Synopsis
The Big Meal
Published by Samuel French Inc
4 Male 4 Female
Somewhere in America, in a typical suburban restaurant on a typical night, Sam and Nicole first meet
Sparks fly
And so begins an expansive tale that traverses five generations of a family - from first kiss to final goodbye
This big-hearted play spans nearly eighty years in ninety minutes and tells the extraordinary story of an apparently ordinary family
CHARACTERS
WOMAN #1 (Older woman) plays NICOLE (older woman) and ALICE (Sam's mother)
WOMAN #2 (Woman) plays NICOLE (woman), MADDIE (Sam and Nicole's daughter woman), and JACKIE (Robbie and Stephanie's daughter - woman)
WOMAN #3 (Young woman) plays NICOLE (young woman), JESSICA (a gentle soul), MADDIE (Sam and Nicole's daughter - young woman), STEPHANIE (Robbie's wife - young woman), and JACKIE (Robbie and Stephanie's daughter - young woman)
GIRL plays PESKY LITTLE GIRL, MADDIE (Sam and Nicole's daughter - girl), and JACKIE (Robbie and Stephanie's daughter - girl)
MAN #1 (Older man) plays SAM (older man), ROBERT (Sam's father), and JACK (Stephanie's father)
MAN #2 (Man) plays SAM (man) and ROBBIE (Sam and Nicole's son - man)
MAN #3 (Young man) plays SAM (young man), ROBBIE (Sam and Nicole's son - young man), MADDIE'S ADOLESCENT BOYFRIENDS (Steven, Marcus, Jeremy, Patrick, Michael), and SAMMY (Maddie's son - young man)
BOY plays PESKY LITTLE BOY, ROBBIE (Sam and Nicole's son - boy), SAMMY (Maddie's son - boy), and MATTHEW (Jackie's son)
REVIEWS
"A life-in-overdrive comic drama ... Dan LeFranc's snappy dialogue captures the tumultuous tenor of family gatherings" -Charles Isherwood, New York Times
"Intimate and exhilarating ... both universal and tenderly specific" ~ The New Yorker
"Packed with humanity and humor ... dishes up laughs and tears" ~ New York Daily News
"Ambitious and impressive ... You will be amazed" ~ Time Out New York