Bill McConnell, executive producer of the "Fixin' to Rain"
musical at the Governor's Palace Theater, wants people to know that the
show is continuing to do well since it began earlier this year. The regular "Come Celebrate America" show that had existed at the theater for several years shut down earlier this year, due to poor ticket sales.
There had been talk that "Fixin' to Rain" would shut down along with "Come Celebrate America," but McConnell said the show wasn't going anywhere.
"We
signed our contract with Governor's Palace in October of last year, and
we worked around the schedule of 'Come Celebrate America' because it
was such a popular show, so we were given X amount of dates to work,"
he said. "We were blessed that way to say we'll work with what we got. We have a five-year lease - a three-year lease with a two-year option. The
great news for us is now we have an expanded schedule. We're going from
a four-day-a-week schedule to a six-day-a-week schedule. It was really
a blessing, because it allows tourists and guests that come to this
area an opportunity to come see our show."
The show will be
performing nightly Monday through Saturday shows at 7:30, plus 2 p.m.
matinees on Thursdays and Fridays. They will not be open Sundays. "We had the opportunity to increase our schedule, which was something we were really praying about," McConnell said. He
also mentioned another change to the show will be a pre-show performed
by current show star James Rogers. A Christmas show featuring Rogers is also in the works.
"He
has such a big fan base that people want to see more of him," McConnell
said. "We are now doing a pre-show so James comes out 30 minutes prior
to the opening. He plays a lot of the favorite tunes for people that
know him, so we're thrilled to have him be a part of that."
McConnell
said he met with the performers and informed them of the expanded
schedule. "We explained we were going to an expanded schedule, and they
were all for it because they love performing," he said. "They all had
available dates and everything fell into place."
By the middle
of next month, McConnell said, they hope to start filming the shows in
high definition for possible DVD sales, and there is talk that PBS will
start broadcasting some of the shows in different parts of the country,
as well as the CTN network in Kodak.
"This whole opportunity
of having to take over Governor's Palace entirely and having a full run
of it is a blessing in disguise," McConnell said. "The great thing
about the crowds is we've already had families come from out of state.
They leave and tell their friends and we've had repeat business, which
speaks volumes of the show itself and how well it's doing."
McConnell said despite the show's success, there were some sentimental feelings about "Come Celebrate America's" departure. "I
felt terrible that it was going to go away. It was great show," he
said. "(Randy) Rebold's (Governor's Palace Theater owner) decision to
not do the show was based on ticket attendance. His passion is the
kids. I was just blessed to continue to use his kids. There's another
cast that will be here for a year, so we'll have a brand new cast."
Rebold could not be reached for comment. McConnell said there were no plans on a new show to replace "Come Celebrate America" at this time.