NJ SPICE

Antoinette LaVecchia/Photo: George Street Playhouse

In a clever bit of cross-marketing, you can combine dinner and a play in New Brunswick for the next few weeks. Not just any dinner, but the same meal that is prepared onstage in the play.

I Loved, I Lost, I Made Spaghetti, starts at the George Street Playhouse on March 11, and will also engage the sense of taste. Adapted by Jacques LeMarre from Giulia Melucci’s memoir of the same name, the play stars Antoinette LaVecchia recounting stories of life and love – all the while preparing a three-course Italian meal, which is served to a lucky few audience members seated on stage.

But if you are not seated on stage, the acclaimed Catherine Lombardi restaurant, which is donating the ingredients for the on-stage meal, is serving the same dinner, pre-theater, at their nearby restaurant. (To order that dinner, call the theatre box office at 732-246-7717.)

In this one-woman show, audiences are treated to tales of good food and bad boyfriends.  Giulia is a single New Yorker who really knows how to deliver in the one room where it counts – the kitchen.  Publishing pro by day and domestic diva by night, she knows how to whip up mouth-watering Italian cuisine.  Unfortunately, her prowess with pasta is not matched by her taste in men.  Featuring a complete meal prepared onstage and served to a few lucky ticket-holders, this heartwarming hilarious cook-in answers the question, “Is the cure for a broken heart…pasta?”

The show runs March 11-April 6.  Opening night is set for Friday, March 14.  Tickets, beginning at $20, are now available through the George Street Playhouse Box Office 732-246-7717 or online at www.GSPonline.org.  A limited number of on stage seats are also available on a first-come-first-served basis from $74-$102 (varies based on performance); on-stage seating includes being served the three-course meal (antipasto, pasta and dessert) with wine.  George Street Playhouse is located at 9 Livingston Avenue in the center of New Brunswick, steps away from myriad restaurants for every palate and pocketbook.  Visit the Playhouse website, www.GSPonline.org to help plan your visit.

And, in case you’re wondering, here is the meal being prepared onstage:

First Course:  Antipasto

Marinated Olives

Prosciutto

Parmigiano Cheese

Sweet Dried Sausage

Artichoke Hearts

Bread

Second Course:  Salad

Mixed Greens

Red Onion

Lemon Zest

Champagne Vinegar

Third Course:  Pasta

Homemade Spaghetti

Bolognese Sauce