Riverside Theatre to Present AN EMPTY PLATE IN THE CAFE DU GRAND BOEUF

Riverside Theatre, led by Producing Artistic Director/CEO Allen D. Cornell and Managing Director/COO Jon R. Moses, present the contemporary comedy An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf, which performs on the Waxlax Stage from January 17 - February 5, 2017. An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf is sponsored by Riverside Theatre's Patron Producers Group.

At the world's greatest restaurant, the Café du Grand Boeuf in Paris, no menu is necessary. Why? "Because we have everything," says Claude, the headwaiter. Open for only one patron, owner and American millionaire Victor, the staff is always ready to prepare the most sumptuous of meals. On a hot July night in 1961, Victor arrives from Madrid disheveled and depressed with one simple wish: to die of starvation. The devoted staff, who depend on Victor's patronage for their livelihood, desperately try all means to change his mind. When all else fails, Victor is convinced to have his favorite dishes prepared, but the food is to be kept in the kitchen and only empty platters served. Comedy ensues throughout the delectable seven course meal as a feast of words and declarations fill the restaurant.

An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf had its premiere at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company in 1994 and has enjoyed numerous productions around the country, in New York City, and abroad.

Playwright Michael Hollinger is also the author of Ghost-Writer, Opus, Tooth and Claw, Red Herring, Incorruptible, and Tiny Island, all of which premiered at Philadelphia's Arden Theatre Company. His musical A Wonderful Noise (co-authored with Vance Lehmkuhl) has received the Frederick Loewe Award for Musical Theatre, the "In the Spirit of America" Award from the Barbara Barondess MacLean Foundation, and a developmental production at Creede Repertory Theatre. Winner of numerous awards and citations for his new plays, Michael has received fellowships from the Independence Foundation, Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation, and Pennsylvania Council on the Arts. Currently, he is an Associate Professor of Theatre at Villanova University.

Riverside's production of An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf will be directed and scenically designed by Riverside CEO Allen D. Cornell and stars Brian Myers Cooper as Claude, Daniel Burns as Antoine, Jim VanValen as Gaston, Maria Couch as Mimi, Matthew Henerson as Victor, and Katherine Puma as Miss Berger.

The design and production crew includes: Richard Crowell (Lighting Designer), Anna Hillbery (Costume Designer), Andrew Stroud (Sound Designer), and Kyle Atkins (Production Stage Manager). Casting was done in New York City by Wojcik / Seay Casting.

An Empty Plate in the Café du Grand Boeuf performs January 17 - February 5, 2017 on the Waxlax Stage at Riverside Theatre. Tickets are $45. Tickets can be purchased by calling the Box Office at 772-231-6990 or online at www.riversidetheatre.com.

Performances are Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays at 7:30pm; Opening Night (the first Tuesday performance), Fridays, and Saturdays at 8pm; with matinees on Wednesdays, select Thursdays, Saturdays and Sundays at 2pm. Show Schedule: January 17, 20, 21, 27, 28, February 3 & 4 @ 8pm; January 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, 28, 29, February 1, 4 & 5 @ 2pm; and January 18, 19, 25, 26, 31, February 1 & 2 @ 7:30pm.

The Stark Stage season also includes: Private Lives (January 31 - February 19), Mame (March 7 - 26) and Saturday Night Fever (April 11 - 30). The Waxlax Second Stage season includes: The Christians (March 21 - April 9).

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