"It's very funny. Cleverly written and hilarious," Director Tom Woldt said.
Three actors play 15 characters in 15 restaurants in five scenes. One minute the audience is in a German restaurant, the next minute a Texan barbeque one and so on.
The show addresses love from all angles, and situations most audience members have experienced themselves or seen on television, whether it be first dates or post break-ups.
"It has some intense messages. How do relationships play out in restaurants? Because a lot of them do," Woldt said.
While this musical comedy does not have any well-known songs in it, Woldt guarantees audience members will leave the theatre humming at least one of the 15 genres of songs presented throughout the performance.
"That's part of the cleverness of the play. It serves up different ways of looking at it [love] or thinking about it," Woldt said.
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Five Course Love
Williamston Theatre
July 8–Aug. 15, Thursdays & Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m. (There will be no 3 p.m. matinee performance on Saturday, July 10) $18-24, $10 students williamstontheatre.org, (517) 655-7469 |
To begin the rehearsal process for such a uniquely written show, Woldt and his cast spent hours around a table dissecting the script; working through characters and situations before hitting the stage to begin the blocking aspect of the art.
"Whenever we work on a scene, I normally let the actors run on their feet and more on their own without my direction," Woldt said.
After the first run-through, Woldt combines his ideas with the actors to create what audience members see during the performance.
"It's a very exciting and challenging project," Woldt said.
At each performance, a few audience members will be chosen to sit onstage and participate in the restaurant atmosphere for the evening. Woldt said he wants to create a genuine experience for the audience on and off the stage. Audience members who sit onstage are eligible for actor interaction from waiters or the relationship-challenged characters.
"It can be a lot of fun for the brave people who sit on stage, and for the people watching," Woldt said.
Because the show is centered on adult relationships, adult language, innuendos and humor will be used. It is advised for mature audiences only.
"It's a rare opportunity to see the wide range of music and the method of actors changing from one character to the next in three to four seconds. It's exciting encouraging patrons to sit on stage with the characters," Woldt said.
