The Big Meal

Watertower Theatre's new production that opened Monday night in Addison is the regional premiere of Dan LeFranc's "The Big Meal." All you need to know about "The Big Meal" is that LeFranc uses the title subject as a metaphor for life. Life's a big meal and we all die alone. That's it. But the metaphor is spoon fed so often that by the end of the long, intermission-less buffet, you'll feel as stuffed as a Thanksgiving bird.

"The Big Meal" features two ambitious time shifting devices to tell the tale of one family over five generations. The first device takes place at the beginning of the play and features a twenty-something couple, Nicole and Sam, who meet, hook up and break up over a half dozen rapid-fire mini-scenes. These staccato appetizers are fresh, intriguing and pull you into the story while demonstrating how fast time flies. So far so good.

But then "The Big Meal" serves its main course: using actors of varying ages to play the same characters highlighting the generational turnovers. For instance, a young 20ish actress plays Nicole in the first part of the play. Then the same character Nicole is played by a 40-something actress and then later a 60-something actress.

Things start to get soupy when the fourth and fifth generations of the family emerge. For example, the actress who plays the 20ish Nicole also plays the 40ish Nicole's daughter-in-law. Still with me? The play becomes a game of keeping track of who's playing which generational character. And all of this is set against a constantly changing arrangement of tabletops and meals while being tube fed the fleeting nature of time.

While I got bored with the play's entr�e there were still some tasty morsels to savor. Darren Diggle's set is delightfully simple and is lit perfectly by Dan Schoedel. Nate Davis' projection design onto over-sized jumbo canvases is my favorite part of the show and includes images from da Vinci, Botticelli and Klimt to black and white photos of cast members. There are no weak links in the cast, and Kia Nicole (as the 20ish female) and Sherry Hopkins (as the 40ish female) are particularly strong.

"The Big Meal" tries too hard; it's overbaked. You'll find yourself being pulled out of the rhythm of the play by trying to name check/age check the characters. And the play's comedic dialogue needs to be sharper to balance the sad and lonely feelings the play evokes. "The Big Meal" is loaded with calories but unfortunately a lot of them are empty.

"The Big Meal" runs through May 8 at Watertower Theatre, 15650 Addison Road in Addison. For information or tickets, call 972-450-6232 or visit [email protected]