A vacationing couple celebrates their anniversary at a Greek restaurant in Palm Springs – but will the marriage survive the service?
As a needy waiter insinuates his way into their meal – and their lives – the couple examine their past and their future together. Slow Food, Wendy MacLeod’s tender, uproarious new comedy, delves deeply into what we hunger for.
Tired and hungry after a cross-country flight, a middle-aged couple, played by Heather Dudley-Nollette (Tin Pan Lady) and David Natale (A Midsummer Night’s Dream) are trapped in a restaurant in what MacLeod calls “a metaphor for marriage”, waiting for their lamb stew and spanakopita to be delivered by a waiter who insists on “taking responsibility for the timing of the meal”. Desperate to speed up the service, they fight, flatter and flirt with the waiter and with each other. Their dialogue reveals both the differences that strain their relationship and their love and admiration for one another as they careen from being spouses to coconspirators, friends, rivals, and lovers. MacLeod’s script walks the line between absurdism and realism in a situation that all restaurant-goers can relate to. “She’s just funny. Her language is sharp, witty, entertaining and still says something worth thinking about,” says Heather Dudley-Nollette, who appeared in a production of MacLeod’s play Birnham Woods at Key City Public Theatre in 2009.
Stephen, the narcissistic, controlling waiter, will be played by Michael Vicha (Dracula) who stars every day as a waiter at Port Townsend’s well-known restaurant trio, Sirens, The Old Whiskey Mill, Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar. “The play was inspired by a particular waiter at a particular Greek restaurant in Palm Springs where we went on the first night of a family vacation,” said playwright Wendy MacLeod. “We had lots of fun during rehearsals looking up the Yelp reviews that mentioned this very strange waiter.” Chef Dan Kithcart at Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar has developed a four-course Greek menu inspired by the meals described in Slow Food; the audience, however, can expect to receive their dinner on time.
Details
Due to popularity and to enhance audience comfort, we are now offering two evenings of Dinner Theatre on Sunday and Monday, February 21, 2016 and February 22, 2016, 6:00 p.m. Tickets are $52 for the four-course dinner and show (gratuity now included).
Reserve tickets early as dinner theater performances frequently sell out and seating is limited. Check out the menu and purchase tickets online at www.keycitypublictheatre.org or by calling the box office at 360-385-5278.