When you dine in a fine restaurant, to enhance your culinary experience, you might consult the sommelier to pair your wines with your main course selections. How appropriate, therefore, to consider applying the same matchmaking arrangements when preparing a menu of theatrical offerings, in this case pairing the perfect potent potable with each one-act play of humor.
Credit master chef Joanna Keylock with conceiving “A Night of Sips and Giggles,” billed as “a flight of one-act plays paired with distinct wines and light nosh.” For this
“Tasty Theatre” inauguration, Keylock focused on playwright Fred Stroppel for a smorgasbord selection of savory tastes to please and probe and provoke the palette at Lyric Hall in the Westville section of New Haven on Saturday, July 14 at 8 p.m.
Keylock wisely relied on Stacey Ference from Savour Catering, LLC (203-906-7144 or online at savourfood@sbcglobal.net) to match the libations from Robert Jordan at The Wine Thief (370 Whitney Avenue and 101 Crown Street, New Haven) to the amuse-bouche appetizers, set to explode in your mouth, with the theatrical menu.
Ference’s choices, all from Spain, included Barbadillo sherry with an olive and almond crustini, a Cuba Vieja rose with mushroom strudel and Flor de Raim Cava, like a bubbly champagne, with poached shrimp. Each of these summer drinks had an unexpected flavor to enhance the unfolding of each short theater piece.
In “Friendly Fire,” two old pals Johnny (Daniel Sarnelli) and Carmine (Michael Crowley) meet again after an explosive encounter. Carmine tries, unsuccessfully, to justify his actions and explain why now, inexplicably, they are both dead…and in limbo.
On “Street of Broken Dreams,” a puppeteer Diane (Sachi Parker) attempts to understand how her innocent dalliance with Kermit the Frog and various and sundry characters on Sesame Street has ended so disastrously.
When Margie (Joanna Keylock) overindulges at a party, a good Samaritan and stranger Deidre (Laura J. Kirk) unwittingly becomes the “Designated Driver” to get her safely home, proving that no good deed goes unpunished.
In this political arena, think three ring circus, a candidate (Jim Noble) confesses to his loyal constituency why he must drop out of the race. Unless they can overlook his indiscretions, in which case he is good-to-go and will forego a “Graceful Exit.”
Completing the evening, meet Joanna (Nadine Willig) and Stewart (Tom Zingarelli) who have just arrived home from a marvelous event, “After the Ball.” They both loved the singer and ten- piece band, the gourmet food, the floral display, balloons and lavish party in Charlie’s backyard tent. When Stewart insists he wants the same kind of affair, a fun funeral, Joanna informs him he’s not humorous enough.
To playwright Fred Stroppel who was in attendance and came in from Long Island to direct two of the offerings, even though he wrote some of them ten to fifteen years ago, proving they have “aged well,” “I found the evening great, seeing them come to life, all together and with wine too.”
For a debut evening, Joanna Keylock had standing room only. According to Joanna, “I couldn't have been more pleased with the opening of "Tasty Theatre presents Sips and Giggles." In the true character of the name, the audience sipped on wine, ate great accompanying hors d’oevres, and laughed a lot. We played to a completely sold out house and the biggest question I've been asked since, is ‘when is the next one?!’ " Watch eagerly for the next installment of “Tasty Theatre,” hopefully as early as September.
some people are really gifted, they get to know the ingredients.
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