Pantochino's New Musical THE WAFFLE HOUSE FIVE Set To Debut In Downtown Milford

Pantochino Productions Inc. presents it's original musical, "The Waffle House Five" opening April 26 at the MAC (Milford Arts Council) on Railroad Avenue in Downtown Milford. The show continues through May 19.

Inspired by a true story, the new musical features book and lyrics by Bert Bernardi and music by Justin Rugg. Set in an Alabama restaurant, something is brewing and its not the coffee. The wildly funny story follows five waffle servers who are given lottery tickets instead of tips. They agree to split the winnings should their numbers come up. But when one of them hits the jackpot, they serve up anything but the truth.

"Sometimes when dreams come true, all bets are off," said Bernardi. "The show is a hilarious, laugh-out-loud look at the ups and downs of winning and what happens when co-workers jump in the lottery pool."

Co-producer Jimmy Johansmeyer added "This is a great follow up to our shows like "Noni Cimino's Kitchen" and "Italian Wedding Soup"-it's good old-fashioned comedy, with a southern twang."

The cast includes Pantochino company members, Johansmeyer, Justin Rugg, Mary Mannix, Shelley Marsh Poggio, Maria Berte, Rachelle Ianniello, Valerie Solli, Don Poggio and Peighton Nash. New York's Marci Bing returns to Pantochino, having appeared in the company's 2012 production of Teen Santa.

"The Waffle House Five" features sets by Von Del Mar, Costumes by Johansmeyer, Lights by Jeff Carr, Sound by Sara Brown and Alejandro Lopez as production stage manager. The production is sponsored by the Carla and Sean Sullivan Family Fund at the Community Foundation of Greater New Haven. Pantochino's season sponsor is the Connecticut Post Mall.

Performances of "The Waffle House Five" are Fridays and Saturdays at 7:30pm and Sundays at 2pm. The MAC (Milford Arts Council) is located at 40 Railroad Avenue in Milford on the northbound side of the Milford train station. Tickets are $25.00 online at www.pantochino.com. All performances feature cabaret seating and audiences are invited to bring their own food and drinks to enjoy during the performance. Refreshments are also on sale at each performance. Parking is free in all railroad station lots.