The Howdy Show

The Howdy Show and Dinner Extravaganza is a family-friendly dinner show based on the wild west traveling show concept. There are five characters who sing and dance while you eat your dinner, and occasionally sing about your meal. The show is intended to be high energy with audience participation, and you are invited to yell, clap and even bang on buckets -- when they tell you to!

The Howdy Show & Dinner Extravaganza is billed as "Arizona's only ol' fashioned 1880s western musical spectacle full of audience participatin' fun!" The show is scheduled for shows beginning September/October and continuing through April/May. There are evening shows and an occasional weekend matinee.

About the Venue

The Howdy Show takes place at Rockin' R Ranch in Mesa. It's a wild west town (long ago it was a working cattle and horse ranch) with a saloon, gunfights, gold panning and horse-drawn wagon rides.

The Howdy Show takes place in the large theater. There's an elevated stage. Guests are seated at picnic-style tables (no backs to the seats). Seating is assigned by table, but not by seat. VIPs are seated center stage, where no one there has their back to the stage. If you are sitting in a row to either side of the theater, the people who get to that table first will pick the side that faces the stage. Others may have to turn around, which can be uncomfortable while eating. Each guest has plenty of room at the seat.

About the Show

The entire program lasted about an hour an a half. There are five performers who sing mostly comical ditties and dance, occasionally venture out into the audience, and encourage the audience to clap and holler. There is one number where audience members participate on stage.

The Howdy Show is upbeat and boisterous, clean (with very mild innuendo), colorful and lively. Many of the songs are not tunes that you would recognize or be able to sing along with; they are more geared toward wild west humor and jokes. You can meet the entertainers outside the theater after the show.

About the Food

You'll be eating while the show is going on, which makes it a shorter evening than many other dinner theater events. Dinner is served family style. There was plenty for everyone, and servers were willing to bring more on request. On the night I attended, dinner consisted of an iceberg lettuce salad with ranch dressing, skinless stuffed chicken, beef short ribs, mashed potatoes, baked beans and apple pie with a dollop of ice cream. No substitutions or other options. It wasn't a meal that I would order, but it was....appropriate/acceptable for this event and at this price! Soft drinks are included.

Who Should See The Howdy Show?

The audience for this show was decidedly older, a senior crowd for the most part. Families with pre-teen children would also be good candidates for this show, as would anyone who enjoys wholesome, western-themed entertainment.

_{As is common in the industry, the writer was provided with a complimentary meal for the purpose of the review. While it has not influenced this review, About.com believes in full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest. For more information, see our ethics policy. All prices and offerings mentioned herein are subject to change without notice. 01/10}