Chanhassen Dinner Theatre

Chanhassen Dinner Theatre is one of the sights to see in Minnesota's Twin Cities.  It opened its doors in 1968 and since then has put on over 193 plays with over 8 million people watching.  That number is staggering, but not surprising given the quality shows appearing at Chanhassen.

The 90,000 sq. ft. Chanhassen complex was designed by Herbert and Carolyn Bloomberg on a corn field. It all started when they built a new facility for the Old Log Theater in Excelsior.  They followed that job by building their own theatre complex about 30 minutes from the town center.  A restaurant on site made the project even more of a gamble.  Surely the distance from downtown as well as a restaurant, a business with a high failure rate, combined to doom this dream.

Then in October of 1968 the theatre started business.  Fittingly, “How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying” was the inaugural production.  A month later “the Fantasticks” began.  Now for a pun. The curtains were now open on what would become the largest professional dinner theater in the United States.  It's also the largest privately owned restaurant in the state.  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.  The same cast performed each and every show.  How's that for job security?  Chanhassen became known all over America for that show.  “I Do! I Do!” ended in 1992, but was back after a few months for a January to December run in 1993.  It was then replaced by “Stevie Ray's Comedy Troupe” which had a nearly two year run.  That pretty good too. 

The Courtyard, now the Club, showed both “I Do! I Do!” and “Stevie Ray's Comedy Troupe” in 1995.  Today the Club is a popular spot for wedding receptions, private parties and even business meetings.  Camelot, My Fair Lady, The Sound of Music and many other plays have appeared at Chanhassen.  The list goes on and on.  Check out the Chanhassen Dinner Theatre web site at www.chanhassentheatres.com