For an atmosphere that fuses dinner/theater with college fraternity frolicking, visit the Royal Castle Dinner Theatre in Chicago, near Burbank.
From the moment people enter the 240-seat room, they find an atmosphere that’s riotously joyous. Dressed in medieval England outfits, performers playing Robin Hood, minstrels and wenches rib the audience, tell jokes, sing and stress that audience participation is strongly encouraged.
Seated at long tables that supposedly were all the rage at medieval-era dinner parties, the crowd responds, acting as if their tables are teams in a cheerleading contest.
Co-owner Dan Gbur, along with Phil Feinerman and Scott Schuppan, who is both writer and Robin Hood impersonator, loosely describe the show as vaudeville. Instead of a story line, there is a series of short comedic dialogues and musical routines, most of which are humorous and sometimes bawdy as they parody 15th Century English language and dress.
On five occasions during the approximately 2 1/2-hour show, the stagelights dim and the wenches become waitresses. Food is passed family-style. The fare includes bread and cheese, soup, vegetables, barbecued ribs, chicken, corn and cake.
One more thing-no utensils. The staff jokingly scolds if a diner uses a toothpick to spear a piece of cheese.
“This is a children’s theater for adults,” noted minstrel Frank DelGuidice, who does a Don Rickles insult-the-audience shtick before, during and after the show.
Show times and prices are: Wednesdays and Thursdays (7:30 p.m., $26), Fridays (8 p.m., $29), Saturdays (6 p.m. and 10 p.m., $29) and Sundays (5 p.m., $26).
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The Royal Castle Theatre is at 8557 S. Cicero Ave., Chicago. Reservations are recommended a few weeks in advance. Large groups are encouraged to attend regular shows or can arrange for private shows on Mondays and Tuesdays. Call 312-582-0021.
