Bangor troupe cooks up delightful dinner theater

Twenty dollars doesn’t seem to buy much lately in the way of a night out on the town. But at The Greenhouse Restaurant, where the Bangor Community Theatre is offering its spring dinner theater Thursdays and Fridays through April 19, a little bit of money buys a lot of entertainment in a romantic and appetizing setting.

In the course of the evening, which runs about two hours including both dinner and performances, BCT presents four short pieces. The first, an excerpt from Arthur Miller’s “The Conversation,” finds God (Shaun Dowd) and Lucifer (Sean Faircloth) portrayed as corporate businessmen who are engaging in a think-tank debate on motivating Adam to notice Eve (in the biblical sense, that is). It seems that the uniformity of perfection has had a dreadful outcome for this original couple: Adam would just as soon kiss a tree as his mate.

Lucifer tries to persuade God to reconsider the apple tree. Innocence may be perfect, he argues, but knowledge begets descendants. Intriguing though it is, Lucifer’s plan is ultimately too radical for God. But, like a good businessman of the ’90s, Lucifer slithers ahead, and, well, the rest is history.

In the second piece, “Dead Warriors,” an original script written by Faircloth, three dead soldiers meet in the afterlife and exchange wartime stories and life memories. The characters of a Babylonian (David Zelz) and an Irishman (Faircloth) offer poignant commentary on the longstanding history of war, and a newly killed American woman (Francesca Jellison) adds contemporary relevancy.

Amid some rather serious moments, the play is also quite funny in its very human portrayals of these characters brought together in a rather unusual setting. The Irishman’s monologue is of particular lyrical merit (as is Faircloth’s delivery), as it paints a pastoral love story that is simply and fully touching. There’s no hiding that the Irishman is dear to the playwright’s heart as his character is the most interesting and developed.

Tennessee Williams’ short one act, “At Liberty,” changes the mood with the story of Gloria (Jellison), an enfeebled actress who won’t face the truth about the decline of her health or career. She comes home after a date to find her mother (Sarah Clark) once again waiting up for the wayfaring daughter. There’s an important message here about recognizing truths, experiencing real love and real rejection, and living among small town mind-sets.

Before the despair of the Williams’ piece settles in too deeply, however, the evening is topped off with Anton Chekhov’s comedy, “A Marriage Proposal.” When a timid suitor comes to ask for a young country woman’s hand in marriage, an old argument about the ownership of a meadow gets revived, and the scene turns into a hilarious slapstick romp. Truly a grand finale, this piece offers the audience a rare treat of pure fun with a crazy message about marriage and ownership. Faircloth presents a wonderfully fastidious hypochondriac as the suitor. Jellison is determined and animated as the daughter. And Dowd is duly cartoonish as the father.

Director R.J. Faircloth and host Arthur Howard deserve a round of applause for successfully orchestrating such tasteful and well-paced dinner theater. Meal courses are served between pieces, but are never rushed or awkward. The ambiance and space are perfect for an intimate evening of tight directing, superb acting and fine dining.

An Evening of Dinner and Drama will be presented 7:30 p.m. April 11, 12, 18 and 19 at The Greenhouse Restaurant. The $20 admission fee covers the complete meal, the show, tax and gratuity. For more information or reservations, call 945-4040.