The Long Beach International City Theater is serving up a “Five Course Love.” This colossal size portion offers choices of five very different roman

The Long Beach International City Theater is serving up a “Five Course Love.” This colossal size portion offers choices of five very different romantic rendezvous. The author, Greg Coffin, has whipped together a platter of down home country with a side of Italian amour in a 50’s doo-wop diner. The play consists of two guys and one gal, boasting a humorous twist on their quirky erotic liaisons. From them we learn from this trio just how problematic relationships can actually be.

Jennifer Shelton opens the performance as a tawdry, beer drinking country girl named Barbie. Her tasteless deeds remind the audience never to mess with Texas. Following her performance, Christopher Carothers toughens up as a Mafioso gangster in a saccharine love feast at the Trattoria Pericolo.

Then we get a small treat from the Der Schlupfwinkel Speiseplatz. Actor, Perry Lambert gets caught in a sex crazed love triangle that makes nymphomania look like monk’s play. The dual love affair is discovered and the results aren’t quite what they expected. The last two meals make for a bit of spice and a bit of nice with Latin machismo at Ernesto’s Café and merry malt shakes at the Star-Lite Diner.

Janice Rodgers Wainwright charged up the actor’s performances with her musical direction. Each scene included at least one song and dance number that showcased both actors and musicians.

Shelton takes the cake for being the all-star performer. Her roles were versatile playing a leather-clad dominatrix at Der Schlupfwinkel Speiseplatz, a naïve senorita at Ernesto’s Cafe and a bubble gum pop princess at the Star-Lite Diner. The deeper you bite into Shelton’s multifaceted layers the more intense her flavor.

This clever topic did have some amusing pieces. But frankly, it could have been better. It blended eclectic flavors from all across the globe into a single course. One ingredient too many made it an ill-received performance. Some audience members guffawed here and there but the dominant response was of dissatisfaction.

“Five Course Love” is not a main stage production. It is a small play that attempts to poke fun at the foolish escapades men and women submit themselves to. The play’s synopsis is misleading. It is generous in its explanation and caused me, at least, to believe more than I should have. The production is mediocre. I expected a well-written comedy suitable for a casual date but I left the theater feeling empty. This meal is not a house special. I recommend another selection.