A philosopher once called theater “the mask of convention over the face of society in the mirror of the unknown reflecting the rear-view of the sports car of destiny.” Simplify this theory with today’s theatrical Groupon: for $32, you get two dinners and two tickets to Carousel at Jesters Dinner Theatre in Longmont (up to a $64 value). The show runs Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays from April 29 to July 10.

For more than two decades, Jesters Dinner Theatre has entertained audiences and their rumbling stomachs with tasty meals served during live, on-stage performances. Carousel, created by famed musical manufacturers Rodgers & Hammerstein, takes place in turn-of-the-19th-century Maine, where a once-carefree carousel barker with a pregnant wife becomes unemployed. To make some quick cash and avoid the disapproval of musical-theatre fans, the barker assists in a robbery and, after being caught, takes his own life. When he is allowed to return to earth for one day 15 years later, he meets his daughter and tries to fill her and her mother with love from beyond the grave. For Friday and Saturday shows, dinner starts at 6 p.m., and the curtain rises at 7:45 p.m. Meals start at 12:30 p.m. on Sundays, with a 2:15 p.m. curtain time.

Like a trendsetting butterfly, Jesters' menu often sheds its skin and reinvents itself, but previous nourishment has included chicken cordon bleu, baron of beef, vegetarian lasagna, and salads teeming with salmon or chicken. Soup or salad accompanies all meals, and an available kids' menu can feed little ones and their imaginary friends. First-come, first-served seating ensures that chairs don't argue over who gets to hold theater-going bodies, and the casual, intimate setting creates a perfect storm for sipping a drink from the full bar or a complimentary coffee or tea.