vegetables served over penne

The theatre also offers Show Only tickets and group discounts. Tickets may be purchased online or by calling the Lake Theatre box office at (518)668-5762, ext. 411. The Lake George Holiday Inn is located at 2223 Canada Street, Lake George, New York.