Awesome Theatre Presents COFFEE LADY This Month
Performances run March 31 – May 5.
By: Stephi Wild Mar. 16, 2022
Awesome Theatre announces its return to the stage after two years without a public performance. Originally scheduled for May 2020, Awesome Theatre will begin 2022 with Coffee Lady, a "Tort Reform Ghost Story" Written by Bridgette Dutta Portman and Directed by Nikki Menez.
Joanne hates her job at McCarby's: minimum wage, irritating customers, an overbearing boss, and a geeky coworker. When Jo's sister, Char, comes up with a scheme to spill hot coffee on herself and sue McCarby's, Jo goes along with it. Can they pull it off, or is it too tall an order? Will someone spill the beans? How many coffee puns can we cram into this synopsis? And why is a mysterious old woman following Jo? Inspired by the 1992 McDonald's hot coffee lawsuit, Coffee Lady is a comedy about corporate greed, individual responsibility, sibling rivalry, the dangers of denial, and the power of truth.
Coffee Lady was originally commissioned in 2019 as part of Awesome Theatre's writing contest called "In Search of the Funniest Play Ever". After being a finalist, Portman was asked if she would be interested in writing about Stella Liebeck, better known as"The McDonald's Coffee Lady". Executive Director Anthony Miller tells the story; "It was literally the last play I commissioned before Colin (Johnson, the Artistic Director) took over that process. She was looking for an idea and I had just watched 'Hot Coffee' so I pitched it to her. We both loved the idea of bringing the true story of a real American urban legend to life."
Like many theatre companies, COVID derailed a show that was already cast and had production meetings. The original cast did an online reading as part of Awesome Theatre's online "Quarantainment" ' The Awesome Theatre Hour'. Artistic Director Colin Johnson adds " we've been waiting so long to produce this play, it seemed like an obvious pick to be our first public performance, and we cannot wait for people to see this very unique and funny story about family, but also ghosts."
Performances run March 31 - May 5.
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