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THE POETRY OF PIZZA

A Play In Four Slices

bulletStory Synopsis
bulletCharacter Breakdown
bulletPlace
bulletTime
bulletSet Requirements
bulletReviews
bulletPhoto Gallery

Story Synopsis

Professor Sarah Middleton arrives in Denmark to teach at the University of Copenhagen, only to find her life irrevocably thrown off course when she stops by the Vermundsgade Pizzeria one night for a pizza. She falls suddenly and unexpectedly in love with the pizzamaker, Soran Saleen, a Kurdish refugee who wins her heart with his pizzas. Sarah and Soran’s unlikely courtship arouses the curiosity and passions of everyone around them (an assortment of Danish, Arab and American characters) setting in motion a rash of culinary courtships and a chaotic comedy of errors..

Character Breakdown

4 Men, 4 Women

bullet Sarah Middleton:  An American University Professor; 40’s
bullet Pam Adams:  Sarah’s best friend since childhood; American; 40’s
bullet Heino Anderson:  A Danish University Professor; 40’s
bullet Soran Saleen:  A Kurdish Iraqi pizzamaker; 30’s
bullet Rebar Frie:  Owner of the Vermundsgade pizzeria. A Kurdish Iraqi; 50’s
bullet Olga Ouland:  A Danish widow; 50’s
bullet Ule Enevold:  A retired Danish banker; 60’s.
bullet Inga Enevold:  Ule’s wife; Danish; 60’s

Place

Most of the play takes place in Copenhagen, Denmark although there are a few scenes that take place in the U.S.

Time

1998

Set Requirements

The play is performed on a bare stage with 8 actors and 29 take-out pizza boxes

Reviews

“... Brevoort's smart, imaginative and funny play talks up to its audience and manages to hit that elusive sweet spot between poignancy and light-as-air comedy ... ”
– The Ann Arbor News, Michigan
“... beautifully written, acted and directed ... Poetry zips artfully around the stage with energy, then knows when to slow down for its poignant moments”
– Lansing State Journal, Michigan
“... the first act is stunningly, achingly perfect ... that turns the audience out into the lobby delirious with expectation ... it is one of the freshest, wittiest things the Purple Rose has done in a long time!”
– Ann Arbor Observer, Michigan
“The Poetry of Pizza is a smart and seductive comedy ... and a thoughtful story about love transcending cultural lines”
– Between the Lines Newspaper, Michigan
“... audiences will walk out of the theatre feeling good ... there is a good time to be had here”
– The Chelsea Standard, Michigan
“Pizza is poetry in motion with extra cheese ... Deborah Brevoort achieve[s] a tasty blend of comedy, drama and sensuality ... it’s a treat!”
– The Union Democrat, Sonora, California
“The Poetry of Pizza has the right chemistry ... Brevoort delivers some spicy food for thought. There’s a high-minded set up ... [that] turns into a screwball comedy that would make Preston Sturges proud”
– Daily Record, Morristown, NJ
“I laughed, I cried, I ordered a pizza”
– Audience member, Stage 3, Sonora, California

Photo Gallery

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(Click on Thumbnails for Larger View)

The Purple Rose Theatre Company, Chelsea, Michigan

The Cast of The Poetry of Pizza at The Purpole Rose Theatre Company, Chelsea, Michigan. From left to right Grant R. Krause, Sandra Birch, Qarie Marshall, Michelle Mountain, Hugh Maguire, Sarah Benoit, Ruth Crawford, David Daoust.

Directed by Guy R. Sanville, Photographs by Danna Segrest, Set Design by Bartley H. Bauer, Costume Design by Meghann O’Malley Powell, Lighting Design by Dana White, Sound Design by Tom Whalen, Prop Design by Danna Segrest, Stage Managed by Heather A. Hummel.

Qarie Marshall as Soran and Michelle Mountain as Sarah

Sarah Benoit as Olga and Ruth Crawford as Inga

Ruth Crawford as Inga and Sarah Benoit as Olga

Hugh Maguire as Rebar and David Daoust as Ule

Qarie Marshall as Soran and Michelle Mountain as Sarah

Grant R. Krause as Heino and Sandra Birch as Pam

Sarah Benoit as Olga, Qarie Marshall as Soran, Michelle Mountain as Sarah and David Daoust as Ule

Stage 3, Sonora, California

The cast of The Poetry of Pizza at Stage 3, Sonora, California. Angela Ruby, Lori Sammis, Matthew Leamy, Donna Phillips, Susan Michael, David Braga, David Narbona and Cameron Deen. Directed by Ron Lane.

David Braga as Rebar and David Narbona as Soran

From Left to Right: David Braga as Rebar; Cam Deen as Ule and David Narbona as Soran

Lori Sammis as Sarah Middleton and David Narbona as Soran

Lori Sammis as Sarah Middleton and David Narbona as Soran

A banner announcing The Poetry of Pizza at Stage 3 hung over the main street of Sonora, California

Susan Michael as Inga Enevold and Cam Deen as Ule Enevold

Cam Deen as Ule Enevold and David Narbona as Soran

Centenary Stage Theatre, Hackettstown, NJ

The Poetry of Pizza at Centenary Stage, Hackettstown, NJ in 2004. Directed by Carl Wallnau, set design by Will Rothfuss.

The Poetry of Pizza at Centenary Stage, Hackettstown, NJ in 2004. Directed by Carl Wallnau, set design by Will Rothfuss.

The Poetry of Pizza at Centenary Stage, Hackettstown, NJ in 2004. Directed by Carl Wallnau, set design by Will Rothfuss.

Katrina Ferguson as Sarah, Wendy Peace as Pam & Mark Simmons as Heino Anderson

The Cast of The Poetry of Pizza at Centenary Stage. From Left to Right: Angela Della Ventura, Mark Simmons, Katrina Ferguson, JC Hoyt,Wendy Peace, Michele LaRue, Eli Ganias, Joseph Pisapia. Directed by Carl Wallnau. Production Stage Manager: Kimothy Cruse.

The cast of The Poetry of Pizza at Centenary Stage
 
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