"Supper Hour in Hell" review

Katie Benson and Roger Alvarez star in the Overtime Theater's staging of "The Supper Hour in Hell." Katie Benson and Roger Alvarez star in the Overtime Theater's staging of "The Supper Hour in Hell." Photo: Courtesy Sydney Wagner Photo: Courtesy Sydney Wagner Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close "Supper Hour in Hell" review 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

It may not be fun to be seated with any of the parties onstage in the Overtime Theater's staging of "The Supper Hour in Hell," but it's tremendously entertaining to watch the evening play out.

Tess Light's script follows an evening at a terrible restaurant.

The only waiter working (the hilarious Michele Wisniewski) is a nightmare, shielding her eyes when a new arrival tries to get her attention so that he can get a table and snatching a half-empty glass of water from one table and giving it to another diner.

The patrons are all in the midst of some sort of personal drama. Sophie (Katie Benson) is meeting with her deadbeat dad (Roger Alvarez), who refuses to own up to his lousy behavior.

Rebecca (Tamara Brem) and husband James (Brian Hodges) are having a date night which is upended when they run into his work pal Grace (Allie Lockett), whose relationship Rebecca is jealous off, and her husband (Chuck Duncanson).

They end up sharing a table, and the evening takes one sharp turn aftr another, impacting both marriages. Claire (Chelsea Robertson) and William (Rory Smith) arrive in the middle of an argument over an incident between their dogs that was either roughhousing or a murder attempt, depending on whose account you believe.

And the final arrivals of the evening are a couple (Alexander Berkowitz and Jenny Taylor) dealing with life-changing news in very different ways.

Directed with verve by Morgan Clyde, the show is very funny and well-played by the talented cast. Even the smallest moments, including Benson and Berkowitz avidly watching one of the couples fight at the bar and the tender glances that Hodges and Lockett share, add to the overall texture of the piece.

"The Supper Hour in Hell" can be seen at 8 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays – with additional shows at 3 p.m. May 29 and 7 p.m. June 12 – through June 18 at the Overtime Theater, 1203 Camden. Tickets range from $10 to $15 at brownpapertickets.com. Call 210-557-7562 or visit theovertimetheater.org for more information.