{"id":13150,"date":"2023-11-16T17:23:49","date_gmt":"2023-11-17T00:23:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=13150"},"modified":"2023-11-16T17:23:50","modified_gmt":"2023-11-17T00:23:50","slug":"annual-melodrama-celebrates-the-pike","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lbccviking.com\/?p=13150","title":{"rendered":"Annual melodrama celebrates the Pike\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Swinging jazz fanfare filled the air in a small theater as footsteps clopped along a wooden boardwalk lined with colorful signs advertising amusement park games and in the corner are the remains of the once great Cyclone Racer, a wooden coaster that was once the pride of Long Beach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is \u201cTerror at the Pike\u201d, an annual holiday melodrama presented by the Garage Theatre on Nov. 7 during which they pay homage to the Pike as it once was, a bustling amusement park with thrills for the whole family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is like a living cartoon,\u201d  director Rob Young said, alluding to the cheerfully outrageous nature of the show.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The melodrama is an interactive, family-friendly play that serves to mark the end of each year at the Garage.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The melodrama is a five-part series written by Jamie Sweet and follows a cast of characters with names such as Rod McGirdlebutt (Diana Kaufman) and Scrufflepicklewickle (Gabe Pettinicchio) that give insight into the zany nature of the show. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before the show begins, audience members are given fake flowers and tomatoes made of fabric. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

They are briefed with instructions to chuck the tomatoes at the sight of the show\u2019s villain, Ian Sidious (Vincent Zamora) and to throw flowers at the heroine, Dixie Troobaloo (Lola Binks). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are also musical cues to which the audience is encouraged to respond to with certain phrases and sounds. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throughout the course of the show, even the shyest attendees are fully immersed, laughing and shouting along with everyone else. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The melodrama\u2019s first episode takes place in the 1920s and runs until Saturday and starts again Nov. 30 to Dec. 16.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young explained that it will take 5 years to run through the show in its entirety because each episode is performed only once a year but the scene will always be the Pike amusement park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each episode features a different decade but the same antics and comedic stylings of the scooby-doo-like gang saving the day. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe love that the show is so silly but also relevant to those who love Long Beach,\u201d Alex Rix, audience member said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The history of downtown Long Beach, specifically the Pike, is something residents reflect on fondly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During the intermission, attendees gather in the theater\u2019s main entrance, lined with old photographs of the amusement park that was once the Pike (1902-1979), complete with rides and games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In keeping with the amusement park theme, audience members were treated to free ice-cream at intermission while some of the show\u2019s characters milled about the room, engaging with them and cracking jokes. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The show is a mix of long-time Garage Theater members and newcomers. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Young says bringing the show to life was a collaborative effort with everyone working hard to make one another laugh. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere were times where I have cried laughing,\u201d Young said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The attention to detail within the show makes it clear that the purpose is to treat audience members to a night they won\u2019t soon forget.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTerror at the Pike\u201d provides an opportunity to be unserious and laugh out loud.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s kind of cheesy,\u201d  Binks said, \u201cbut it\u2019s for the kids and for the kids at heart.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n