Published: October 07, 2009 11:43 pm      

‘The show must go on’ at Larenim Park amphitheater, with a little work

Frankfort senior, others restoring the stage, organizing benefit show

KEYSER, W.Va. — Some might say that the time for theater has come and gone, replaced by film, television and the Internet. The amphitheater in Mineral County’s Larenim Park is certainly a testament to this way of thinking. For years it’s stood abandoned, slowly but surely falling apart away from the public eye.

Frankfort High School senior Alex McDonald has other ideas for the amphitheater, however. With a little help from the community, McDonald believes the show can go on.

McDonald is organizing a show called “Saving Larenim One Song at a Time” at the amphitheater. Managed by McDonald and performed with the help of the Chorus of the Potomac, the show consists of a variety of musical numbers including classics like “A Spoonful of Sugar” from “Mary Poppins” and “On My Own” from “Les Miserables.”

McDonald said he came up with the idea for restoring the amphitheater one day when he was coming home from practice with his friend David Zimmerman. “I said I’d stop and show (the amphitheater) to him, but we walked into a mess,” said McDonald. “We were kind of in disbelief that they’d let the theater get run down this bad.” McDonald and Zimmerman contacted Mineral County Commissioner Cindy Pyles, who led them to Rex Riffle, director of Mineral County Parks and Recreation. Riffle gave the pair the keys to the park and they got to work.

The Larenim Park amphitheater is the home of “McNeill’s Rangers,” a Civil War history musical performed by a volunteer community theater group called the Apple Alley Players. While the show proved popular since its first performance in 1985, contemporary interest has waned.

“It was a hard musical to put on and the theater was in such bad shape that it just died out,” said McDonald. With the help of the musical’s creator, John Hawkins of Potomac State College, however, McDonald hopes to bring the Rangers back to Larenim Park. “He said he’d be willing to let us have the music for free if the theater’s restored,” said McDonald.

McDonald plans to raise the necessary money with his musical, then complete reconstruction by next spring with the help of Zimmerman, Zimmerman’s father and their friends. He has the full support of Mineral County Parks and Recreation.

“We’ve rebuilt about two-thirds of the amphitheater already,” said Riffle, noting repairs that include the roof and stage. “We’re all for what he’s doing.” 

McDonald also has the support of the Apple Alley Players. “We’ll take any kind of enthusiastic help in any way, shape or form,” said Larry Myers, president of the Apple Alley Players. According to Myers, the Players haven’t performed in the amphitheater for several years because they’ve moved on to dinner theater at the Pines in Keyser, but they wouldn’t discount a resurrection of the Rangers. “If we had a lot of people who were as enthusiastic as Alex, we could do one,” said Myers. “We need more people who would dive in and create that energy and excitement.” 

Along with his work as an amphitheater preservationist, McDonald is also the president of his class. “Some of the teachers in my school have been in the Rangers,” said McDonald. “It’s involved so many people over the past 15 years ... so there’s been tons of people who have been involved with this.” McDonald intends to use the reconstruction for his senior project graduation requirement.

Tickets for McDonald’s show Oct. 17 at 8 p.m. are being sold at Linda’s Hallmark in Keyser and Cindy’s Restaurant in Fort Ashby, priced at $10 for adults and $8 for children.

Contact Cory Galliher at cgalliher@times-news.com.