Just for laughs this Thanksgiving season, Allentown Public Theatre (APT) presents Jennifer Santos’s comedy, Dinner With Marney, at 7pm, Tuesday, November 17 as part of its monthly Theatre Cafe series. This informal reading will be hosted by Hava Java (526 N. 19th St.) in Allentown.
'Dinner with Marney' puts together the holiday dinner from hell, as meticulously plotted by the Byron family's self-proclaimed matriarch, Marney. Her gilded invitation heralds the arrival of her wussy fraternal twin, a grief stricken brother, high-strung baby sister, misanthropic cousin, a pill-popping best friend, and a slew of unsuspecting in-laws trying to stay afloat in the wake of the "Hannibal of Holidays.” As Santos puts it, “Secrets are revealed, madness is stirred, and chaos ensues as the evening culminates with a visitor who did not RSVP.” 
Stacy Wescoe of Allentown leads the cast of a dozen, directed by Anna Russell. Completing the family are Nicole Anderson, Troy Brokenshire, Jerry Brucker, Mallory DeForest, Chris Egging, Teague Fernandez, Jennifer Geist, Jan LaBellarte, Keith Moser, Steven Schmid; with Susan Weaver as Narrator.
Jennifer Santos – born and raised in the Lehigh Valley – is a talented actor, a costume designer, and a hilarious improv comic appearing with two Lehigh Valley comedy troupes, The Associated Mess and The Flighty Ducks. A few years ago she was inspired to write her first play after stumbling across a purportedly real Thanksgiving invitation that gained viral notoriety through the website, AwkwardFamilyPhotos.com.
She couldn't help wondering what kind of person would send out such exacting orders to family, insulting them in the process, about what to bring to dinner (right down to the size of the dish and what sort of spoon to bring with it). And what might ensue at the holiday meal' Dinner With Marney premiered in 2012, produced by APT.
Reflecting back on the experience, Santos says, “It was fantastic. I remember being backstage and being told that they had to add chairs. It was so exciting and it made me feel like writing was something I could really do.” She has written more plays, but Dinner With Marney has a special place in her heart.
Theatre Cafe, every third Tuesday, 7pm, October 2015 through August 2016, at Hava Java Cafe, 526 N. 19th St., Allentown PA, 18104. Suggested donation: $5. For more info visit www.allentownpublictheatre.com