BETHLEHEM — After a six-year pause, open-air theater will be offered once again this summer at the Abbey of Regina Laudis in Bethlehem. The Gary-The Olivia Theater will present Babette’s Feast on two weekends in July and August.
You might say that Abbey’s theater began in 1963, when, at the height of her Hollywood and Broadway career, actress Dolores Hart entered the Abbey to become a nun. Not long after, drawn to the Abbey by their longtime friendship with Mother Dolores, veteran actors James and Dawn Douglas formed a company of actors called the Act Association, which began to offer productions at the Abbey’s summer fair, and continued to do so for decades.
Casts have included top professionals and first-time amateurs. Productions have ranged from Shakespeare to Sartre, from opera to musical reviews. Patricia Neal and James Douglas drew perhaps the largest audience with their performance of A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters in 1999. In 2007, the Clay and Wattles Theater began to present musicals, including Fiddler on the Roof, Westside Story and many others. The last stage production at the Abbey was the 2019 performance of the musical Godspell by the Clare Rose Playhouse of St. Joseph’s College.
Then came Covid and a six year intermission for the Abbey stage. Now, fifty years after its humble beginnings, the theater is once again lit up, and a feast is being prepared by The Gary-The Olivia Players.
Babette’s Feast is set in the mid-19th century in a remote fishing village on Norway’s coast. Based on the story by Isak Dinesen (which was also the basis of the acclaimed movie released in 1987), the play portrays a small austere Christian community, which is led by a severe but loving pastor and his two daughters, Martine and Philippa.
Their strict and simple life changes when, one dark and stormy night, a mysterious French woman arrives by sea, having escaped political turmoil in France, where she has lost her husband and her son. She carries a letter introducing her. Its final sentence reads, “Babette can cook.” The table is thus set for an encounter between the silent and serious Babette and the lovely but fearful daughters, which provides all with rich food for thought. All are invited.
Performances of Babette’s Feast are scheduled for Friday evenings, July 31 and August 7; Saturday evenings, August 1 and 8; and Sunday afternoons, August 2 and 9. Evening shows will be at 7:30 p.m. and matinees at 2 p.m. The theater is located on the Abbey grounds, at 249 Flanders Road in Bethlehem. It is a covered, open-air theater, so guests are encouraged to dress for the weather. Parking will be available in the adjacent lot and fields.
Seating is limited. General admission seats must be reserved on the Abbey’s website at https://abbeyofreginalaudis.org/visit-theater.html. There is no charge for admission, but donations will be gratefully accepted. For further information, call 203-233-2075.