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Aug 18, 2023

The heat is on for drama, comedy

Harry, the head chef, just got praise in a food magazine for his delicious

Harry, the head chef, just got praise in a food magazine for his delicious scallops.

He should be delighted and ready to cook it for the masses to boost his struggling restaurant's revenues. At least, his business partner Mike thinks so, but Harry's personal recipe for success includes more than four cups of stubbornness. He doesn't want to be stuck cooking the scallops for the rest of his career, thank you very much.

The chef and his hot temper heat up the plot of "Seared," the first Ensemble Theatre Company play to feature actual cooking on stage.

The comedy/drama will start sizzling with preview performances Thursday and Friday, followed by the regular run Saturday through June 25 at The New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara.

Written by Theresa Rebeck, "Seared" is directed by ETC Artistic Director Jonathan Fox.

The play focuses on commercial success vs. creative freedom, and the cast consists of four Los Angeles actors.

Andrew Elvis Miller ("Dexter," "NCIS" and "Halston") plays the temperamental head chef Harry. Gary Patent portrays Harry's business partner Mike. Ronald Auguste ("NCIS: Los Angeles" and "Station 19") plays friendly waiter Rodney.

Angela Sauer, who appeared in the Netflix series adaptation of "Steel Magnolias," portrays restaurant consultant Emily, who's determined to use her marketing wizardry to make the Brooklyn restaurant a success.

"I love her," Ms. Sauer told the News-Press this week. "My character comes in like a whirlwind, trying to take over how the restaurant is being run and turn it into a bona fide hit.

"She's so good at what she does. She understands marketing," Ms. Sauer said.

There's just one problem.

"My character does not know a thing about food," she said.

In fact, the other characters have to explain to Emily what a toaster oven is.

"It's a great script," Ms. Sauer said. "We’ve been having a lot of fun. It's very funny.

"It also has some very real things in it, about what it means to be an artist crushed by our capitalist world," she said. "It's got some very funny moments, but some very painful ones, some pathos."

Having actual cooking in the play makes a difference, Mr. Fox told the News-Press.

"It was just Sunday that we introduced the actual cooking" into the rehearsals, Mr. Fox said. "Amazingly, it was the difference between night and day. It really lifted the play up in a way I had not anticipated.

"It is a play about a creative genius," Mr. Fox said about Chef Harry. "If the cooking was just mimed, I don't think the audience would be drawn in. The fact that it's actually happening gives a sense of this guy's creativity and accomplishments."

Plus, the audience will be treated to the aroma, Mr. Fox noted.

To keep everything authentic, Mr. Fox recruited a culinary adviser — Chef Dario Furlati of Ca ’Dario restaurant, which has locations in Santa Barbara, Montecito and Goleta.

"He took a look at the technique and advised us on the dishes we’re making in the script," Mr. Fox said. "He shows us, ‘You would do it that way."

And it turns out, Ms. Sauer noted, that Mr. Miller, who's playing Chef Harry, is a talented cook. The actor had his cast mates join him for dinner in his hotel room in Santa Barbara, where he cooked the dishes in the play.

"It was really good," Ms. Sauer said. "That guy knows how to cook for real!"

Mr. Fox noted there's little food wasted in the play. The food that isn't being cooked are actually fake food props.

Mr. Fox first learned of "Seared" when he and others in ETC saw the play at the Williamstown Theater Festival at Williams College in Massachusetts. They enjoyed it.

"This play takes a look at what drives creativity and what the potential downfalls are for someone who is living solely for his art," Mr. Fox said.

Instead of merely being a series of jokes, the humor comes organically from the characters, Mr. Fox said.

"Seared" marks the final production for Mr. Fox, who will leave Ensemble Theatre Company, effective June 30.

Mr. Fox joined ETC in 2006 as its artistic director. His ETC productions include "American Son," "Porgy and Bess," "Sweeney Todd," "Woyzeck" and many others. He adapted and directed ETC's 2017 world premiere production of Woody Allen's "Husbands and Wives."

He has directed performances for Opera Santa Barbara and Santa Barbara Symphony. He has also directed productions in Vienna, Austria and is slated to direct "An Iliad" this summer in Montenegro.

Under Mr. Fox's direction, ETC has become a substantial regional theater. During his time, the ETC acquired and renovated the company's home at The New Vic, which opened for ETC productions in 2013.

"I have some favorite productions that I did," Mr. Fox told the News-Press about his time with Ensemble Theatre Company. "There are a lot of favorite memories, some very fond memories — the people I’ve gotten to know, interactions with the staff through the years. …

"I’m leaving with some very fond memories and a lot of pride in our accomplishments."

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FYIEnsemble Theatre Company will perform "Seared" in June at The New Vic Theatre, 33 W. Victoria St., Santa Barbara. Preview shows are set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday and 8 p.m. Friday. The regular run is from Saturday through June 25.Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays and 2 p.m. Sundays; with added performances at 7 p.m. June 11; 7:30 p.m June 13 and 4 p.m. June 17.Ticket prices range from $40 to $84. To purchase, call the ETC box office at 805-965-5400 or visit etcsb.org. Prices are subject to change.

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