When Roxanne LeBlanc, founder of Vaudeville Entertainment, sat down to write Beam Me Up, Babe!, she wasn’t trying to fit neatly into one genre. She leaned into the unexpected, combining vintage Westerns, science fiction B-movies and romantic comedies all into an original immersive dinner theater experience.
“I think that the idea of just blending worlds that don’t belong together but work really well together and mixing those classic Westerns with campy science fiction, it sounds ridiculous, but in like the best possible way,” LeBlanc tells Orlando Weekly.
LeBlanc’s original production follows a cowboy drifter, an alien princess, a sarcastic cyborg and a quick-witted saloon owner through a story filled with romance, comedy and adventure.
After years performing in Orlando’s tourist-driven dinner theater scene at familiar venues like Pirate’s Dinner Adventure and Medieval Times, LeBlanc wanted to create something entirely her own, supporting the talent more than ever before.
“There’s a lot of theater in Orlando that caters to the tourist demographic, which I love about our creative city. But beyond Fringe, I don’t feel like there’s that many opportunities for original immersive theater,” LeBlanc says. “So just getting to create something from the ground up — it’s just been really incredibly rewarding.”
LeBlanc founded Vaudeville Entertainment to produce immersive experiences ranging from dinner theater to corporate galas and festivals. While the company offers a variety of productions, dinner theater remains her primary focus.
“Yes, I’m a playwright and I am a producer and director or performer. I founded Vaudeville and I feel like, yes, we provide incredible immersive entertainment experiences,” LeBlanc says. “But the dinner theater is what really has my heart.”
The show’s inspiration came partly from the venue, Maxine’s on Shine, whose owners are big fans of sci-fi and Westerns, and this prompted LeBlanc to pitch the unlikely crossover.
“I’ve done a lot of dinner theater shows there. I did a Moulin Rouge-themed show, we do murder mystery shows, a Christmas cabaret. And he [Kirt Earhart, Maxine’s co-owner] was like, ‘I’d really love to do a sci-fi,’ and I’m like, ‘Well, what about a sci-fi Western’?” LeBlanc adds, “I love romance, so we do a romantic spin, and you mix that with comedy, and it’s just a dinner theater spectacular.”
The cast includes Shelby Randle as Nova, Joshua Trevilcock as Jack, Jonathan Green as Vex and LeBlanc as Annie, the formidable sidekick.
For LeBlanc, the dinner is just as important as the performance. A foodie at heart, she designed the experience to eliminate the common dilemma of squeezing in a meal before a show or settling for fast food afterward.
“For me, it’s combining my passion for an Epicurean experience with my passion for theatrical, immersive experiences,” LeBlanc explains.
She kept audiences in mind while conceiving this production, structuring the performance around the meal. Scenes pause as each course is served, allowing guests to enjoy both without feeling rushed.
“Our shows complement the dinner; they don’t compete with it — each menu is curated for that. We never do the same menu for each show,” she says.
The Michelin-recommended Maxine’s on Shine will prepare a unique themed three-course menu for the production, with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options available.
LeBlanc believes that intimate dinner theater creates a connection between performer and audience in ways that traditional theater often cannot. With an intimate audience capacity of just 50 seats, attendees become part of the action.
“It’s not like a proscenium or a theater in the round where you’re 50 feet away from the stage.” LeBlanc says. “You’re a part of it. It’s interacting with you. It’s taking you on that adventure with us.”
That closeness reflects a larger purpose behind LeBlanc’s entertainment company: bringing people together.
“I guess it’s worthy of note that people are lonelier now than ever. We’re all overdue for digital detoxes,” LeBlanc says. “I think that we’re all craving those experiences right now where you can just be fully present.”
The venue makes the production all the more immersive. Originally a 1950s neighborhood bodega and now a fan-favorite restaurant, Maxine’s provides a nostalgic backdrop that complements the show’s retro themes.
Each ticket includes pre-show cocktails on the garden patio, local artwork, tarot readings and post-show mingling. The Friday, July 31, performance will feature Keepsake Experiences’ photobooth and Polaroid portraits, while Panther’s Gallery will showcase jewelry and artwork inspired by the production.
LeBlanc hopes for Beam Me Up, Babe! to be more than “just” a show.
“I have this vision where you leave the show, and it’s beyond just like, ‘Oh wow, that was really great,’” LeBlanc says. “I want it to evoke that inner child, where it’s like I remember what it feels like to have a dream and then bring it to life, despite the circumstances. That’s how I want guests to feel when they leave this show.”
Beam Me Up, Babe! 6 & 8 p.m. Friday, July 31, 6 & 8 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 5; Maxine’s on Shine, 337 N. Shine Ave.; maxinesonshine.com; $102.80.
