Step into the life of a New Yorker and shake things up a bit by going to Ball State University's dinner theater production of "The World Goes 'Round."
This year's show features a collection of 30 songs from productions such as "Chicago," "Cabaret" and "New York, New York" all written by writing duo John Kander and Fred Ebb.
The stage is designed to resemble a New York diner.
Performers walk into the diner through a revolving door and tell their unscripted stories through songs.
Director Harold Mortimer said the show gives the audience an intimate setting with tables as close as two feet to the stage, he said.
Faculty performer Dwandra Lampkin said her favorite part of the dinner theater is its proximity to the audience.
"I love the intimacy because I think theater should be interactive ... connecting," she said.
Lampkin plays the diner's manager and opens the show with its main theme song, "The World Goes 'Round."
The song describes the highs and lows of life, "One day kicks, one day kicks in the shins and after all that the world still goes 'round," she said.
Despite life's struggles, she said, the world still goes 'round.
The character really comes to life for her when she puts on the costume shoes of her character and defines the character's movement, she said.
"It's all about how you connect to the ground," she said.
Intimacy isn't the only characteristic that makes "The World Goes 'Round" different from other Ball State productions: The show has no script.
Performers are told what songs they'll be singing and are allowed to create their own character.
Student performer Matt Preston based his character on something familiar to him: a starving artist.
"I'm a college student so it's not too far from that," Preston said. "Plus I'm a theater major and there's never consistent jobs."
Junior Carlie Mayo, also a student performer, said everyone can relate to the character's quest to find love.
College students, however, may especially relate to the character's ages.
"The show is about 20-somethings trying to make it in the big city which is something we're all going to go through, regardless of major," Mayo said.
Johnny Carino's Italian Grill will be catering dinner while actors from the show serve it.
The menu includes chicken over a bed of spaghetti marinara, green beans and a salad plus dessert.
Dinner begins at 6 p.m., followed by the show at 7 p.m. June 14-16 and 20-23.
Drinks will also be served preceding dinner at 5:30 p.m.
Tickets for dinner and the show cost $30-35.
There will be a matinee performance at 2 p.m. on June 17 with lunch served at 1 p.m.
For those low on cash, Lampkins suggests only seeing the show for $15.
Mortimer, however, sees the evening as quite a deal since a meal at the Carino's may cost $30 alone, he said.
Audiences will tap their toes to the high-energy songs and hold hands through the romantic parts, he said.
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