In the fall of ’98, at a modest Chinese-American restaurant, twelve Zodiac-inspired scenes play out over one dinner shift—awkward dates, simmering secrets, and misfired attempts at connection—all gently stirred by a kind waiter with a knack for being in the right place at the right time.
Ranked top 4% of stage plays and top 10% of all projects on Coverfly.
It’s a chilly autumn evening in 1998 and it’s dinner time at the Szechuan Garden. It’s a time of innocence. Before 9/11, globalization, and the internet changed everything. This night is a slice of life of ordinary people struggling to connect, hopeful for the future, and blissfully unaware of the massive geopolitical changes on the horizon.
This story challenges traditional plot structure in favor of a dim sum approach across an anthology of stories. Each table has unique voices, offering glimpses into different worlds and lives. And like a good meal, the stories have different flavors. Sweet and sour. Salty and savory. Comic and tragic. Like life itself; on a turntable.
About 90 minutes.
Rated PG-13 for moderate language and innuendo.
For me, the joy of a great play is that at its center there lies something of a mystery: a journey that is funny, dark, spicy, and at times, beguiling. One setting. One night. Many characters.
Staged Reading at Exit Arcata
March 15, 2024
mitchfinnwriter.com 