Lazy Susan Dinner Theater

My childhood favorite. Google says it’s permanently closed which really disappointments me because I’m going back after 5 years and and I would have loved to take my boyfriend there!

This place is what I expect of a Dinner theater. THe location is great. Anytime I can get entertainment without going into the city is a star for me. Plenty of parking. What others are calling an old Dump I see as character. The food is comfort food. If you are looking for gourmet, low carb stuff. Your going to get a salad pretty much. The shows are always kind of fun, entertaining, by no means top notch, but good enough for me that I keep going back. I don’t like that the $ 44 doesn’t include paying the actors. To come along ask me to tip based on the ticket price in a buffet is a bit much for me. However, If you go to a movie the popcorn is also over priced and I still buy it. I guess you could say it is cheap entertainment, and expensive food.

Save yourself the money — don’t go!
I found a Groupon for this, and as I quite enjoy dinner theater, I decided to give it a shot. Seriously the place was not worth the half off price, let alone the full price and I ended up leaving at intermission.
Food — Buffet style, limited options, COLD and I was in the first group to go up to the buffet. Do they really think potato salad, grizzly roast beef and disgusting penne afredo (I love pasta but this was NASTY!) is worth $ 44 per person? I thought perhaps the dessert buffet might make up for leaving half of my food on my itty bitty dinner plate… Wrong again. The desserts were picked clean, slow to be replaced and everything was pudding this, pudding that. Not all that appetizing. :(
Staff — My waitress couldn’t have tried to phone it in any more than she already did. I ordered a cocktail at 6:30 and was never asked again if I wanted a replacement drink even though the show didn’t start until 8:00. Waitress was nice enough but too many tables assigned to one person, and when everyone arrives at the same time, it becomes a cluster.
Show — I wasn’t expecting a broadway show in Woodbridge, but this was mediocre at best. Over acted and punny jokes that fell flat for the most part. The crowd only belly laughed once in 90 minutes which is sad when we are watching a comedy.
Facility — My dining room chair was ripped up as were all the chairs at my table. So uncomfortable to sit on when you’re wearing a light summer dress. The décor was mismatched and utterly outdated. The ladies restroom has 4 stalls, only three of which were is working order, and only 2 sinks! The paper towel holder was empty (the show hadn’t even started yet…), so the staff just dumped a roll on the counter. The exterior reminded me of two mobile homes shoved together… Seriously, this place is a dump!

SAVE YOURSELVES! YOU CAN’T GET YOUR TIME BACK NO MATTER HOW HARD YOU TRY!!!
We bought a Groupon for this place with some friends and we were very optimistic about the whole thing.
We arrived at 5:00pm when the voucher said to. There was a line out the door. It was around 40 degrees and drizzling. After about 25 minutes the line started moving. There was about 30 people outside waiting. Upon getting inside the place, there was a desk 20 feet beyond the entrance where they had just started taking people’s tickets to let them in. Maybe they didn’t know we were coming? They were cool with letting us wait in the cold with plenty of room inside.
We got to the desk and provided our vouchers. We told them we had friends with us a few people back in the line. She said, «You will be a party of two. You had to make reservations together at that time.» I didn’t understand their process so I was forgiving and just said, that’s their policy. Whatever. Let’s go in.
The place is straight out of 1971 and it smells like it too. Really. It smelled. Bad. And old. And just gross. Most of the patrons seem to have stopped progressing with the zeitgeist around 1971 as well. The crowd is more of a senior crowd than anything else. It was like the «fancy side» of an old truckstop in Mississippi… in 1971.
The table cloths were all grandma’s fancy floral table cloths covered by plexi-​glass. The lighting was super low so you can’t really see how awful it is unless you really look. They put us at a table so small that the table cloth that covered the plexi-​glass was a NAPKIN.
There were two or three four-​seat tables directly behind us that could have easily been used to accomodate our sitting with the rest of our party, but that was too overwhelming for them to even consider. We didn’t say anything. Just in aw of the whole experience.
They gave us our number and said, «Here is your number. They will call your number when you’re invited to go to the buffet. But we just ask that before you go back and get seconds and sevenths and eighths, that you let other people get a first turn at the buffet. Not that you would, but…»
The show hadn’t started yet by 6:20 when we finally got «invited» to the buffet. We got there and I met the most miserable lady passing out some sand-​paper-​style roast beef. She didn’t smile, she just scowled. You say, «Thank you!» and smile to try to cheer her up, but she just ignores it. If she were my employee, I’d fire her. There was no gravy for the roast beef. No au jus, no nothing.
They had penne pasta with like a béchamel, but not in a good way. There was some fried chicken and that was about it. Some marshmallow and coconut thing (?) and for dinner rolls, they had… sandwich bread. Like Sunbeam, plain white toast in place of a proper dinner roll. Oh, and they had huge cinnamon buns which I would encourage many of the patrons to politely pass-​on, but considering I saw some coming back from the buffet with TWO plates.
My wife and I could not eat the dry roast beef so we asked our waitress for any kind of sauce. BBQ sauce, Ketchup (yuk but whatever), A1 (again, yuk) but anything. All she had to offer us was Tabasco Sauce and she said she got that from the bar because they use it to make drinks.
So we ate the chicken and the pasta and were really disgusted with all of it. We kept looking for rats, but it was too dark to see any if they were there. I’m sure THAT was no accident…
6:45 I started feeling claustrophobic. It was dark. Packed tight. No room. Small table. Horrible chairs. The show STILL had not started yet. We got up and told our friends, «Sorry, we’re going to jet. We’re done eating. The show hasn’t started yet. It’s not like we’re even allowed to sit together, so we’re taking off.
It felt so good to get out of there! To breathe fresh air! To reassure ourselves that it’s not 1971 but 2013! But we’ll never get those two hours back. We’ll never be able to unsmell that smell; unsee that fancy 70’s honkytonk that looks like great grandmaw’s @#$ exploded in it; unsee the bathrooms with the old kitchen style goose neck faucets; untaste the horrid beef jerky that was made without sugar and passed off by a miserable angry hawnkytawnk lunch lady– it happened.. . And it’s something I’m going to have to live with for the rest of my life.
Please. Save yourself. Don’t do it.. . Unless you’re purty dawgone country, luvs you some Conway Twitty and think Applebee’s is a «purty good place». If that’s you, you should TOTALLY GO! YOU’LL LOVE IT!!! :-D

hmmm… Where to begin–
I guess I’m just not a fan of under produced plays, with over priced tickets, and «high school level» acting –especially when its paired with the likes of a «high school cafeteria quality» buffet.
First impression: walking up — it looks like the venue is simply 4 or 5 trailers connected at each end.
It really didn’t get any better.
The inside smells like the house of an old Italian woman and apparently they were nice enough to hire «Good Will» to do their interior decorating as it mainly consists of old hanging, dim lighting fixtures from the 70’s, and used tables and tablecloths.
They give this impression that you should «join them for cocktail hour before the show» however this seems to be a ploy to get you there early so they can begin herding to your cramped accommodations. Once we were seated we began the 15 min waiting process for our server to come take our drink order. Then another 10 mins to actually get them. we ordered beer and tea.
You are fed by what appears to be a first come first serve“numbered ticket” system
— we were table 48 —
yes we waited while they called 47 tables before us…
***Word to the wise if you decide to go here –no one checks your number… just go up and get food… shhhhhhh no one will ever know — i promise
The acting was sub par at best with one or two bright spots– and the play seemed to just dragggggggggggg on forever. I was exhausted when i left — truly
In total we were there for 5 hours!!! it just to much
— at least from this reviewers stand point —
Some people seemed to like it with one woman referring to the performance as «BRILLIANT» — I personally wouldn’t take it that far but what do i know!
Wrapping up — I will not be returning.
Thanks for reading!

This place has all the charm and old school ways of what dinner theater should be. I see folks giving it poor ratings based on the décor and seating covers! It’s a dinner theater you go there to have dinner (the food has been excellent every time we’ve gone over the past 14 years) and to experience theater (the players are second to none with all the plays we’ve seen there) Thus «Dinner Theater». For the approximate cost of $ 100.00 going for a night out with your significant other you cannot beat this Gem in Lorton. Bravo!!!

After seven years from my last attendance. I was hoping that the place had improved and decided to give it a chance. That this place has been able to stay in business after all these years is a miracle and a true testament that people will do anything for entertainment. Let me explain.
First — the premises — I don’t think that even a chair has been replaced there in the last fifteen years. The place looks run down from the outside and inside is like stepping into the 1950s.
Second — the food. –They claim to have a Dutch style buffet. However, I think the food should become part of the show itself. I would call the buffet area «The Mystery Food Chamber» and I would dare the guests to guess what they are eating. The lights in the buffet area do their trick, they are so dim as to make you wonder what anything is or even if there is anything in the containers, as you blindly scraped them looking for crumbs. They are very slow to replenish items.
Third — The play– In this area, it all depends. To give them some credit, I have seen plays there which were worthwhile, so if you are going for the theater part, you may get lucky.
Fourth — The Toilets — All I will say is that it would be wise to bring your own supply of toilet paper. After the intermission, it’s every woman for herself!
Fifth –The unknown — I didn’t count on the weather and weather matters. If you go in the winter, make sure and bring a blanket, wear long johns and and a good jacket. The woman sitting next to me, apparently knew better and confessed to be wearing two pairs of socks. In brief, it appears that they are not only saving on the food but also on energy.
My opinion — I’d rather have a good sandwich than a ton of bad food. What they would save on food and service, maybe they can spend on heat.
The above is the truth and noting but the truth.
Visited February 2013

Through the years, I’ve seen this place advertised. I’ve seen group meetups for this place, and finally a Groupon came through. I would not pay anymore than a Groupon price for this experience.
Circus Circus Buffet meets Home Town Community Theatre.
Parking is tricky here, in fact, get there early just to park. The theatre is located on a hill once you turn on to their street. If you want to get out of the parking lot at the end of the show, my advice is to leave right after the lights go out, or leave early.
Food– They assign you a specific time to enter the buffet world, that time is determined by your arrival to the theatre. Seating is done by reservation time, so if you reserved your seats weeks prior, then you will get a good table. We reserved the day of the event, since I did not read the Groupon carefully. We sat in the back of the theatre. That was not so bad since the theatre is not big. Back to buffet talk, picture starches, pot pies, chicken, roast beef (that is actually given to you by their staff, so you don’t get ‘all you can eat’). There’s plenty of mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and TONS of bread. Dessert is made by the bountiful, bread pudding, strawberry cream pies, made in large vats. Your admission price includes tea, coffee, and water. Soda and soda water is $ 1.50 and NO FREE REFILLS, so beware. They have a full bar, and they serve what appeared to be ‘boxed wine’.
The Show-​The stage takes over the entire front of the theatre. The cast is also your wait and hostess staff, yes, you see those characters several times during your experience. We saw Agatha Christi’s «The Unexpected Guest». The cast was good, they were very professional and they portrayed their characters well.
I thought the intermission (35 minutes) was WAY too long. It made for the overall experience of 4.5 hours, way too long at this outdated theatre. One hint, the women’s restroom was ridiculous, they had 4 stalls, and 1 of them was out of order. None of the toilets really flushed and women waited in long lines.

Tried coming here awhile back to watch Fiddler on the Roof, was an obvious mistake not making a reservation days, etc in advance because our group of tables was last to get called to get food at the buffet. By the time we got to the buffet most the food was already gone and the first group of tables had already made their way up for seconds. The staff told us that they wouldn’t be bringing out more food to the buffet, so it’s as another person said, «snooze ya lose» scenario. At that rate my friend and I were a bit upset/​disappointed, got a refund voucher and left without dinner or a show. We ended up giving the refund voucher to some friends as a gift since we knew we wouldn’t be coming back after that experience, and gave our friends a heads up on the protocol ;)

This place gets 3 stars for the talent and 1 for the food, so that explains the 2 stars over there.
I’ve been to the theater a few times and the performances have been really good. The last performance I saw was Putnam County Spelling Bee. Very funny show that was well done BUT this is a dinner theater and the food is pretty foul. In addition, the food isn’t even refreshed fast enough. We weren’t even the last of the people to get up, but the salad was empty and so were some of the sides. The desserts didn’t even have be wanting more — and that’s pretty amazing.
In fact, the food issue hasn’t been changed since I’d been YEARS ago. I hope the management reads these reviews and does something about it.

This place has been around for years and when you drive up it shows. When you walk in, it shows. When you sit down, it shows. It’s one of those places where the wait staff double as the actors and stage crew. I’ve been here just a handful of times over the years and I think the shows are pretty good. They make due with what they have. It’s almost like community theater. Or maybe the other way around. I’ve never been disappointed with any show. The dining area isn’t so bad with the way it’s spaced out. You might feel like your sitting on top of the people around you, but that’s kind or typical for any place like this.
However, with that said, the one thing that HAS been disappointing over the years is the food. As you are seated, they give you a table number. You have to wait until your number is called and then you make your way to the buffet. They never seem to get this part right. If your number is called after you’ve been sitting for a while or got there after 7pm, then it’s like «you snooze, you loose». Often there is no salad left, something that you wanted to go with your salad is gone, and usually a couple of other items are gone and no one replaces them in a timely manner. So if you are not the first persons to get in there, then the buffet looks like a desolate wasteland. Even after you get the food, I think that even though it’s not that good, it’s not that bad.
I enjoy a good show. I feel that is their strong point and that’s why I come back from time to time.

I really love going to the Lazy Susan. The shows are always wonderful and the acting is very good. I just really wish they would do some updating. (Tables, Chairs, décor)
The food is so/​so it’s usually lukewarm when you get it. So, I think it would be alot better if it were a little warmer. The service is always nice and friendly. If the food were better I would buy a season pass to all the shows. But for the so/​so food and wonderful show, I usually only manage to make about 1 show per year.

I can honestly say the Lazy Susan Dinner Theater got one major point right — they are lazy!
I recently obtained a Groupon and redeemed it last weekend. So even with discounted tickets I felt as if I were ripped off.
Aside from the actual play (I won’t review that specifically), the food, the décor, and the building were laughable.
The bad: This location is a little difficult to find if you’ve never been before as it sits on a hill behind a tall row of trees that hide not only the driveway up but also the entire building itself. Once that Where’s Waldo moment is concluded the place looks like you stepped back into the 60s. There’s dark panels lining the entire theater, the lights are extremely low, the tables are jammed close together (hope you don’t want privacy!), there’s exposed beams above your head — and some leakage in various spots.
The worse: Lazy’s promises «one of the finest buffets EVER offered by a dinner theater» and touts Pennsylvania Dutch entrees. None of this is quite true. Remember that low lighting I mentioned? Good luck seeing the goopy food at the 15 item buffet. Roast beef, chicken, fish — don’t hold your breath. The dried out, overly chewy piece of beef is served to you (you take whatever portion the server gives you), the chicken was a little undercooked and very under-​seasoned (as was most of the foods), and the fish — just small squares of a «fish» substance with a lemon on top that had been sitting in a pan of mystery liquid. None of the foods were labeled, I didn’t feel entirely safe with their refrigeration process (i.e. sitting dishes with mayonnaise in bowls of ice), and a lot of things looked questionable to try. Even the desserts weren’t appetizing looking despite their attempt to drown them in whip cream or chocolate.
The weird: The bathrooms are very retro — so none of the toilets flush properly, the waitress seemed like an animatronic person, dead eyes and all, just spouting off an obvious script of a greeting, the sodas not included in the dinner price come in cups half the size of the initial cup you receive, the spotlight is in the back of the room and not raised so it will shed light on you if you’re in its path during the show.
Bottom line: Don’t bother! If an establishment is silly enough to name themselves «lazy» that should be a good indicator of things to come. You’re better off seeing a play in DC and then going out to a nice restaurant afterward. It will cost about the same and you’ll be much more satisfied. They get one star for giving me a funny cautionary tale to regale my friends.

Some of the other reviews have been spot on. The show itself is a 4 star rating — it’s not the Kennedy Center but given the «dinner theater» category, the actors do a great job, are enthusiastic and Pirates of Penzance was quite funny. (NOTE: the women’s costumes were incredibly unflattering with the exception of the female pirate. The men’s costumes were all pretty good). The service is decent, maybe a 2 to 3 star (we had to bus the table ourselves and pass down every single dirty dish instead of it just being taken from each place setting). The food is seriously a 1 star. Bland and boring. Practically nonexistent if like us, you were one of the later tables called. Nothing was refilled so we had slim pickings (I went back 20 minutes later and checked — alas, no refills). The must-​try is the chicken (moist!) and the cornbread rolls. Everything else had zero flavor, don’t think the words «spice» or «seasoning» is in their vocabulary. Yes, just like other reviews, we absolutely melted indoors in the summer from the tiny amount of A/​C that was pumped out. I felt sorry for the performers who had to sing & dance in the heat. All that said, my guess is this theater is on a shoestring budget and barely keeping their head above water, or else these items would have been addressed already over the years. Am sure this is not new news for the management.

They could certainly try a little harder with the food. When I went, we were trying to serve ourselves Linguini with a serving spoon. The selection for the buffet though was nice, something for everyone, and of course you can go back and get more of the items you like and skip the less tasty ones. I have to agree with the review that the food is only OK. (The desserts were wonderful though, I do receommend the mouse and bread pudding.)
The acting was good. Better than you would generally expect from a small, local dinner theater.
The service was excellent, the seats comfortable, the facilities clean, and the drinks tasty. This cost us for a very nice evening out, less than going to a play most anywhere else and includes dinner. I would recommend Lazy Susan to anyone!

I can remember coming to see «Fiddler on the Roof» at the Lazy Susan more than 15 years ago. It hasn’t changed a bit. My Fiancé’ and I saw «A Christmas Carol» late last year. The acting was very well done. We felt as though it was cast perfectly.
I will have to agree with the other reviewer, our winter time show was cold to say the least. Sad to say the interior almost had an old bowling alley smell. I wish they’d clean it up a bit.
If you arrive on time than there will be a meeting in the reception area where dinner instructions are given. We were late, and it didn’t matter.
Dinner is a Dutch style Buffet. Expect to eat an array of comfort, home cooked and non diet food. Alcohol (with their limited selection) is expensive. There is a large desert buffet. The food was great!
To know that this place is still around puts a big smile on my face. In our area, it’s one of a kind and I would highly recommend it.

This place has seen better days. The shows were once fantastic. Now it’s a bit comical when I visit. A bit depressing in the lots. there are a lot of stray cats roaming, most of them thriving on the waste from this place.
The shows can still be alright if you keep your mind open and your heart light. Don’t expect much from the food. Its certainly not very good, and overpriced even if it was of better quality.
Go if you’re in the area, have a full belly and want some strange entertainment.

I really struggled between a rating of 2 or 3 stars for this place. I’ve been 4 times and here are the things I’ve found to be consistent: 1) The staff is very friendly and accommodating. 2) You will probably feel cramped regardless of where you’re seated. 3) The cost is fairly expensive, especially if you add alcohol to your tab. 4) The food will be mediocre AT BEST. Not terrible. Not great. Just bleh. 5) The show will be cheesy, but well-​acted and enjoyable. 6) It will be FREEZING COLD in the winter and BURNING HOT in the summer. Yes, I’m talking about INSIDE the theater.
If the weather is fair outside — maybe around 60 degrees — you actually CAN enjoy a nice show with little to no discomfort. However, a group of friends and I went to a winter show last year and all of our toes literally went numb because it was uncomfortably cold. We all had to leave our heavy winter coats on throughout the entire performance and dinner, which was ridiculous. Then, more recently, I went to another show with a friend late this summer (maybe mid-​70s outside)… It felt like it was 900 degrees inside. We mentioned something to our server and she blamed it on the stage lights that burn very bright and hot. They had some ceiling fans going, which did nothing to cool the restaurant. We were dressed lightly — tshirts and flip flops, but still sitting in our seats sweating. Although we spent $ 100 for tickets, we ended up leaving at intermission because it was so MISERABLY hot (and I have never walked out of any show, concert, movie, etc, EVER).
So MY ADVICE if you’re thinking about a trip to the Lazy Susan… CHECK IT OUT. They DO have good shows. But 1) sign up for their mailing list because they send out some pretty generous discounts. 2) Don’t skip the dinner rolls or dessert — those are the best parts of the meal. 3) Try to visit when the weather isn’t too hot or cold outside.
And to the Lazy Susan operators, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE get your HVAC fixed!!! Assuming you even have one…

Was a little hesitant at first, not usually my thing. This place had a laid bad atmosphere. It is an old dinner theater which has a buffet with good food. For the price of $ 90 for 2 was well worth it arrived at 630 had dinner and show started around 800. We left out of there around 1130 so for 5 hours of entertainment was well worth it.
Only thing I would recommend, it is time for some new chairs they were ripped and very worn out.

This was a terrible place with awful food.