A SAMUEL FRENCH, INC. TITLE

The English Only Restaurant

Full-Length Play, Comedy  /  3w, 8m

By Silvio Martinez Palau
Music and Lyrics by Sergio Garcia Marruz and Saul Spangenburg

This wild farce, set in a restaurant in Queens, mauls both English and Spanish as it lampoons upwardly mobile Latinos, snobbish Gringos, trendy restaurants and just about everything else.

The English Only Restaurant

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  • Cast Size
    Cast Size
    3w, 8m
  • Duration
    Duration
    105 Minutes
  • SubGenre
    Subgenre
    Parody / Spoof
  • Audience
    Target Audience
    Adult

Details

Summary
This wild farce mauls both English and Spanish as it lampoons the pretensions of upwardly mobile Latinos, the snobberies of Gringos, high fashion, trendy restaurants and just about everything else. The perpetrators of the mayhem are gathered in a Queens restaurant just after Spanish has been outlawed, this to be enforced by language police. The proprietor and his patrons comply with the law by adopting English-sounding names and trying to speak in a style they associate with high society.
History
The English Only Restaurant premiered off-Broadway at the Puerto Rican Traveling Theatre on July 19, 1990. Directed by Susana Tubert, the production featured Adriano Gonzalez, Alberto Guzman, Al Rodriguez, David Seatter, Antonio Sierra and Jeanette Toro.
Keywords
Performing Groups

JOHN TABLE
EUGENICA HEADS
MR. MARTINEZZ
SAM PETERS
MRS. PETERS
HENRY
HENRYQUE CURLY
W.F. FARTLEY
JOHNNY GARCIA
JORGE
PATRICIA RODRIGUEZ
THE REPORTER
COP IN CHARGE

Note: The original off-Broadway production employed six actors to play the above roles.

  • Time Period Contemporary, Present Day
  • Setting A restaurant in Queens, NY.
  • Features Contemporary Costumes / Street Clothes
  • Additional Features Play w/ Music
  • Duration 105 Minutes
  • Cautions
    • No Special Cautions

Media

“Wildly funny.” – Newark Star Ledger

“Good humor... makes the farce work.” – The New York Times

“Silvio Martinez Palau’s extremely clever comedy is still frighteningly relevant... Set in a restaurant owned by a Latino immigrant who forbids employees and patrons from speaking Spanish, the play explores American attitudes about immigration, class, and race and how language can be a tool of both empowerment and oppression... a play of political importance.” – Chicago Reader

Licensing & Materials

  • Minimum Fee: $110 per performance
  • Optional Music/Media Fee: $15 per performance

Scripts

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Authors

Author

Silvio Martinez Palau

Author

Sergio Garcia Marruz

Author

Saul Spangenburg

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