Pictures from "An Empty Plate in the Cafe Du Grand Boeuf"

See additional press pictures at http://lagunaplayhouse.com/press/photos/EmptyPlatePressPhotos.php

"Empty Plate at the Cafe du Grand Boeuf"

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS THE WEST COAST PREMIERE OF
AN EMPTY PLATE IN THE CAFÉ DU GRAND BOEUF
MAY 26– JUNE 28, 2009

LAGUNA BEACH, CA – May 7, 2009 – Looking for something to fill your theatrical plate? Whet your appetite with the West Coast Premiere of An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, running May 26 – June 28 at The Laguna Playhouse. An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf is written by Michael Hollinger and directed by Andrew Barnicle. It stars Adrian Sparks, Jeff Marlowe, Stasha Surdyke, Marc Cardiff, Graham Miller, and Amy Kay Raymond.
Victor, a wealthy American expatriate living in Paris in 1961, owns the fabulous Café du Grand Boeuf, the world's greatest restaurant reserved solely for his private dining pleasure. He arrives one summer evening after a trip to Madrid in a very bleak mood—his idol Ernest Hemingway has just committed suicide, and Victor’s doomed love affair has finally ended. As his fastidious French staff fusses over him, he announces his decision to starve himself to death! The staff attempts to dissuade Victor by seducing him with a lavish seven course menu filled with decadent culinary delights, but they find that the way to a man’s heart may not be through his stomach. This dark comedy that the Philadelphia Evening Bulletin calls “a humorous dish of witty wordplay” celebrates the joys of cooking, sex, bullfighting, and the works of Hemingway in a funny yet bittersweet tale of the absurdities and contradictions inherent in being human.
“Hollinger has a deep respect for the human condition, including its frailties, so regardless of the absurdity of some of the situations his characters are in, they always respond in a distinctly human way,” notes Barnicle, who thinks audiences won’t really know what the play is all about until the end. “That is a very good thing, by the way.Nobody should be sitting around waiting for the ending because they already know what it’s going to be. Hollinger is a master of the unexpected.”
Barnicle says he’s had to overcome a number of obstacles in bring this play to life, including obtaining the services of a professional bullfighting consultant and a tuba teacher, and making sure the numerous French phrases in the script are properly pronounced. But that’s not all.
“The main challenge will be in drawing the audience into a world that is somewhat askew from our reality,” explains Barnicle. “The plot features a wealthy man who owns a restaurant that serves nobody but him. Sounds whacked. But then again, Howard Hughes took up an entire floor of a hotel in Las Vegas for years and never came out. The trick is to make the weirdness plausible within the world of the play.”
“Another challenge is that the play deals with rather deep philosophical issues,” adds Barnicle. “I’m calling it ‘romantic existentialism.’ I have no idea what that means. The staging should be right in our wheelhouse: single location, elegantly appointed. Casting is always the most important element of the production. There is a character who plays the tuba, and that posed a slight problem. But it will be worth it--we all know that a tuba is funny and French horn is not. That’s a basic rule of comedy.”

Performance & Ticket Information:
Ticket Prices:
Preview performances: $25 to $45
Opening Night Gala: $115
Regular performances: $30 to $65

Previews:
May 26 – 29, 2009

Opening Night Gala:
Saturday, May 30, 2009 at 7:30 p.m.

Regular Performances
May 31 – June 28
Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday matinees May 28 & June 11 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evening June 21 at 7:00 p.m.

FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787) - GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: www.LagunaPlayhouse.com

Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3

LAGUNA PLAYHOUSE PRESENTS THE WORLD PREMIERE OF
’TIL DEATH DO US PART: LATE NIGHT CATECHISM 3
MARCH 31 – MAY 3, 2009Maripat Donovan returns to The Laguna Playhouse with her hysterical new show about love and marriage

LAGUNA BEACH, CA – March 11, 2009 – Class is back in session! Maripat Donovan returns to The Laguna Playhouse as everyone’s favorite “Sister” in the world premiere of ’Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3, running from March 31 – May 3, 2009. This “one-nun show” is written by Donovan with Marc Silvia, and is directed by Silvia.

The Laguna Playhouse has previously staged three of the shows in the Late Nite Catechism series: Late Nite Catechism, Late Nite Catechism 2 and Sister’s Christmas Catechism. Donovan portrayed Sister in all three productions.

’Til Death Do Us Part: Late Nite Catechism 3 is the latest class to be unveiled in this sinfully funny series. After teaching countless students all about the saints, venial sins, guilt, limbo, and more, Sister is now offering up her hilarious lessons on the Sacraments of Marriage and Last Rites, including her own wacky version of The Newlywed Game. Classroom participation is a must, so bring along your sweetie and your sense of humor for some quality time with Sister, the feistiest new couples counselor in town. As always, each performance is unique and will appeal to people of all ages and faiths.

“Every performance is different, but that’s what makes it more interesting and more exciting—you never know what you’re going to get,” says Donovan. “By talking to people during the show, I get to know who is who, who we should pick on and who to leave alone. It’s a skill you develop over the years of doing interactive theater.”

Performance & Ticket Information:

Ticket Prices: $30 to $70

Previews:
March 31 – April 3, 2009

Opening Night Gala:
Saturday, April 4, 2009: 7:30 p.m.
(By invitation only and press night)

Regular Performances
April 5 – May 3, 2009

Tuesday – Saturday evenings at 8:00 p.m.
Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 p.m.
Thursday matinees April 2 & 16 at 2:00 p.m.
Sunday evening April 26 at 7:00 p.m.

Special Student Ticket Pricing: $15 - $20
(All Performances except Friday/Saturday evenings)

Special Half Price Tickets for Teachers and Military with ID
(All Performances except Friday/Saturday evenings)
FOR INFORMATION & TO PURCHASE TICKETS:
CALL: 949.497.ARTS (2787)
GROUP SALES: 949.497.2787 ext. 229
VISIT: http://www.lagunaplayhouse.com/
MOULTON THEATRE: 606 Laguna Canyon Road, Laguna Beach, California