Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
The Mitchells, inducted into the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame in 2016, reside in Rock Hill, SC, but have continued to visit La Comedia throughout their retirement. They most recently attended the 2024 production of “Irving Berlin’s Holiday Inn.”
“Our goal was to present the finest comedies and musicals with costumes, music, choreography and food,” Joe said. “I loved black box theatre and dramas but when it came down to finding a way to combine what you love with something that what would be successful and financially sustainable for a livelihood, it was comedy and musicals. Our goal was to entertain with the best quality possible.”
‘We knew it was a convenient location’
The genesis of La Comedia has inspirational roots in Alhambra Theatre and Dining in Jacksonville, Fla. After attending an Alhambra production in the early 1970s the Mitchells began a three-year journey of creating and owning a dinner theater.
While Joe was obtaining his master’s degree in theater at Florida State University, he researched 243 metropolitan locations that would be most attractive. The five finalists: San Jose, Calif.; Seattle, Wash.; Sacramento, Calif.; Atlanta, Ga. and Dayton — specifically five acres located at 965 W. Central Ave. in Springboro.
“I made a trip to each of those five locations to get a feel for the communities,” Joe said. “At that time, downtowns were fading away as far as active locations for nightlife and the activity was moving to the suburbs. The Dayton Mall area, which is tremendously full now, was pretty full even in 1975. So, I went one more exit south and at that time it was Springboro. And choosing to go south allowed us to pick up audiences in Middletown, Hamilton and northern Cincinnati.
“We knew it was a convenient location especially near the interstate. And the Miami Valley has a tremendous amount of talent from its educational facilities to its performing venues,” he said.
Credit: JOE AND MARILYN MITCHELL
Credit: JOE AND MARILYN MITCHELL
“Companies like NCR and having a military presence like Wright-Patterson Air Force Base helped as well,” Marilyn echoed. “People were continually employed and they wanted entertainment — so there we were. We fulfilled a need. We also educated people. Many people hadn’t been to a live stage performance. And now their children and grandchildren are coming to La Comedia which thrills us.”
The couple particularly recalls meeting legendary theater impresario John Kenley outside one of his Kenley Players productions at Memorial Hall in downtown Dayton in the summer of 1974.
“We were handing out flyers on the sidewalk of Memorial Hall (telling people) La Comedia Dinner Theatre was coming soon,” Joe said. “John Kenley pulled up in a limo. When he got out, I handed him a flyer. He asked, ‘What’s this?’ I said, ‘Your competition!’”
‘Live theater offers something very unique’
During the Mitchells' era, whose personal approach included patrons having photos taken at each table as framed keepsakes, future headliners of stage and screen appeared at La Comedia such as Emmy winner John Goodman (“Roseanne”) in the 1976 production of “Godspell” and Tony winner Beth Leavel (“The Drowsy Chaperone”) in the 1980 production of “I Do! I Do!”
Credit: JOE AND MARILYN MITCHELL
Credit: JOE AND MARILYN MITCHELL
In addition, Terry Stump, longtime Sinclair Community College scenic designer and technical director, served as La Comedia’s scenic designer and technical director for 13 years. From 1977 through 1990, he designed 92 productions, including “Jubilee on Ice” (1981), “Mister Roberts” (1982), “Singin’ in the Rain” (1989) and 1989’s “Dreamgirls,” notably directed by Emmy winner Obba Babatundé (“The Bold and the Beautiful”), who received a Tony nomination as C.C. White in the original Broadway production.
Credit: TERRY STUMP
Credit: TERRY STUMP
“I believe the early years helped La Comedia set the pace,” said Stump, inducted into the Dayton Theatre Hall of Fame in 2007. “We also had a lot of special events and concerts starring (legends) like Phyllis Diller, Helen Reddy and Doc Severinson. There was a lot of variety. We had a lot of senior citizens come to the shows but when they saw a show they liked they would come back and bring their family members.
“It was also fun to do shows with kids in them like ‘Annie’ or ‘The King and I,’ which brought a lot of parents to see the shows. Many theater companies are struggling right now but live theater offers something very unique and it’s my hope people will always enjoy it,” Stump said.
‘Family owned and operated for all 50 years’
After nearly 13 years of ownership, the Mitchells sold La Comedia to the Wisconsin-based Klopcic family in 1987. The Klopcic era is best known for delivering the highly successful 1992 and 1993 productions of composer Maury Yeston’s tear-jerking musical “Phantom,” which memorably incorporated a zipliner for Erik (a.k.a. the Phantom) to fly above the audience. However, the Klopcics changed the name of La Comedia to Miami Valley Dinner Theatre, which caused branding confusion.
When the Klopcics sold the organization to the Adkins family in 1995, the name ultimately reverted to La Comedia. The Adkins family owned La Comedia until 2023, producing 185 productions, including “Cats” (2004), “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat” (2000, 2003, 2009, 2019), “Miss Saigon” (2006) and “Titanic” (2012). They also coined the motto “A Taste of Broadway,” which remains to this day.
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
“I think La Comedia has been here for 50 years because La Comedia is family,” said Joe Adkins, who began working at La Comedia in 1984 as a server. “It’s been family owned and operated for all 50 years, which is a major part of why La Comedia has survived in the Miami Valley. It’s not a corporation that owns the dinner theater. When my family owned La Comedia, I feel we were loyal to our employees, loyal to our guests and we did some really top-notch productions. My brother, Dave, and I worked great together. He was a perfectionist putting the shows together behind the scenes and I was the people person.”
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Adkins is also happy to have embraced the inviting, personable qualities that made the Mitchell and Klopcic eras thrive such as having a receiving line in the lobby following every show allowing the audience to greet the cast.
“From the very beginning La Comedia has always been a celebration place whether it’s a date night, anniversary or birthday,” Adkins said. “I always felt like we were throwing a party every night. And going to La Comedia has become a tradition at Christmastime for families and even office parties. We also made sure in the summer we did big shows for families such as ‘Annie,’ ‘Cinderella’ and ‘The Wizard of Oz.’ Many senior groups as well as bus groups from Indianapolis, Lexington and Toledo have continued to support the dinner theater. My sister Sandy and I stood at the door for years shaking people’s hands on the way out the door to say thank you for coming and to wish them a good night. We have many people who have been loyal to La Comedia.”
‘They make you feel special’
Susan Adams of Loveland is among the La Comedia faithful. A season subscriber who has attended shows since 2009, she is always eager to return knowing she’s going to be treated with kindness.
“I love La Comedia’s shows because they do extremely good work,” Adams said. “I also know I’m always going to be around lovely people. They go out of their way to keep people happy. They care about you. They make you feel special.”
Subscribers Karen and Ray Lapping of Cincinnati also have fond reflections.
“We like the entertainment, particularly their variety of shows,” Karen said. “It’s also a great night out. La Comedia is about making memories. I have a picture of myself at La Comedia pregnant with my son in 1982 and he is now 42. But I love imagination and love live theater and I really appreciate what La Comedia has to offer. Sometimes we see shows that have the same actors we’ve seen in other shows and it’s always nice to see how they take on different roles.”
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Mark Reuter has been associated with La Comedia since appearing in 2009’s “Christmas Spectacular.” He has been seen in more than 30 shows, most recently as Uncle Henry in the 2024 production of “The Wizard of Oz.” He’s also a familiar presence carving meat on the buffet line complete with chef’s hat.
“The most enjoyable aspect of performing at La Comedia are the relationships I have formed over the years with both the casts and crews,” Reuter said. “The amount of talent I have been surrounded with onstage and backstage has been phenomenal. The friendships I have made are invaluable.”
Karie-Lee Sutherland is a La Comedia veteran of nearly 20 years whose numerous roles include Glinda in the aforementioned “The Wizard of Oz” as well as Tanya in “Mamma Mia!” (2017) and Morticia Addams in “The Addams Family” (2015). Her daughter, Aubrie-Lee Dentino, serves as stage manager and has occasionally appeared in shows such as 2024’s “Guys and Dolls” and “The Marvelous Wonderettes.”
“La Comedia has become like a family to me,” Sutherland said. “La Comedia does family entertainment and they do quality shows. I really try to approach each role with an opportunity to morph. I have enjoyed finding out who I am by taking on different characters. I’ve really enjoyed wearing all the wigs over the years too.”
‘A welcoming, loving place’
In November 2023, the Adkins family sold La Comedia to Dave and Sherry Gabert of Vandalia. The Gaberts also have two daughters, Allison and Emily. Allison has been featured in numerous La Comedia productions including “Little Women: The Musical” (2023) and the aforementioned “Guys and Dolls.”
Credit: FACEBOOK
Credit: FACEBOOK
Longtime La Comedia patrons prior to ownership, the Gaberts retained many of the organization’s dining traditions including the house signature salad with papaya chutney dressing and the aforementioned buffet featuring standards such as beer-battered deep-fried white fish and homemade sweet potato soufflé. They also recently updated the theater’s technology and ticketing system and plan additional cosmetics from the restrooms to the tablecloths.
“We want to bring a contemporary feel to La Comedia,” Sherry said. “We want to bring the building into the 21st century as well. We just replaced our sound system. Overall, it has been a very rewarding experience. La Comedia has always been a tradition in our family.”
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
La Comedia’s 50th anniversary season, consisting of shows produced by the organization for the first time, opened Jan. 10 with “Ghost: The Musical,” which continues through Feb. 9. The lineup includes: “Jersey Boys” (Feb. 13-March 23); “Into the Woods” (March 27-May 4); “Children of Eden” (May 8-June 15); “Matilda: The Musical” (June 26-Aug. 10); “The Play That Goes Wrong” (Aug. 14-Sept. 14); “Legally Blonde: The Musical” (Sept. 18-Oct. 26); and “Scrooge: The Musical” (Nov. 1-Dec. 28).
“There is a 15 percent increase in season ticket sales versus last year,” Dave said. “We feel a lot of it has to do with show selection. In the future you’re going to see a lot of shows La Comedia hasn’t done before.”
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
Credit: JUSTIN WALTON
La Comedia Artistic Director Chris Beiser, who has been directing and choreographing shows for more than 35 years and became La Comedia’s resident director/choreographer in 2015, is equally excited about the season. He also feels there is ample room for the organization to make its presence known.
“Artistically, I want each show to set the bar higher and continue to draw talent from all across the United States,” Beiser said. “La Comedia is a welcoming, loving place. But I would also like to see La Comedia go out into the community and work with other businesses. Springboro continues to grow and La Comedia needs to grow too. We need to let people know we’re still here.”
Beiser’s sentiments about La Comedia being a welcoming venue has also been my impression since the late 1980s when I began seeing shows there with my parents, grandmother and extended family. In particular, my aunt joyously and meticulously celebrated her 50th birthday at the 2022 production of “Disney’s Beauty and the Beast” because she valued what the La Comedia tradition meant to our family.
Credit: Russell Florence
Credit: Russell Florence
Looking back on the La Comedia journey, the Mitchells remain pleased with how far the organization has come and hope it continues to remain impactful.
“We are grateful to our wonderful employees without whom it could not have been successful,” Joe and Marilyn said in a joint statement. “We are happy that over six million admissions have happened during the past 50 years. We are thankful the successive owners have carried on the traditions of La Comedia.”
LA COMEDIA’S OWNERSHIP TIMELINE
1975: La Comedia Dinner Theatre is opened by Joe and Marilyn Mitchell
1987: The Mitchells sell the business to the Klopcic family, and the name becomes Miami Valley Dinner Theatre
1995: The Adkins family buys it and reverts the name to La Comedia
2023: It is sold to Dave and Sherry Gabert of Vandalia, who are the current owners
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