Although a comedy was playing, the drama was high on Sept. 3, when Tempo took a seat in the grand old cow barn that is home to the Conklin Players Dinner Theater in tiny Goodfield in central Illinois.
A Downstate institution, the theater is in dire financial straits. In a last-ditch effort to stay alive, the troupe led by Chaunce Conklin and Mary Simon has gone Hollywood, luring stars from soap operas and bygone TV series to the barn to keep the final curtain from falling.
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In September, actor Ken Berry of “F Troop” and other sitcoms seemed to be the best hope for the troupe’s survival. “We almost broke even with Ken’s run, and we’re still hanging on-by our thumbnails,” Simon said.
Now playing through year’s end is actor Josh Taylor, late of “Days of Our Lives,” “The Hogan Family” and “Beverly Hills, 90210.” Taylor is simultaneously acting in “I Hate Hamlet” in Goodfield and the soap opera “The Young and the Restless” in Hollywood. “He flies out there for a few minutes and then flies back,” Simon said.
Bringing in Taylor guarantees two audiences: those familiar with his TV work and those familiar with his footwork. Taylor grew up and was a star athlete in nearby Chillicothe.
“His parents are regulars,” said Simon, who counts the house carefully.