Order up a serving of theater at 'The Worst Café in the World' in Philadelphia

"The Worst Café in the World" runs April 25 until May 5 at Poth Brewery in Philadelphia's Brewerytown neighborhood.

Alicia Vitarelli Image
Tuesday, April 23, 2024
Order up a serving of theater at 'The Worst Café in the World' in Philadelphia
Order up a serving of theater at 'The Worst Café in the World' in Philadelphia

PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Imagine going to a café where the menu doesn't list food and drinks, but theatrical bites.

It's called "The Worst Café in the World," and it's celebrating a grand opening in Philadelphia this week.

"It is theater as a restaurant," explains Kathryn 'KC' MacMillan, the artistic director of Tiny Dynamite, a local theater company.

"You come into our space, you're seated at a table by a waiter, and you're given a menu. Instead of food, they're theater pieces," said MacMillan.

Those performances are served up right to your table. Some pieces are performed family style.

"Some you can order for the entire café," MacMillan says.

It's your menu. You choose the adventure.

Tiny Dynamite teamed up with Big Telly, a small artistic group out of Northern Ireland for "The Worst Café in the World."

On the menu of "made to order" theatrical bites, you will find everything from the classics to modern tales.

"We're cooking up some fun," she says. "It's a mixture of really top-notch acting, some of the best you'll see in Philadelphia, and some of the most beautiful material that theatres ever created. That's mixed with dance numbers and talking teapots and table side tastes of things."

Last week, the show made its U.S. premiere, and Tiny Dynamite celebrated its off-Broadway debut in New York City. Now, they're bringing the show home.

They say choosing your piece is a bit of a negotiation.

"The table will kind of have to have a conversation about what everyone wants to see," MacMillan says. "You hear people asking things like, 'Should we share some plates?' and 'What do we want to see for the full table?'"

And yes, there's a real menu with real food to go along with your performance.

"This is part of our 'Play, a Pie and a Pint' Program. We always serve up a show with a beer, a glass of wine, a soda, and a snack or a slice of pizza," says MacMillan.

"The Worst Café in the World" runs April 25 through May 5 at Poth Brewery in Brewerytown.

For more information, visit TinyDynamite.org.