Margy Haas (left), Dennis Sullivan, Carrie Hebert and Jon Fancher star in “An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf,” now playing at the Clague Playhouse through Feb. 4. (Photo courtesy of Clague Playhouse.)

Clague Playhouse serves empty plate farce
By Art Thomas
Insights
Published Jan. 24, 2007

The full title of the current production at Clague Playhouse is “An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf.”  A farce that tries to be many other things, this show is far off the beaten path, and one that you’ll probably not see elsewhere.

In Paris, The Café du Grand Boeuf has only one customer—its owner. A complete staff is on duty for the infrequent visits of the boss, who is just returning from an overseas trip. On this particular night, maitre d’ Claude is particularly worked up. The young busboy has gone to a competing restaurant down the street, and the new one, Antoine, is barely trained.

When owner/customer Victor arrives, he is alone. Where is mademoiselle?  Apparently the relationship is over, and Victor decides to starve himself to death. Frustrated chef Gaston and server Mimi convince him to go through the eight course meal with all of the food left in the kitchen. Only empty plates will be brought out, and if he is sufficiently tempted to eat, Victor has only to say the word and they will bring out the real food.

That’s the framework of “Empty Plate.” Playwright Michael Hollinger offers much more for the audience to consider in the play. The setting of the play must be 1961; there are lots of references to Jackie Kennedy and her distinctive and influential sense of style. For those with a literary interest, the walls of the café have material related to Ernest Hemingway and bullfighting. In fact, both Hemingway’s suicide and the death of the bull in the ring come into this show as well.

“Empty Plate” left me cold. There are lots of funny lines, and the absurdity of the situation set me giggling at times. When new busboy Antoine sits in a corner folding innumerable dozens of napkins one can’t help but laugh. I object to the layers of pseudo-psychological discourse the author tries to inspire.

Director Ron Newell has a strong cast. Dennis Sullivan has an arsenal of deadpan stares as starving Victor. Jon Fancher as Claude revels in his descriptions of the intricate dishes that await just beyond the swinging door. Temperamental chef Gaston is played with an intense fury by Craig Stadden. Carrie Hebert as Miss Berger, Margy Haas as Mimi, and Eric Fanccher as note-taking Antoine complete the cast.

The set is a good representation of an art nouveau café past its prime. The show’s structure, presented without intermission, is appropriate for its content. The preview audience I saw the play with, through the courtesy of director Ron Newell, enjoyed themselves. There were hearty guffaws throughout the show, and even the children enjoyed the slapstick that dots the first half of the show.

“An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf” runs through February 4.