Table

book and lyrics by Adam Gopnik

music by David Shire

directed by Gordon Edelstein

Originally produced at Long Wharf Theatre, New Haven , CT

May 3 to May 28, 2017

About the Premiere Production:

Synopsis: From the brilliant minds of The New Yorker writer Adam Gopnik and award-winning composer David Shire (Academy Award winner and multiple Tony and Emmy nominations) comes a joyful new musical about a tiny family restaurant. David Kaplan is a chef’s chef, making beautiful, simple food of uncompromising quality in his lovely Union Square restaurant. But in the crowded, cutthroat and expensive Manhattan food scene, is that enough to survive and compete with the next big thing? Enter Sergio, an old friend, rival, and possible savior. This hotshot celebrity chef has offered David a chance to give his restaurant a make-over. Will David sacrifice his pride (and perhaps his happy marriage) to save his beloved little restaurant?

Artistic Statement: Set in Manhattan in a time of rising rents and ailing small businesses, Table tells the story of a family-run, locally-sourced restaurant struggling to survive. Restaurateur David Kaplan and his wife Claire fight against all odds to hold onto their values, integrity, and their family in the face of massive rent hikes and the lure of a celebrity chef take-over. The play is deeply relevant to our current economic climate, as franchises and big corporations continually threaten to drown out small, family-owned businesses.

Grant Statement: The Edgerton grant will enable us to rehearse for an additional week, which will give writer Adam Gopnik and composor David Shire valuable additional time to work with the text, music, and actors in a rehearsal room, and continue to work on the story and structure of this new musical.

Set Designer: Michael Yeargan

Lighting Designer: Chris Ackerlind

Costume Designer: Jess Goldstein

Choreographer: John Carrafa