A popular entertainment and tourist destination in the Twin Cities, Minnesota is the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre. Since 1968 there have been over 193 productions on its various stages, with over 8 million guests in attendance. The numbers make sense for one of the top dinner theatres in the nation.
The 90,000 square foot facility was constructed and designed by Herbert and Carolyn Bloomberg on what was once a corn field. The Old Log Theater had contracted them to build it’s new facility. They decided to follow that project by building their own theatre complex 30 minutes from downtown. They decided to follow that project by building their own theatre complex 30 minutes from downtown. They took an extra risk by adding a restaurant. Given the failure rates of new restaurants and the distance from downtown, the project appeared to be a pipe dream doomed to fail.
But on October 11, 1968 the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre Minnesota opened. Fittingly, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” was the inaugural production. Then “the Fantasticks” came to town. So here’s a pun. The stage was set for what is today the largest professional dinner theatre in America. It can also boast being the largest privately owned restaurant in Minnesota. Not bad for such a risky venture.
On February 18, 1971 a production of “I Do! I Do!” opened in the Playhouse, a smaller theatre space in the Chanhassen facility. It ran a staggering 21 years. What’s more staggering is that it included the original cast for the entire run. That’s quite a performance, huh? That long running show made Chanhassen and the Playhouse famous throughout the United States. It ended in November of 1992, but after “I Do Love the Holidays” took over for a few months, “I Do! I Do!” returned for a short run from late January to early December of 1993. It was then replaced by “Stevie Ray’s Comedy Troupe” which had a nearly two year run. That pretty good too.
Both “Stevie Ray’s Comedy Troupe” and “I Do! I Do!” later returned to Chanhassen Dinner Theatre, but in a different room. The Courtyard, now called the Club, hosted each of the plays in 1995. Today the Club is a popular spot for wedding receptions, private parties and even business meetings. Chanhassen has been home to many other popular plays such as 42nd Street and Oklahoma. There are too many to list here. That can be found on the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre website chanhassentheatres.com.
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