About the Show

Part of FringeNYC: Based on true events. A young chef goes from running top after-hours Mexico City nightspots to running for his life from the bloodiest foodie in the world, Libyan Dictator Muammar Qaddafi; a chef’s-eye view of a regime’s methods and madness.

Categories: Drama, National. From Bons Tempos. Written by Lance Belville & Carlos Ambrosi. Directed by Lynn Lohr.

FROM THE ARTIST:
Eat like a dictator. Taste the ideas. The show is a unique theatre experience as food helps describe the methods and madness of the brutal Qaddafi dictatorship. The young Mexican chef did the cooking as though his life depended on it, as it did. Along the way, audience members savor dishes Qaddafi loved or rejected. The audience is enmeshed in a sensory experience, literally sensing ideas.

The show was developed in collaboration between veteran playwright, Lance Belville and chef Carlos Ambrosi.

Critic Reviews (3)

"Sous chef Fredy (Alvaro Flores) adds action and engaging commentary to investigator Paula Madrigal's expressive reading of his boss Sergio's supposed diary of their month-or-so remunerative captivity as Qaddafi's Mexican components of his cooking team...Under Lynn Lohr's masterful direction, Madrigal has the audience on the edge of their seats by the point in the diary when it seems the pair can gracefully exit the country."
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"If the purpose of food is a metaphor for Qaddafi’s terror, and its existence is to make that connection more real for those in the audience, then how everyone relates to it on a sensory level should be better executed. Still, 'Qaddafi’s Cook' is beautifully done and a triumph of minimalism and immersive theater. It is equal parts intense, charming, and, like any good meal, satisfying."
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For a previous production

"A powerful piece of theatre…An extraordinary play about cooking and politics…Paola Madrigal was specifically chosen for the role because of the Outstanding Actress Award from last year’s SDIFF. Of the same caliber is Alvaro Flores trained in London as an actor and a mime in France–one can tell by the way he moves across the stage. They deliver great performances…Do not miss this fine performance."
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