POP-UP, FLOP-DOWN:
WHEN DINNER UPSTAGES THE THEATER

The foundational idea of Suite 524’s Pop Up Dinner Theater at Barlume Downstairs is solid — four courses from Barlume’s excellent kitchen matched with four one-act plays created for this venue, directed by Michael Domitrovich. The first play is set in the bar, where hors d’oeuvres are served, and the next three take place in the dining room, where pita bread with various spreads is served, followed by a choice of main dishes and for dessert, tiramisu.

The food was delicious. The plays, not so much.

The Cowboy, by Michael Sharp, is about a bunch of ambitious bankers having a few drinks and finding out the future of the bank and their place in it. Peekos at Barlume, by Sandi Farkas, is about a woman of a certain age and her son trying to settle old scores. Fine Dining, by Eduardo Machado, is about a group of friends having an endless conversation about nothing in particular. See the Forest, by the director, is also about friends at a restaurant, only the talk is more vulgar, and in the end two old lovers seem to reunite.

Before and between the plays, Frank, the Server, makes remarks that are supposed to be philosophical but end up sounding pretentious. A good example: “Maybe the only thing more powerful than the force that brings us together is the one that tears us apart… But then again, maybe not… because love is cosmic.” Either on purpose or by design, the Server never behaves in the slightest as any waiter would.

The plays are too long and the delivery long-winded. The director was either absent or unable to get the actors to speed up their delivery and eliminate the many unnecessary pauses. The acting is stiff and unconvincing.

But the food was great!

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photos by Delia Dumont

Pop Up Dinner Theater
Suite 524
presented by LDV Hospitality and Barlume
Barlume Downstairs, 900 Broadway, between 19th & 20th
Sundays at 5 & 8
ends on November 23, 2025
for tickets ($165 per person), visit Seven Rooms