Mary a la Carte--Storytelling Off the Menu

I've never seen any "audience participation" theater before, but I took a chance last night on a one-woman show at Bryant Lake Bowl: "Mary a la Carte."

The premise was that we were all at Mary's Home Cooking diner, and as Mary took orders from members of the audience, each one reminded her of stories from her life. From her spin on the Wheel of Fortune to her days as the Wisconsin Maple Queen, Mary tied everything together as effortlessly as she (along with two guests from the audience) folded napkins into surprising shapes.

At times ribald, at others poignant, the show is a USDA choice example of translating personal writing into a public form. Mary's use of language is natural but sharp, her humor mostly gentle though acutely observed, such as a line that was used to explain her Aunt Martha's alcohol-influenced behavior at a family wedding: "Aunt Martha had been tending bar out of her purse since mid-afternoon."

The show is running on Fridays at 7:00 p.m. through the rest of February. If you haven't been to a show at the Bryant Lake Bowl before, it's good to know that you can order food in the theater (it helps if you arrive a bit before the show time) and drinks throughout.

Be sure to leave room for one Mary's brownies.