By Donald R. Serfass

The year was 1976 and, at Lakewood Playhouse, the beginning of the end. Not quite, but almost.

I remember feeling sad when the legendary theater failed to open for the summer season.

I was a member of Lakewood Critics Circle and recall uncertainty at the time.

After 27 years of big, musical hits and major stars, the curtain had fallen.

But nobody was giving up. There was just too much momentum to let it fold.

Located inside Lakewood Park between Tamaqua and Mahanoy City, the playhouse was a hub of vitality.

It opened on June 14, 1949, with “Yes, My Darling Daughter,” starring Ann Harding. The first large-scale musical was “Finian’s Rainbow.”

The playhouse was run by producer John Kenley, famous for Ohio’s Kenley Players, billed as “America’s Most Exciting Summer Theater.”

Kenley managed the stage until 1955, at which point other producers took over, continuing to attract top touring companies.

Stars who stepped on stage at Lakewood included Frank Sutton, Bert Parks, Jayne Meadows, Jackie Cooper, Dorothy Lamour, Robert Alda, Veronica Lake, Red Buttons, Eva Gabor and many others.

National names were often complemented by local talent.

For instance, in 1957, Tamaqua woman-of-the arts Ruth Steinert starred in “Damn Yankees.”

The theater also employed Jane Towle, of Tamaqua, in the ticket booth. She later became manager and Lakewood’s archivist.

In 1966, a renamed Lakewood Musical Theatre opened with “Guys & Dolls.”

But there was a change in approach. Instead of using star package touring companies, producers recruited aspiring talent from New York, operating that way until the end of the 1968 season.

In 1969, the stage was handed over to producer Robert G. Buchanan, who called it Lakewood Musical Playhouse.

Each season ran 10 or 11 weeks with a new show every week. That format seemed to work fine until the 1975 season.

That’s when the stage went dark. But not forever. It was a one-season absence.

In 1977, it reopened as Lakewood Country Playhouse, perhaps better than ever.

The idea was to bring in the glitterati to pack the 750 seats and put Barnesville on the map.

And for a while, it worked.

Big names like Lana Turner came to Tamaqua, staying at Scrafford’s Inn at Hometown. Glamorous Turner starred in “Bell, Book and Candle,” dazzling audiences but refusing to grant press interviews during the visit.

Among other top names were John Raitt, Phyllis Diller, burlesque queen Ann Corio, The Andrews Sisters of “Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy,” Ron Palillo of “Welcome Back Kotter” and others.

It seemed the stage lights were as bright as Hollywood floodlights. Lakewood was hitting the heights and sparkling more than ever.

But the final curtain fell at the end of the 1979 season.

Lakewood Playhouse closed. It never reopened.

In a sense, the final two years were like the grand finale of a fireworks show. The best was saved for last, and I’m glad I experienced it.

Today, on my birthday, I reflect on a special time. As a youngster, I served briefly at Lakewood as an apprentice. Later, I wrote newspaper reviews of both Lakewood Playhouse and Genetti Summer Theatre in Hazleton. I enjoyed both, but my heart was at Lakewood.

On opening night, always a Monday, there was a Champagne party hosted by Scraffords with headline stars. I’d avoid the Champagne, but I’d stay at the party until midnight or later, then go write a review for morning deadline.

It was thrilling to have a professional entertainment venue in our own backyard. But times changed.

Lakewood was built when home television didn’t exist. People were accustomed to going out for entertainment.

Nowadays it’s different. Folks can rent movies and stay home and watch surround-sound productions. Entertainment is largely electronic. And that’s fine.

But, in my opinion, nothing compares to the sights and sounds of live theater.

I’m grateful we have local thespian groups keeping the tradition alive.

But I miss the days of Lakewood Playhouse. Just like an awe-inspiring fireworks show, the beauty was much too brief.

Lakewood burst onto the scene in full color, then vanished into blackness, giving us a glimpse of a magical era that will never happen again.