"I Love to Eat" at Commonweal Theatre

Commonweal Theatre in Lanesboro, Minnesota is in its 33rd season. Since 1989, this theater has produced soulful stories with honesty and creativity, and from April to June, you can virtually watch their newest production I Love to Eat, written by James Still and directed by Hal Cropp. This is a one man show based on James Beard, a televised cook whose show aired on NBC from August 1946 to May 1947.

 I never knew about James Beard before this production and if you exhibit signs of attention deficit like I do, you may find yourself pausing this Youtube Virtual show to look up facts about Beard.

Beard was friends with the Julia Child and the two often worked together on shows. Child had been an inspiration to me. Crazy story...many years ago I watched Julie Julia, a 2009 American Biographical comedy-drama film starring Meryl Streep. This film depicted a writer who lived in New York in the aftermath of 911 which left her in need of change.  She decided to cook Child's recipes from her french culinary handbook and write about them in her blog. I began learning about blogging through this film and have been writing ever since.

Little anecdotes from I Love to Eat depicted Beard’s jealousy of Child. Beard knew that Child charmed the audience in a way he did not.

Although most cooking shows are not filmed in a celebrity chef's home kitchen pre-CO
VID, Beard’s show was an exception.  The set designers recreated the kitchen in Greenwich village with great detail. The set cradled Beard; surrounding him with everything he needed. Pans hung at a slant with three chef tables beneath and a pastel colored stove sat in the back. The kitchen was equipped with traditional kettles and a corded phone which made it easy to envision 1946. Beard took calls from fans and it was charming to feel his enthusiasm as the live audience laughed, and gave the virtual audience a sense of what earlier televised shows felt like.

Director Hal Cropp had this to say in the program notes “This is the fist "solo" piece I have had the pleasure to direct. And what a pleasure it was. From the amazing actor Philip Muehe to designers--Brandt Roberts, Kelsey Heathcote, Josiah Laubenstein, Jodi Rushing, and Jeremy Van Meter--to the supremely competent Stage Manager (and right hand extraordinaire) Rivka Kelly."

This show is touching. Beard talked about his identity as a gay television personality and his romantic life, and towards the end delivered lines about his journey towards death(a magnetic presence throughout) that left the audience spellbound. This show is a harbinger to the spring show “The Dancing Lessons ”By Mark St. Germain, a virtual show about the unlikeliest romance airing May 21st through August 29th, Tickets at www. commonwealtheatre.org