Even in rehearsal, Greg Rowles performs like he’s playing to a packed audience.
With near-perfect memory in front of the mostly empty, almost 800-seat theater, Rowles projects to an audience that soon could be giving him and his cast a standing ovation. The rehearsal is just as detailed as a live performance.
A large jumbotron behind the stage displays video and visuals accompanying the array of songs Rowles and his eight other cast members will play for the theater’s opening show April 1, 2024. Within a few minutes, one performer goes through a nonstop tribute to Elvis Presley, Michael Jackson and Willie Nelson — oscillating between Elvis-like hip gyrations and wearing a red bandana with Nelson-esque ponytails attached.
If there’s a break in the performance, the two screens on the sides of the theater play videos of Rowles and another cast member paying homage to The Muppet Show’s Statler and Waldorf, with snarky critiques of the show followed by over-the-top laughter. For Rowles, each part of the performance tries to take audience members down their own personal memory lane.
“You’ll see people nudging each other (saying) ‘Oh my gosh, I wish I could hear that song more often, or we know these songs,’” Rowles said. They’re going to take you back somewhere. They take you to a place to a time (to) emotions, sometimes good, happy, sometimes sad, but it’s going to be a whole lot of fun.”
Those songs will be different night after night to keep the show— a two-hour affair with a 20-minute intermission— new and unique, Rowles said. Rowles, a southpaw wielding a custom-made guitar, plays pedal steel guitar when the performance calls for it. If a musical number requires a harmonic, he covers that too.
“Not only am I a producer, but everybody on that stage is a producer. Everyone on this stage is a writer,” Rowles said. “The show will continually be tweaked. The show will always be fresh and something new.”
One of Rowles’ fellow on-stage producers is guitarist Kenny Duncan. Duncan, the theater’s music director, has 53 years of guitar-playing experience. Wielding an assortment of acoustic guitars, Fender Telecaster and Gretsch guitars and mandolin, Duncan is a veteran of the Grand Strand theater scene.
He previously performed at Legends in Concert, where he met Rowles in 2008-2009. The pair became fast friends after Duncan joined North Myrtle Beach’s Alabama Theatre, which Rowles had previously called home for 22 seasons. Duncan joined Rowles for this new endeavor and, with his prodigious skill, keeps his performance of songs as faithful to the original recordings as possible.
“Your Sweet Home Alabamas, your Rambling Mans, Hotel California. When I hear that song, I’ve been listening to it my whole life, and I expect to hear that,” Duncan said. “I went to see bands perform a lot of those songs, and the players would be great, but that was not the song that touched me when I first heard it. So, I tried to recreate that for the audience.”
Another performer joining Rowles from the Alabama Theatre is Mark Perry. Perry utilized a saxophone, clarinet, flute and guitar during the March 21, 2024, rehearsal — the one instrument he said he struggles with is actually the harmonica. A fan of big band music and acts like Tower of Power, the theater’s performance is a chance for him to show off his musical range.
“I’m a music education major, and so part of that is going through practicum classes where you learn all the instruments from different programs. I just ate that all up,” Perry said. “It’s been a great experience just getting back together with (Rowles) again.”
The question becomes why Rowles decided to strike out alone after working at the Alabama Theatre for so long.
“It was a God thing,” Rowles said, standing at the back of his theater March 7, 2024, as the staff tested the building’s smoke alarms. Part of the great resignation, Rowles wanted to return to performing as a one-person show.
In September 2021, Rowles pitched his idea to a friend, Brad Alexander, the president and creator of Shops on Main in North Myrtle Beach.
“My wife (Brandee Rowles) told (Alexander) our dream, and he revealed that his dream was a theater 20 years ago,” Greg Rowles said. “So, our dreams collided.”
Alexander, now a co-investor in the theater, helped pick its location. Opened as the Dixie Jubilee and the previous home of Valorous Church, Alexander wanted to develop the property for the Shops on Main. However, Alexander said an easement issue with the nearby Kroger scuttled those plans and, in turn, the location fit for Rowles’ new theater.
“We ripped out everything: the lobby, the seats, (and) the backstage area is brand new,” Rowles said.
He added that the cast began writing the show last summer and rehearsing soon after. Rowles said they’re also planning ahead, as the Christmas show is already halfway done.
“We all just (sat) around and brought different songs in,” Duncan added.
Patrons can also enjoy something to eat before and during intermission time. People will notice the lobby accented with different shades of blue, the mainstay being cornflower blue, classic albums and photo collages of Rowles’ 45-year career in show business on the wall.
The concessions area will first draw their eye. Rowles said the theater would feature drinks from Myrtle Beach’s Tidal Creek Brewhouse, four wine cocktails, mocktail, and wines like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Prosecco.
Rowles added that Butter and Whisk is providing the theater’s desserts and Little River’s Be Known Coffee Company is roasting a personal blend for the theater. Rowles also said the theater has charcuterie boards, a gift shop, a VIP room and tours.
The theater, located at 701 Main St. in North Myrtle Beach, will run for an 11-month season and will also feature outside performances and guests. Tickets for the April 1, 2024, premiere are available on the theater’s website.
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