Open-Door Playhouse to Present POETRY ON THE MENU This November
The new audio play imagines a meeting between Muhammad Ali and poet Marianne Moore.
By: A.A. Cristi Sep. 26, 2025
Open-Door Playhouse will continue its tradition of presenting short plays in podcast form with the debut of Poetry on the Menu, beginning November 5, 2025.
Inspired by an unusual 1967 publicity meeting arranged by journalist George Plimpton, the play explores the intersection of heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Marianne Moore. At the time, Ali was a charismatic 25-year-old athlete known for his witty fight predictions, while Moore was an 80-year-old literary figure celebrated for her refined, balletic verse. Their meeting lasted only minutes and produced Ali’s poem “On the Annihilation of Ernie Terrell,” but playwright James Anthony Merolla expands the encounter into a one-act play framed by Moore’s poetry, Ali’s iconic quotes, and reflections on his lasting legacy.
The production is directed by Bernadette Armstrong and features Omari Williams as Muhammad Ali, Anne Cooper as Marianne Moore, Gary Lamb as Toots Shor, and Justice Davis as Kandu.
Founded in 2020 by playwright and filmmaker Bernadette Armstrong, Open-Door Playhouse is a nonprofit theatre podcast offering free access to short and one-act plays by emerging and established playwrights worldwide. Since its inceptin, the company has been recognized with a Communicator Award and a Webby Award nomination, and it was selected as one of the Top 50 Audio Drama Podcasts by FeedSpot.
Poetry on the Menu will be available for free streaming, with donations encouraged to support the Playhouse’s mission of presenting innovative new work.
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