Royal Family to Present LUNCHTIME THEATRE: A Delicious Break from the Everyday

Outer Critics’ Circle award-nominated Royal Family Productions will present Lunchtime Theatre, a fresh initiative designed to bring audiences back to live theatre with bite-sized performances that fit into the modern schedule.

This new initiative kicks off with two new short pieces that include a reading of Chris Henry’s Pep, Messi and Me, a fantasia about an overworked theatremaker meeting Pep Guardiola and Lionel Messi, her two football idols, at their lowest points, and how an unlikely friendship is forged between them. This will be followed by a workshop of Henry’s latest short play, The FUN-ER-AL: Or An Ode to Christopher Durang. In this comic romp, a glamorous, larger-than-life producer comes up with a plan to save the American theatre, all while her hapless assistant is along for the ride.

The double bill will feature Kelly Deadmon (TV: “Elementary”) & Victor Verhaeghe (TV: “Daredevil: Born Again”), Ephraim Birney (NY:  As Time Goes By) & Kim Lindsay Grutman ( Broadway: Titanic). The plays are written by Chris Henry and directed by Lorna Ventura and Chris Henry, with lighting design by Ethan Feil and original music by Lars Jacobsen.

On May 2nd, 2025, there will be a special reading of the short comedy, The Shiva(s). This play follows three women and a rabbi stuck in an elevator on their way to separate shivas; it is a light-hearted farce of concealed identities and a love of Madonna. This piece stars Charlotte Cohn, Maddie Corman, and Julie Halston, with additional casting to be announced.

Pep, Messi, and Me stars Kelly Deadmon and Victor Verhaeghe, with additional casting to be announced, and is directed by Chris Henry. The FUN-ER-AL stars Ephraim Birney and Kim Lindsay Grutman and is directed by Lorna Ventura. Each show runs approximately a half hour. Tickets are $15 per show, or $25 for both, and can be purchased at www.royalfamilyproductions.org.

Royal Family is offering a midday break filled with big laughs, bold storytelling, and a tapas-sized taste of theatre—a shared experience, just like a great meal, best enjoyed together.