PORT TOWNSEND — Will a needy waiter at a Greek restaurant derail the marriage of a vacationing couple in Palm Springs?
Find out Sunday or Monday during the presentation of “Slow Food” at the Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar, located at 842 Washington St.
The comedy, presented by Key City Public Theatre, will be held at 6 p.m. both nights.
Tickets are $52 and include a four-course dinner served as the show hits the stage.
Chef Dan Kithcart of Alchemy Bistro & Wine Bar has developed a four-course Greek menu inspired by the meals described in “Slow Food.”
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.
“Slow Food,” written by Wendy MacLeod, centers on a middle-aged couple, played by Heather Dudley-Nollette and David Natale.
Tired and hungry after a cross-country flight, the couple is forced to examine their past and their future together under the scrupulous eye of an overbearing waiter.
“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,” MacLeod said.
“We had lots of fun during rehearsals looking up the Yelp reviews that mentioned this very strange waiter.”
Stephen — the narcissistic, controlling waiter — is portrayed by Michael Vicha.
MacLeod calls the restaurant the couple is trapped in “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, the couple fights, flatters and flirts with the waiter and with each other — their dialogue revealing both the differences that strain their relationship and their love and admiration for one another as they careen from being spouses to co-conspirators, friends, rivals and lovers.
MacLeod’s script walks the line between absurdism and realism in a situation that all restaurant-goers can relate to, event organizers say.
“[MacLeod’s] just funny,” said Dudley-Nollette, who appeared in a production of MacLeod’s play “Birnham Woods” at Key City Public Theatre in 2009.
“Her language is sharp, witty, entertaining and still says something worth thinking about.”
