Actor and singer Tony Hudziak, best known as the Country Dinner Playhouse’s lead Barnstormer, will be remembered for his presence on stage and off. He died Wednesday at Longmont United Hospital. He was 41. The cause of death was withheld.
Hudziak worked at the Country Dinner Playhouse from 1997 to 2004, appearing in such productions as “South Pacific,” “State Fair” and “The Unsinkable Molly Brown.” He was also a fan favorite, leading the wait staff and entertaining patrons with preshow musical excerpts.
“Tony was a very personable and charming presence on stage but even more so off stage as a Barnstormer, where patrons grew to love him and enjoy his companionship,” said Paul Dwyer, producer at the Country Dinner Playhouse in Arapahoe County until it closed in May. “He was an incredibly talented and loyal employee, and I was fortunate enough to get to direct him and perform next to him on stage. This is a huge loss to the theater community.”
Hudziak went to the Pinnacle Dinner Theatre in 2004, where he worked until its closing in 2005. He had lived in Longmont since 1981.
“Tony had a passion for all facets of theater and ‘jumped in’ whenever there was a crisis, whether playing Tony in ‘West Side Story’ at Country Dinner Playhouse or adding another three tables when other servers could not handle the load,” said David Pritchard, Hudziak’s boss at both Country Dinner and Pinnacle. “Tony had an uncanny sense of hospitality and created comfortable relationships with our theater guests.”
Funeral services are scheduled for 10:30 a.m. today at the Church of St. John the Baptist in Longmont. A reception will be held afterward in Benedict Hall. Inurnment will follow at Longmont Mountain View Cemetery. Cremation will take place at Ahlberg Funeral Chapel and Crematory.
Hudziak was born July 2, 1966, in Rock Island, Ill., to John and Suzanne (Murray) Hudziak. He graduated from Longmont High School in 1984 and from the University of Northern Colorado in Greeley with a degree in musical theater in 1990.
After college, he worked for the Ye Olde Wayside Inn dinner theater in Berthoud, as a tour guide for Universal Studios in California and at Carousel Dinner Theatre in Fort Collins for four years before joining the Country Dinner Playhouse. It was at Carousel that he began his dual management and performance careers.
As his career shifted more toward management at Country Dinner Playhouse, he stopped auditioning and chose to focus instead on managing the Barnstormers. He took great pride that he was one of the few actors in Denver who made a full-time, year-round career for a single employer for seven years.
He knew many Country Dinner Playhouse subscribers by name, Dwyer said, and often said he felt he was not only their server but their friend. He was also often fond of joking that he had probably served “a million cups of coffee” at various dinner theaters.
“Tony’s great smile and exuberance along with his passion for music and singing brought joy to all who knew him,” the family said in a statement.
Survivors include his father and his father’s wife, Donna, of Frederick; his mother, Suzy Hudziak of Longmont; his brother, Dr. James Hudziak, and his wife, Teresa, of Vermont; three sisters: Mary Schmidt of Boulder; Ann Kessel and her husband, Mark, of Longmont; and Sarah Bernau and her husband, Bruce, of Longmont; nine nieces and nephews; and two great-nephews.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donor’s choice or to the Church of St. John the Baptist and sent to Ahlberg Funeral Chapel.
