GARDEN CITY, Utah — After TJ Davis tried dentistry (and hated it), he wrote his first melodrama starring the mustachioed Juanito Bandito for the Pickleville Playhouse stage. From that point on, interest in the theater for Bear Lake audiences has skyrocketed.
The theater, started in 1977 by Davis' grandparents LeGrande and Betty Larsen, plays to sellout crowds who come to the theater wearing fake mustaches of their own.
They come to watch the charismatic character who robs banks without apologizing for his behavior — a character who singlehandedly thwarts sheriffs, reporters and the bad guys who underestimate his "awesomeness."
TJ's brother Derek Davis often plays the foil for the Bandito — maybe a sheriff, or some other character trying to catch El Bandito — and manages the Playhouse's publicity.
He said the Bandito has changed sales immensely for the theater, with shows offered from mid-June through early September.
"I believe that one of the big reasons we have enjoyed such increased success the past decade or so, aside from the rising popularity of our Juanito Bandito series, is just the overall quality of our productions," Derek Davis said. "People come to little Garden City and pull up to our quaint log-cabin theater and think 'Oh, this is so cute! I bet they do some really fun little community shows or something.' And then they are blown away by the professionalism and overall production value of our shows."
Long-time patron Julie Allen has been going with her family for years.
"We often say it isn't summer 'til we've gone to a Pickleville show," she said. "We love that the shows are something every member of our family can enjoy together — even after we've left the performance. The acting, singing and dancing is just top notch."
Derek Davis said his grandparents built the theater to serve others.
"It was never about what was in it for them," he said. "There are innumerable stories about my grandpa going down the aisle and handing out free popcorn or inviting families to come see the shows for free."
That feeling persists, as the Davis family writes, choreographs, sings, dances, sells popcorn and ushers for a Bandito show and a Broadway favorite, every summer.
Andrea Davis, the family matriarch, said everybody pulls together to put on the shows. They work and rehearse hard and enjoy the challenges.
"Mom ran the whole thing for years," TJ Davis said. "She still has the final say on things. She's the barometer."
The secret of working together well is everyone knows they are a valuable part of the team, he said. That team includes five Davis siblings and two in-laws. The rest of the cast is chosen through auditions that attract people from as far away as China.
TJ Davis said he is blown away by the interest in the Bandito character.
"It was kind of a fluke, a happy accident," he said.
He started on the Pickleville Playhouse stage at age 11, and did some acting as a student at Sky View High School in Cache Valley.
It wasn't until after he returned from his LDS mission in Guatemala with Spanish and a good sense of swagger under his belt that his character was born.
"I tried it at rehearsal," TJ Davis said. "Everyone liked it. The fun part is, it continues to evolve. I'm having more and more fun."
This year's "Love and Death vs. El Bandito" is the ninth Bandito show, and features the hero finding love as he competes with the pirate El Diablo for treasure.
In the future, Derek Davis said the family would like to expand or build a new, larger theater that could accommodate more patrons.
"We would love to make it so everyone who wants to see our shows can get a ticket — and on the nights they prefer to come," he said. "Right now, we often end up turning many people away on weekends."
The Playhouse also offers a Western-style cook-out each night, this year catered by local resturants Cafe Sabor and Hamiltons.
Additionally, Pickleville puts on Christmas shows in Salt Lake City and Logan.
Content advisory: Both shows are family friendly and contain nothing objectionable.
If you go ...
What: "Love and Death vs. El Bandito" and "Shrek the Musical"
Where: Pickleville Playhouse, 2049 S. Bear Lake Blvd., Garden City, Utah
When: Monday-Saturday, 4:30 and 8 p.m., Friday-Saturday, 1 p.m.
How much: $20-$26 adults, $15-$21 children
Phone: 435-755-0968
Website: picklevilleplayhouse.com