Still excited about Rick Bayless in Cascabel at the Lookingglass Theater, which we wrote about yesterday? So are we. Next year from March 23 to April 22 you’ll be able to find one of Chicago’s most famous chefs on stage six nights a week. Why would such a prominent chef get into the acting game? Well, the show will also be part dinner club. As Bayless explained during the announcement, this will be “the first time in live theater that food is actually going to be a leading character.” While guests watch the action, they’ll also be eating a meal that is tied to plot. Of course, that didn’t stop some local media from having a little fun.
The Stew was out of the gate first with a list of “rejected Rick Bayless theatrical productions.” (We are quite partial to Okrahoma! and Waiting for Taco.) The AV Club called it “Medieval Times luxe,” while also mentioning that “Next will look slightly more feasible to get into in comparison.”
Our favorite reaction, however, probably comes from Hearty’s Stephen McDonagh. He obviously knows a few things about dealing with an audience, and he chimed in that he could play a sous chef, a bartender, or “maybe I can be the drunk and surly customer…” We’d pay to see that.
Rejected Rick Bayless Theatrical Productions [The Stew/Chicago Tribune]
Frontera’s Rick Bayless to star in Cascabel, a play you can eat [AV Club]
