If a Republican was in control of the mayors office it would be a look at what a bad job the mayor is doing why don't he bail them out. But no Plusquellic gets a free ride as usual by Akron's BJ as usual.

I hope someone can save the Carousel. We go there about twice a year and always enjoy it...the foo is average at best, but the show is usually top notch and there is no other similar venue in NE Ohio. Come on, mayor, do something! Dave Walter got several tax advantages to keep his dealerships in the West Hill area, instead of out in Montrose. Same with ganley Toyota/Mercedes. Do the right thing!

Hush.

The Carousel Dinner Theater is a privately-owned business venture in a non-crucial industry. Thus, the City has no obligation to bail them out should the open market determine they should fail.

Besides, if this same City throws six or seven digits at a dancing restaurant while it scrimps on salting the roads BEFORE forewarned ice storms hit, it won't just be the free-marketeers storming City Hall with pitchforks and torches!

If the Carousel had any Akron U ties The Mayor would be right there, giving them everything they needed.at the tax payers expense.

shows were good and the service was even better but the food was terrible. so don't cheat the employees and good luck....

We had season passes for the last few years. Until the season they had Urinetown, the Musical and another Feb. show that was R rated. We bring kids, grandparents, and the content of these shows that season were totally unacceptable. The February sex show did not have a parent warning UNTIL you got to the theater. So basically, if you shooed your teen or grandma away, you lost your money. $35 gone. My mother walked out, it was too 'adult'. Then another show 'a 50's style musical', that was laced with cuss words. The Carousel had filled houses, till that awful season when management decided to get in racier shows. The management chased away its 'bread and butter' patrons for the risk of pulling in new patrons who wanted to see this stuff.

How sad.

Shadowe, Republicans don't run cities. They run state and national government... into the ground.

Hey they had a Million bucks for youngs restaurant. Got to be something they can do for something that is actually running.

A historic land mark or something... How many Millions have they wasted on the civic. Which NEVER makes money.

Uncle don will find some for them. As long as they kick some back to him one way or another.

Let's not forget that the Carousel was losing it's audience (largely by 'natural attrition, aka as death) before programming so-called 'racier' (read: more intelligent, artistically challenging) material. Let's face it, the captive audiences from regional nursing homes were not going to be a viable lifeline forever.

For a theatre that size to have a viable future, a new audience would have to be cultivated. Most folks in 2008 are not entertained by B-level productions of lame, overdone musicals, played between courses of moderately ok food. As an audience member, I have greatly appreciated Carousel's efforts in recent years to juice-up it's offerings. I only wish more folks had caught on faster.

I wish Carousel had the time and resources to cultivate a wider following.

That said, maybe it's just time to move on.

Still, I feel most sorry for the 150 servers, cooks, office staff, stage crew, designers and technicians and musicians who are out of work in a rough economy. Don't let anyone tell you your industry is 'non-critical'.

I wish you the best.

well said akron artsy

all jobs are critical

you know what job isn't critical

the crooks on wall street who keep getting bailed out

AkronArtsy: Dinner theater is for blue haired ladies; you want artsy, then go to the Bang & The Clatter. There's an old Yiddish saying; "No one ever went broke underestimating the taste of the American public." But they have gone broke by being completely out of touch with their audience. College kids and hipsters don't have the money to see something they can connect to (i.e. Rent), but blue hairs have the money for cheesy musicals. As the baby boomers get old and fuddy like their parents, their money will go to shows that don't make them feel depressed about life. People have enough challenges in the day, they go to theater and cinema for escape. You show a blue hair some cheesy musical and give her a prime rib that melts in your mouth, then she'll pay $50/ticket, giggle and call it 'spending the inheritance.'

The Carousel was run into the ground by that boob Joe Palmer

I will miss it very much. I always enjoyed going there.

Grnbstrd:

I mostly agree with you. I guess my point is that it doesn't have to be this way. A good meal and a good evening of theatre doesn't have to be for blue hairs only, and the arts are good for far more than 'escape'.

Until our culture re-captures the idea that the arts can be an incredible catalyst for deeper living, institutions like the Carousel are doomed to sputtter and die.

Also, as a side note, I've been to the Bang and Clatter several times, and find them anything but 'artsy'. The scripts are mostly strong, but the choice of material is repetative, the direction is often sloppy and the acting incredibly cliched and shallow. They're a step in the right direction, but still not what they need to be if they are to compete with other, more involving forms of art and entertainment.

I am a server at the carousel and I was there on new years eve night. When the rumors started spreading around the servers were absolutely overwhelmed. No one really knew what to do or what to think. Some servers have been there since the carousel opened. And some just started not a month ago. It really made the staff upset that there was hardly a notice at all. And a lot of servers there depend on their job to get by day by day. With this really short notice it doesn't give anyone time to go look and start applying for other jobs. Also a lot of the carousel staff is really close to eachother and become your second family. It's hard to imagine that you may not ever see some of your fellow employees and friends ever again. It was very hard that night but we all got through it and made the best out of some of our last shifts.

I am sorry for all who may be losing jobs. However, what about me? I am holding 3 sets of tickets for shows in 2009. What should the people who have already purchased tickets do? We were at the breakfast with Santa a few weeks ago and it was packed. On that day, I purchased santa tickets for 2009 and another show. Geez. Almost consider this as fraud.

Yeah Joe Palmer, making the smart business choice, but what happens to the "carousel family"? The carousel housed a group of people like no other, guests and servers alike. Its going to be missed. Oh, and good luck getting anything done to cut your losses on those tickets, maybe call Joe :-P

People who have purchased tickets for an upcoming show and who bought season tickets for next year. My understanding are NON REFUNDABLE but that is just what I heard. You will have to call the carousel box office they will remain open until next Friday.

Mayor had nothing to do with this failure. Mayor should not request this business. And the Mayor has never given UA "everything they needed at the tax payers expense".

Mayor had nothing to do with this failure. Mayor should not save this business. And the Mayor has never given UA "everything they needed at the tax payers expense".

I am a Server at the Carousel and tell you something it is hard to hear what we heard on new years eve. The Carousel staff was like my second family after being there for 3 years and now being unemployed its going to be tough finding a different solution to pay for my college tuition and other things i need to pay for. The economy is just bad and it's bad enough to go out and find another job like this one i will miss my second family if i don't see us all together again

Put in slots and they will come.

I feel sorry for the staff and just after the holidays too; what a way to start a new year. I hope someone else will take it over or help them out.

I have been going to the Carousel with friends and family since they opened in Akron and we all have enjoyed ourselves. I have been going to at least 1 show every year there since I was in my 20's. It will be missed. My friends were recently talking about going back this Spring-Summer for a show or two as we missed out for OZ this Fall.

Thank you Carousel for the memories and enjoyable times with good food & friendships.

No surprise. High prices, average food.

Sadly this has nothing to do with ticket sales. The credit crisis is affecting everyone it seems. It's truly a shame as the Carousel is known nation wide and is such a great addition and tradition here in Ohio. This breaks my heart.

Akron Artsy - who has to wear his hipness on his sleeve, does not seem to know the first thing about Akron patrons and what they want. By and large, they do not want cutting edge theater - they want fluff. Give it to them and the Carousel would continue to do well. BTW - look for Bang and Clatter to go under next; they are in credit debt up to their chins.

I applaud the Carousel artistic team for attempting to steer the theater into a new era by producing shows that are more contemporary and attractive to younger audiences. However, the Carousel's core audience did not support the transition...the "grey-haired" ladies won.

I also applaud the Carousel for using many professional Actors Equity members in their productions. Plus supplementing the cast with local teens and children. My son has performed there 4 times and each cast and crew are forever etched into his memory. My heart goes out to Dale DiBernardo resident costume designer; Angela Estes and Steve Parsons--musical directors; Michael Stein stage managers; Sean Cercone artistic director, and even Clarence the long-time dining room host. Thank you all for the memories.

Thank you all...

My wife and I went to the closing night in Ravenna and the opening show in Akron. We enjoyed both places several times and just chose the shows we were interested in. And neither of us has blue hair-- I could use some!
I hope it can be saved.

It will be sad and another waste if this local link to art closes. I hope the staff will be alright. It sounds like the owners did not take care of their own, and ran the business into the ground.

How sad how very sad, as I found out today that one of our favorite places is closing. I am not a "blue-hair", but a member of the younger generation who was attempting to bring the "ARTS" to those children who might not ever get to see it anywhere else. I have a group of Girl Scouts - who were so excited about getting to sell enough cookies to go see "High School Musical". This has been a musical tradition for the troops in our district for over 12 years. I truly hope they find resolution and a way to save the place.

To all of those on staff - you are in our prayers, as I am sure 2009 is off to a very rough start for all of you. Thank you for all that you have given us over the years - we will truly miss it all.

Word

Thanks! This is the first time in my whole life anyone has accused me of trying to be 'hip'!

I don't share your disdain for Akron audiences.

I've been in front of and actually in audiences in Akron, and a number of other places, for a long time now, and I know that audiences here are the same as they are pretty much anywhere. Yes, everyone loves fluff. And anyone looking at Carousel's offerings would be hard pressed to call the place a high art house.

But a love for heartier theatre (like Urinetown, Full Monty, etc...) can be cultivated by presenters who are patient, savvy, and offer performances that truly address the audience where they are.

Bottom line: Carousel seemed to be trying to do just that. Too bad they didn't cross the finish line.

I am posting my comments on Facebook...since I can't get anything to post on this site. It seems the characters are limited, which caused me to lose my first entire post (rather than telling you characters were limited) and, when I retyped it in word and copied and pasted, it won't allow you to do that either. I've personally never dealt with such an user UNfriendly site - that doesn't even tell you what you are doing wrong if posts don't go through.

Anyway, my comments are on "Save the Carousel Dinner Theatre" on Facebook!

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?topic=6194&uid=42491269684#/group.php?gid=42491269684

I think that this is a tragedy to the Akron area. Our society is so wrapped up in sports, TV, and video games and not enough of the arts. To let an establishment close that brought so much culture, diversity, and education to our community is horrible. I hope there is something that the community can do to help the Carousel.....

I agree, but reality is that this isn't a big enough area to support someplace that sells tickets at around $50 a person. It worked for awhile, but when the economy is as bad as it is I'm surprised it took this long for it to shut down.

Are you kidding me - $50 for dinner and a show? I get group tickets for Playhouse Square and people don't blink an eye to spend up to $90 to just see a show. And you could say the quality of the production is better - but Wizard of Oz was a first class production - the actor/actresses, costumes, set, scenery - and the creative license they took in bringing this to the stage - it was absolutely superb! And what about how much they pay to see a sporting event or rock concert?