In southwest Virginia, nestled in the Appalachian foothills in the town of Wytheville at the intersection of Interstates 81 and 77, is a dinner theater called Wohlfahrt Haus.
We were looking for something special for the family to do to celebrated Gene’s 70th birthday and stumbled across this hidden gem. Southwest Virginia is known for foot stumping, fiddle dancing, bluegrass and country music and there are quite a few venues that are very unique and just plain good and fun. Wohlfahrt Haus did not disappoint.
The website for Wohlfahrt Haus list six different musicals for the 2019 year, each running two months, including a 50’s special, Country Gospel, the story of little orphan Annie, Christmas special, etc. During the months of September and October they are presenting “The Ring of Fire: the Music of Johnny Cash”. The following quote was taken from their website.
“The story of the legendary “man in black” told through his music, taking you on a journey of passion, humor, and salvation. “Ring of Fire” features over 30 great hit songs such as “I Walk the Line”, “Folsom Prison Blues”, “Jackson”, and “Will the Circle Be Unbroken”, all performed by a talented cast of singer/musicians. It will be a celebration of one of the greatest musical superstars of our time and the “world’s most famous rebel’- Johnny Cash!“
Our evening started with a delightful, elegant, two hour, four course meal; pita chips and cheese dip, garden salad, roast beef and gravy, mashed potatoes, steamed broccoli, baked apples, hot dinner rolls and a luscious pumpkin cheesecake. We were at preassigned tables and served by a member of the cast.
This turned out to be very special and made the evening over the top awesome! Our server, Jonathan Roth, was a very friendly, personable, high energy guy, who interacted with his guests and shared little tidbits about his role and life. He was really attentive and interactive with us and our grandkids and they had a blast. The dessert was served at intermission, again by the cast. Now, think about this. The cast not only served the meal and dessert but also performed in the two hour musical. At the end, they lined up in the lobby for guests to interact with them. Plus, they had already done the same thing for the noon matinee. It was very easy to want to tip our server and I suspect he did well!
Our three grandkids were the only youth in a theater full of mostly older people but they really enjoyed the whole venue. One admitted she didn’t know what to expect but it far exceeded what she expected. Karla and Ryan have participated in their school musicals so this was right down their alley. It has been really neat and special for our grandkids to really enjoy the good country music oldies with us.
The program was a collection of thirty songs, woven together with life stories and family photos. Personal and family tragedies marred his life and he battled demons of alcohol and drugs that he was never able to overcome. During times of drug rehab and remission, his songs often reflected faith and redemption.
If you are looking for something special, we highly recommend this venue. It was an evening we will remember for a long time. The 2020 season is already posted on their website.
