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Customer Quotes, and Media Coverage. See Audience comments. Media Coverage I won't keep you in suspense. I had great fun with the play and enjoyed the best meal I've had in some time. Each Thursday, PJ's Abbey is the setting for Killer Entertainment, the show's producer, to perform an interactive comedy written for this venue. The Mead family lovingly restored the Abbey, a converted 1890s era Victorian church. Featuring beautiful stained-glass windows and attractive antiques, PJ's Abbey is well-known as a great place to eat. Gary Mead, Sr. handled the conversion, Gary mead, Jr. manages the restaurant, and mother Peggy Mead gets up at five each morning to bake the mouth-watering desserts. It's a very special place that is now just a bit more magical. The time is 1919 and the audience arrives as guests of local saloonkeeper/politician Grover Claypool. The event: an engagement party for his mail-order bride, who will arrive shortly on the train. For the first half-hour we enjoy hors d'oeuvres. "Stanied Glass and Painted Ladies" is about two thirds scripted and one-third improvisation. During the reception, the characters introduce themselves and write the rest of the script in their heads. As we enjoyed our meals - four courses that included a selection of filet mignon, salmon, chicken Florentine or grilled vegetables as the entree - the cast worked its spell on the 50 honored guests. The three founders of Killer Entertainment - Michael J. McKay, Julia McDowell, and Mignonne Profant - make every effort to ensure everything is perfect. They write, act, sing, dance and more. The entire cast is professional, with extensive credits on stage, screen, and television. McKay plays dual roles as a German preacher, Werner Klugmeier, and a slick-talking rube con man, Earnest Glibb. McDowell as Penelope B. Sweete, may or may not be what she seems. And Profant is a sort of Nelly Bly-type as the local newspaper editor. Veteran actor Dale Jones was delicious as the pompous pol. Ricardo Montoya, the suave Orange County land baron, was played with enthusiasm by Robert Vestal. And stage manager Craig Ouelette was memorable as Clyde, the hired hand. The play was playful, the actors skillful. The audience was included: "We're going to sing this song only because Chris wants to." I was surprised. Others were hugged, mugged, and tugged. The skill was knowing who would love to be involved and who would rather remain a spectator. Finally, the audience gets to vote on how the play will turn out. It was a blast. Reservations are a must for "Stained Glass and Painted Ladies." It's always nice to leave the theatre with a good taste in your mouth. At PJ's Abbey this was literally the case, as we chose between incredible raspberry cheesecake and the "black hole of chocolate" also in cake form. The night was a fun frolic full of inside Orange County references, audience singalongs, and the best filet mignon I've ever eaten. This is definitely a case of having your cake and eating it too. To quote the Terminator: "I'll be back." Dinner theatre has indeed garnered a bad rap over the years, but times are changing and so is the concept of dinner theatre. Traditional dinner theatre venues have faded away ... their replacement: interactive mystery-comedy dinner shows. They're fun, original, and since most are held at established restaurants, the cuisine is usually very tasty. Around 20 years ago the wildly popular interactive play "Tamara" in which the audience followed actors from room to room of a Hollywood mansion in between bites of dinner and dessert, proved that audiences were looking for a new dinner theatre experience. Now along comes another dinner theatre troupe with their own twist: Killer Entertainment. Based in Newport Beach, this company was formed by three mystery theatre veterans (Mignonne Profant, Michael J. McKay, and Julia McDowell) with the idea of trying something different. They have succeeded with the show, "Stained Glass and Painted Ladies," offered every Thursday at PJs Abbey, a classy restaurant housed inside a converted 1890 Victorian church that still has its original stained glass windows intact. Set at a fictitious engagement party in 1919, "Stained Glass and Painted Ladies" incorporates the history of Orange County, and the world, into the storyline of the show. Observing the action is the audience, who in essence become partygoers and watch the play unfold around them as they dine. "Stained Glass and Painted Ladies" is a dinner theatre novelty, and a welcome one. The acting is convincing, yet tongue-in-cheek, the plot believable yet still wacky, and the incorporation of local lore and historical facts adds to the overall enjoyment. You can't ask for a better venue than PJ's Abbey, and the cuisine served upholds the restaurant's reputation. Just be prepared to laugh a lot and join in singing a handful of old songs (with a booklet of lyrics provided at each table for those who forgot the words to "In the Shade of the Old Apple Tree" or "Daisy.) "Stained Glass and Painted Ladies" is just one of several interactive plays that Killer Entertainment does on a regular basis for private parties and corporate functions ... if they are as enjoyable as the one at PJs Abbey, Orange county is in for some truly killer entertainment. "The play, set during an engagement party in 1919, first takes guests to an hors d'oeuvre reception. There, visitors will meet the townsfolk, such as a suffragette and a saloon owner. In addition to the hors d'oeuvres and salad, guests have a choice of entree: filet mignon medallions, salmon with lemon caper sauce, chicken artichoke Florentine, or grilled marinated vegetables. PJ's Abbey is a renovated 110-year old former church which has its original stained glass windows. Converted to a restaurant, the structure is listed on the National Registry of Historic Places. The script for "Stained Glass and Painted Ladies" was written by the founders of Killer Entertainment, Julia McDowell, Michael J. McKay, and Mignonne Profant at the request of the Mead family, owners of the restaurant. The actors present the comedy around the dining tables. The actors, gifted in improvisation, chat with guests between and during scripted portions of the show. While guests are never pressured to participate, many enjoy taking part, in particular in the sing-alongs presented. "Michael J. McKay . . .performs with virtuosic skill." 
Darel
Hale, Los Angeles Critic,
"Appearing on the same bill we have the divine Miss Julia McDowell. Her tranquil tones and soothing soprano charm all. . . . She has brought new meaning to the art of the ballad."
"A consummate pro in the interactive theater genre, [Mignonne] Profant enhances the evening's enjoyment with her Femme Fatale mannerisms and her torchy songs." "(Julia McDowell) is working the room like a seasoned Vegas comic. She stops at each table long enough to rattle off a few wisecracks and appropriate some food and drink. She's good at both." Peggy
Blizzard, Irvine World News,
"Profant is very good as the sultry [chanteuse], giving the role an earnest sincerity."
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