The Big Meal

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