FIVE COURSE LOVE Runs Now thru 2/16 at New Century Theatre

Minneapolis Musical Theatre's (MMT) madcap and lighthearted look at love, Five Course Love, makes its Twin Cities debut today, January 24-February 16, 2014 at Hennepin Theatre Trust's New Century Theatre (street level of City Center in downtown Minneapolis). MMT's artistic director Steven Meerdink directs Five Course Love starring just three actors playing 15 different roles who are on the hunt for one true love. Tickets are on sale now. To purchase and for more information, visit HennepinTheatreTrust.org, call 612.455.9501 or buy in person (no service fees) at the New Century Theatre (615 Hennepin Ave.).

With book, music and lyrics by Gregg Coffin, Five Course Love is inspired by classic sketch comedy television like The Carol Burnett Show in a lively and musical combination of romance, conflict and a whole lot of fun. Each "course" is set in a different restaurant presenting the audience five musical services of laughter and song.

Five Course Love tells the story of five entangled encounters with love in five different restaurants. The evening begins at Dean's Old-Fashioned All-American Down-Home Bar-B-Que Texas Eats, where a blind date goes charbroiled wrong. Next, at the Trattoria Pericolo, a mob wife has a secret rendezvous behind her husband's back. At Der Schlupfwinkel Speiseplatz, a waiter, a dominatrix and her kept man discover at the same hilarious moment that they are all dating each other.

In Ernesto's Cantina, a hill bandit and his rival battle for the hand of the beautiful Rosalinda. And
at the Star-Lite Diner, a waitress pines for her true love and gets a little help from Cupid in making
her dreams come true. "Five Course Love is artfully silly and genuinely funny...hilarious and imaginative," said The Associated Press when it ran off-Broadway at the Minetta Lane Theatre.

Playing the smorgasbord of characters are local actors Ryan McGuire Grimes as Matt, Gino, Klaus, Guillermo and Clutch, Joseph Pyfferoen as Dean, Carlo, Heimlich, Ernesto and Pops, and Amanda Weis as Barbie, Sofia, Gretchen, Rosalinda and Kitty. Grimes has brought many characters to life at the Fringe Festival and Theatre in the Round and directed the Twin Cities premiere of Urban Samurai Productions' [title of show]. Pyfferoen makes his MMT debut in Five Course Love and has previously appeared in The Vampire! and The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. Weis is returning to the MMT stage after most recently appearing as Miss Gardener in MMT's Carrie the Musical. She also performed in last season's Reefer Madness andSunset Boulevard.

Directed by Steven Meerdink, Five Course Love features musical direction by Suzanne Reyburn, scenic design by Darren T. Hensel, lighting design by Grant E. Merges, sound design by Peter Morrow, costume design by Joshua Stevens and prop design by Valerie Larche. Benjamin Tucker Thompson is the assistant director and Matthew Bear is the assistant music director.

MMT and the Hennepin Theatre Trust continue their second season of a unique partnership where both organizations combine resources in artistic exploration and audience development to present new, or rarely- seen, musical works. Bloody Bloody Andrew Jackson completes the season in June.

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