FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Dave Hanson’s clever one-act turns
awkward honesty into comic gold

First dates can be anxiety-inducing to begin with, but what if your first impression became a Tower of Babble?

Welcome to Café d’Automatique, where candor is always the order of the day—and perhaps the only order you’ll receive.

When Erin (Katie Aldhizer) meets Jim (Nate Foster) at the eponymous establishment, the typical first-date banter begins. But something is amiss. Jim hasn’t had a drink, yet he’s already involuntarily oversharing. Erin is similarly tongue-tied, blurting out her innermost thoughts. Keeping up appearances quickly becomes impossible, as their carefully crafted personas don’t stand a chance against the relentless stream of unfiltered thoughts pouring from their mouths.

Aldhizer and Foster make an excellent comedic pair as they steadily ratchet up the laughs. Their complete commitment to the bit sustains this hilarious lightning bolt of a comedy. Dave Hanson‘s clever script is no easy feat, with wordplay and increasingly elaborate rhymes building to a crescendo when the café’s waiter and cook—another hilarious duo, Matthew Preston and Alex Sapozhnik—interrupt the date to explain how to solve the linguistic quagmire.

A perfect metaphor for the contradictions of modern dating, Café d’Automatique offers an honest breath of comedic relief for single and coupled audience members alike. Catch this delightful one-act, along with the other offerings in The Chain Theatre’s Summer One-Act Festival.

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Café d’Automatique
2026 Chain Summer One-Act Festival 
The Chain Theatre, 312 W. 36th Street, 4th Floor, between 8th and 9th Ave.
July 23 at 6:30; July 29 at 8:30 (Block 27, which has four plays in all)
ends on July 29, 2026
for tickets, visit Chain Theatre

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