Been to Bear Lake twice this summer and twice to the Pickleville Playhouse. Forgot to take pics of the menu but there's drinks, popcorn, box candy, pickles, and cookies that range from about $3-5 a piece. Plan on two hours for each show. Bathrooms are outside the theater but spacious and clean. I saw Dangerville on my first visit and then Newsies on my second visit. Dangerville is locally written with some improv and inside jokes about Utah, they have a pianist accompanying whole show. Newsies is Disney, very beloved by musical theater lovers; this was the best live performance of Newsies I've seen to date. All cast members are exceptionally talented with their singing, dancing, and acting, so any show at Pickleville is worth going to. Most cast members come from outside of Utah and are performing arts majors or professional performers. read more

Pickleville Playhouse - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

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As a venue that espouses family values, we found the Pickleville Playhouse production of The Ballad of Butch & Sundance insulting and offensive. The theater itself misrepresents the play's content as follows: "Rating Equivalent: G a rootin' tootin' good time for the whole family" (from the Pickleville Playhouse website, emphasis mine). We will not return to the Pickleville Playhouse because this production shoved these inappropriate values in the faces of children. The script and performances were not clever nor witty, and they certainly were NOT innocent fun. We will advise everyone we meet not to support this theater with their hard-earned money read more

This playhouse is amazing! The facilities are great and we'll maintained. The production ("Thick as Thieves") was fantastic. The cast is incredibly talented! Honestly, bought tickets with low expectations. But when we pulled up to the building, I could tell there was a lot of work and care put into this place. We ended up buying tickets across two entire rows. In retrospect, we should have bought seats behind each other, on one side of the theater (kind of like balcony wings on each side of the entry ramp). The play itself was really great. The musical numbers, dancing, jokes. Well done. When some of the actors accidentally broke character bc they were laughing at each other, it made me think that this place should offer stand-up comedy shows at night! It's a beautiful venue. We bought tickets for dinner and the show. The food was great. A storm rolled in during the show, so it was a bit chilly sitting outside to eat. But doable. Our first trip to Bear Lake was a hit! Will definitely come back for another show if we come for another visit. read more

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Our family thought Joseph and The Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat play was Superb! Acting, costumes, voices, etc, were all first-class. Thanks for another great show, it will be among our favorites. read more

The talent here is amazing!! Our group saw Joseph and we were blown away by how every single cast member was spectacular! Lighting and sound was perfect as well. Only complaint is that we did a lot of research on if the balcony seats were ok and many people said there "is not a bad seat in the house." This is definitely not true. Balcony seats are ALL PARTIAL VIEW! Be warned that you will miss a lot of the show in the balcony. Really wish they would have made us aware of this when we purchased our 13 tickets. We will definitely return but never on the balcony!! But again, kudos to the cast and crew! Amazing job!! read more

Cutest neighborhood playhouse that you ever did see with REAL talent! I took my 3 year old daughter to see Little Mermaid and we LOVeD it!! Everyone did a fantastic job, and it seemed there were no small parts, as the supporting cast played different characters. We loved watching everyone, especially the eels and the chef. read more

Pickleville Playhouse - Little Mermaid- so fun! - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

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What an amazing place. The theater is cool, the staff is super friendly and the cast was outstanding, so talented!!! I've seen shows in huge theaters all over the country and this might be my favorite. Will come back again. read more

Pickleville Playhouse - The view from our seats. - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

My wife and I went to see The legend of El Diablo starring Juandito last night and it was hilarious the cast was amazing and the improve moments had the entire audience in stitches.Highly recommend this show and will be going to another soon read more

Pickleville Playhouse - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

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Cast was amazing! Great for large families and very entertaining. I was skeptical when we first sat down but as the musical went on I was impressed. Perfect night activity after spending the day at the lake. Grab a cookie during intermission for a delicious snack. It's near a few food places. Our little nieces and nephews (youngest age 2) were able to follow along with Beauty and the Beast with only a few upsets until they fell asleep. We went to a 4:30 show and walked over for a 7pm reservation at Cafe Sabor after. The cast comes out and greets you after the show so stick around for some photo ops! read more

Pickleville Playhouse - Outside - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

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I can't believe we've never been to this playhouse before. Such a cute, small little place. Legit talent. Every seat in the house is a good one!!! Huge cookies were pretty good. I've had better but my boys loved them. Show was really good too. We'd for sure come back!! read more

This family-owned playhouse is an institution in the Bear Lake area, and has quietly become a tradition for me. It's just the right mixture of campy summer fun, legitimately serious talent, and distinctly Utah flavor. Located in Pickleville (well, y'know, south of Garden City... but really you can just say on the southwest corner of Bear Lake), it certainly jumps out at you as you round the bend of the lake there. At night, the twinkling lights are illuminated and you can't miss it. By day, it's a log cabin-y looking exterior and a big ol' building, at that. It's actually a playhouse, a separate dining area where they do dinners before the 8pm shows, and on the west, a small restroom facility and snowcone shop. Trust me, it all makes sense when you see it. So, what do you get when you cross a talented family, a resort community, and a dental school dropout? An entire franchise built around one character: Juanito Bandito. This character is the brainchild of TJ Davis, one of the kids in the family, who quit dental school in order to come back and live the theater dream. I'm filling in the blanks a little, as I don't really know the full story. But he is a bright and energetic guy, and he's built a local legend. Each year, he writes and produces a new chapter in the saga of Juanito Bandito. This character, a caricature of old west gunslingers, is part El Guapo from The Three Amigos, and part Enrique Iglesias. His thick accent is overdone for the comedy of it (I'll choot you!) but it doesn't come off as offensive, but endearing, as he often addresses the audience directly. You can't help but root for him and his often goofy, eclectic, or dimwitted crew. The choreography mixes the bright and cheery songs of traditional melodrama with fresh takes on current memes and hip hop. Juanito sings, dances, raps, and gives fair warning when it's about to get awesome, or if you are allergic to serious amounts of awesome. We take a large group of rowdy teens every year or two, and it's their favorite part of a weeklong campout (we make them bathe beforehand). Kids that may not come to camp at all know that Bandito is coming, so they'll join for the week. They sport the hats and T-shirts, and I gotta say that TJ and the rest of the cast go out of their way to make themselves available to sign autographs, pose for pics, and otherwise make a touchpoint with them. It's appreciated. Lest you think it's all Bandito all the time, they feature another show all summer long, as well. This year it's Shrek: The Musical. In the past it's been The Drowsy Chaperone or Forever Plaid. Full disclosure, I've only seen Bandito here. But the other ones are supposed to be good. For a small town, they get some incredible talent. I mean, without that small town qualifier it's true: they get some incredible talent here, full stop. The seats are comfortable enough, they seem to pack them in almost every night, there's a small balcony, and honestly probably not a bad seat in the house. They've invested money in technology and started incorporating video into things, they lights and sound aren't noticeable (the very best compliment in live theater) and it's perfect for the surroundings. You wouldn't stage Othello here, unless he was played by a gunslinger with a mustache and estretchy pants. If you're going to be in Bear Lake, you should plan on a night at the Playhouse. For many, it's become a tradition just as important as a day on the water or a tall raspberry shake. read more

Pickleville Playhouse - Interior at intermission. - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

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Not a play type guy was invited at the last minute. sat in balcony tad tight fit for people.. 85 outside and pretty cool inside. I did enjoy the play, and really was taken back of the talent and energy the cast had. My fist experece is yes go even if you like me would not consider going to a activity like this. last thing is by all means but the dinner with the show. The portions are big the wait for the food acceptable. and plenty of tables to sit at. They eared my 5 star read more

We had a fabulous experience seeing the opening night of The Play That Went Wrong!! The actors greeting us were delightful...all the staff was welcoming!! All of the shows we've seen have been excellent! We look forward to seeing next year's plays!! Thank you for helping us laugh and forget life's worries for a brief time! read more

This was a lot of fun for my girls who love theater and I laughed as well. A good mix of improve, singing and acting. They did well on all fronts. If you are looking for some entertainment in Bear Lake, this is an option if you like to go see plays or musicals. read more

We just returned from seeing the Juanito Bandito Christmas Show in SLC Utah and had an absolute blast! We have a yearly tradition to see the summer shows in Bear Lake and now have been to the Christmas shows for the past 4 years. When we first started seeing the Christmas show, it was held in a tiny theater on USU campus that held probably 100 people. Now they are selling out 4 shows with triple to capacity! We always take a group of extra friends along, usually who, sadly, have not even heard of Pickleville! They are always in for a special treat as they have NO idea what to even expect, and come away pleased and totally hooked on JB!! Our show was in the Grand Theater on State Street. It was a great facility with easy parking in the back. The women's restroom was funny--with super short stalls and we could look right at the heads of each girl! Awkward to say the least. The show was about 2 hours long with an intermission. The family of actors are the best, with great writing and fun ad-libs. Juanito is becoming quite the famous dude but the sister Whitney, was the star of the show! Her over the top antics really made us laugh! We had a group ranging in age from 8-48 and loved the inside jokes too! Be sure to get a pic with the cast and post it on FB or Instagram! They will reply! Wish the theater let us have popcorn and treats inside. We had to settle for fruit snacks and candy bars. After the show, we hurried to temple square to enjoy the lights. Hurry is the key word here, as the lights turn off at 10pm sharp!! We will continue our yearly traditions and hope to include more Juanito as the years go on--Thanks JB for making our season BRIGHT!! read more

The Beauty and the Beast play was excellent. We took our 4 and 2 year old and they loved the show. It brought tears to my husbands eyes. It really was an excellent play. We did the 4:30 showing and ate the cafe sabor after. read more

We love this place. We love everything about it. The plays are hilarious. Juanito bandito is our favorite! Good clean hilarious family fun. We have been here multiple times! Now to love it more....they have the best cookies ever! So mad they are only sold in the playhouse. Looks like I have to come back here all the time now for the cookie too! Mercy they are good! I was selfish and wouldn't share with my family! They are 1/2 a lb of cookie for $4. Perfect balance of soft chocolate and salty. Perfection! read more

Pickleville Playhouse - So good! Perfection! - Performing Arts Near Me - Garden City, Utah

We've been back to Pickleville every summer since seeing Shrek a few years back, every time taking more new family members with us. Everyone is hooked. The quality of the performances is far better than you can imagine if you haven't been. Just go. What are you waiting for? read more

Great plays! We loved the "Beauty & the Beast" play last night. It was awesome. The singing, acting, & the choreography was amazing! The cast was excellent! read more

This place is really top notch in terms of local performance and cultural events. They write their own plays, choreograph dances, record music, and present all of this in a yearly play. The founder has kept this business in the family, and the family has shown it has the talent it needs to continue it. The name initially mislead me to think it was a place of puppet shows, but in reality it is an awesome place for the family, friends, and even a date to go. Their "Juanito Bandito" series is top-notch. read more

Very committed and creative. And with a name like Pickleville how can you go wrong. I have seen some very entertaining theatre come out of here from traditional to off the wall. Great place to experience some fine local theatre. read more

Local family owns this Playhouse, but the talent is very good and they do a great show. You can buy soda's and snacks there. I was quite surprised at how good it was for such a little town. They do different shows throughout the week, so you can come back quickly and catch a different show. read more

so, one of the "fun" things the bride was looking forward to was the pickleville playhouse's rendition of "annie get your gun." hmm, it's not really how i roll on my typical wednesday nights but since i was already in UT, crippled and all, i figured i could make the exception. :) good thing a BBQ dinner was included. we pulled up a little bit late, 9 people in tow, to a large group of mormons - at least i'm guessing they were - praying before getting in line for food. (nope, i didn't feel out of my element at all.) our group tip-toed as quietly as 9 people possibly could to our table at the side. 10 minutes later, i had a plate full of jesus-mary-joseph-blessed chicken breast, beans, salad and a baked potato. true to form ... all were absolutely heavenly. (teehee!) i tried to finish my plate but ... i ... didn't ... have ... the ... strength. ugh, i shouldn't have eaten the fresh-baked double-chocolate cookie that the kids hand-delivered afterwards. somehow my food coma and i were able to make it to the play in the house next door. i'm not gonna lie - it was kinda cheesy and the acting was lame, but it wasn't a bad way to spend our second night in bear lake, UT. (we didn't even have the option of drinking anything caffeinated to keep us up since, per our mormon friends, it's a drug and all.) and, they even gave our wedding party a shout-out during intermission. however, that led to other viewers asking if i was the bride ... that was NOT OK. read more

Great fun and entertainment! Extremely talented crew! So glad we went and saw Shrek. Wish we were there to see the other show.

Great family fun! Our kids are 9 and 10 and we all loved it. I didn't need the couple of political (anti Obama) jokes but it's to be expected in that area of the world. Overall 5 star fun. We saw BANDITO. Oh ya, we had dinner after the show and it was very good. Will go back next time we are in Bear Lake for sure. read more

We saw Beauty and the Beast a few years back, and just brought along our daughter to see Who Shot Juanito Bandito. The cast had us all laughing until we cried, even the 5 year old. It takes a great writer to get all ages laughing!! We had such a blast, and pickleville is the cutest quaint little theater. It's crazy the quality of acting and performance you get to see there. We will definitely come back, especially since they've always got new plays to see! read more

Such a fun and happy place to take your whole family! We have also gone on our anniversary and did dinner before and it was amazing good food. Great service and super friendly. Every show we have seen has been very well done and hilarious. Juanito Bandito has been a favorite! read more

A good time was had by all! Juanito Bandito was hilarious, I loved the dances between scenes, and when they ad libbed! Such an amazingly talented bunch of actors. Thank you for a delightful evening of entertainment. read more