THE SOUP OF THE DAY IS
A DARK BROTH INDEED

There’s a game some couples play when they’re out and about: they make up lives about the strangers they see in places like diners. Part of what makes it work is that they’re never actually going to know a thing about those people. Until playwright/director Michael Mizerany of Compulsion Dance & Theater gets his hands on the idea. Then you’re going to get to know the people at Dance Diner way too well.

Shane Hennessey, Jacob James, Kevin Phantom (seated), Kay Marian McNellen

This hour-long one-act drama at Diversionary Theatre starts boiling up some serious stew pretty quickly, so it’s a bit challenging to describe much of the plot without a big spoiler, but here’s the core of it. In 2008, Lulu (Kay Marian McNellen) is a joyful waitress in the diner that her father Redd (Jacob James) owns somewhere in the middle of nowhere in the Midwest. With not many sources of entertainment except singing along with the radio and cassettes, Lulu distracts herself with a serious crush on Hank (Kevin Phantom) who reeks of ne’er-do-well, tells her constantly that he just wants to be friends, and treats her with less respect than a real friend should. Enter Archer (Shane Hennessey), a handsome and charming new customer, who tells her that he wasn’t just passing by the diner but actually sought it out because it seemed like someplace he’d want to eat. Lulu isn’t quite sure what to make of his warm smile and flirtatious ways, which seem to get curtailed when a woman he knows named Sheila (Amy Oliverio) enters the diner. From there, sparks begin to fly as almost every combination of the five characters get riled to a feverish pitch and things get real fast.

Kevin Phantom, Amy Oliverio and Shane Hennessey

The play is undeniably riveting, with director Mizerany drawing your attention to every corner of the stage frequently, especially once all five are in the diner. Hennessey is particularly captivating as we gain insight into his dysfunction and the reasons behind them become clearer. That said, sometimes Archer’s choices are a bit baffling — interesting, to be sure, but not always seeming to fit. Likewise, although some of Sheila’s choices are clearer in retrospect, in the moment they don’t ring as true, which can pull the audience out of the moment. McNellen is lovely as Lulu, hanging onto an innocence that we’re hoping can survive this day. Phantom and James round out the cast well, giving the more central figure of Archer plenty to play off of, especially as the two men’s facades are stripped more bare.

Kay Marian McNellen, Kevin Phantom, Shane Hennessey and Jacob James

Set design by Kyle Wateman was surprisingly thorough for a black box setting, giving Lulu all she needed to be settled into the diner that she just wants to give a Christmas charm to. Hunter Brown brings a lot to the show with his make-up effects. Brown also serves as fight choreographer and, given how close we are to the actors in this space, the actors followed as best they could short of actually hurting each other.

Kay Marian McNellen and Shane Hennessey

The show is highly entertaining and great fodder for discussion afterward. It does feel a bit like it’s still finding its legs, though — not meaning that the acting falls short so much as that the show could benefit from more time to make sure that all reactions really ring true and that all of the lines Mizerany gives the actors can be fully owned by them. Oliverio is given a particularly tough challenge on that front because we learn the least about Sheila, yet she needs to take strong action numerous times, including early on when we know almost nothing of the character. The show is robustly compelling as is, but I suspect with more experimentation, this already-interesting piece could get tighter and more emotionally impactful.

Amy Oliverio, Kay Marian McNellen and Shane Hennessey

The author’s notes on the back page make for interesting reading, but I recommend that you enjoy what he has to say afterward rather than before the show. There were a few moments that would have been neat twists, but I foresaw them purely based on reading the program notes.

Know that this show is not for the squeamish or those who offend easily; it is caustic, uncomfortable, and emotionally challenging. If they ever make a movie version of it, I promise you it will not become a Hallmark Christmas classic. But it sure will have you darting your eyes around the next time you’re in a diner.

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photos by Michael Mizerany

89 Carson Junction Road
Compulsion Dance & Theater
Black Box Theatre at Diversional Theatre, 4545 Park Boulevard, University Heights
Sat and Sun at 8; Sun at 1
ends on December 14, 2025
for tickets, visit Ticket Leap

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