It opened in the summer of 1949 after park owner agreed with producer John Kenley, who had been producing plays at the Deer Lake Theatre, to bring his productions to the park. The theatre opened with YES, MY DARLING DAUGHTER, starring Ann Harding, on June 14, 1949. The first musical to play at the theatre under Kenley’s hand was FINIAN’S RAINBOW starring Jerry Wayne in the summer of 1950. Kenley c
ontinued to produce at Lakewood until the end of the summer of 1955. Throughout the following years several other producers took helm bringing in top billed star touring companies. In 1966 the “Lakewood Musical Theatre” opened with GUY & DOLLS. Instead of using star package touring companies, producers recruited aspiring talent from New York. Renamed the “Lakewood Musical Playhouse” in the summer of 1969, Robert G. Buchanan took over as producer. Buchanan had previously performed and directed at the theatre. Actors, staff, and apprentices were hired and housed in nearby areas. Actors would perform one show at night, while rehearsing during the day for the following week’s musical. Seasons ran ten or eleven weeks with a new show every week. This program ran for seven years, ending at the close of the 1975 season. After being dark for the summer of 1976, the theatre once again opened as the “Lakewood Country Playhouse” in 1977. New producers once again brought in star companies, premiering with John Raitt and Gaylea Byrne starring in I DO! After two summers the playhouse was closed at the end of the 1979 season. This time the theatre was closed for good.
