In late January 2012, my daughter, Julia, and I were dining at Luc, having a typically excellent meal. At one point, Julia went to the restroom, and then returned to the table. The following conversation ensued.

Julia: “David, I think you should go to the bathroom. The first one.”

David, skeptical: “Okaaay…” (He goes to the bathroom, then comes back)

Julia: “Did you notice the glass cabinet?”

David: “I did notice.”

Julia: “Well. It’s unlocked, and quite empty, don’t you think?”

David: “Yes indeed. How interesting…”

Julia: “We need to put something in it! Something artistic!”

We brainstormed about it, one thing led to another, and the next thing you know we had decided to put on a multi-act play in the glass cabinet in the washroom.  We named the play “Port and Roses”.

Julia wrote the screen play, and made wire sculptured figures, and props.  The next time we went in, Julia snuck into the washroom with a full backpack, set up Act I, Scene I, and so began the adventure.

Act I, Scene I

That first scene was simple, with a man (holding a large rose) descending down a ladder attached to a bottle of Kopke port, and a woman sitting on top of her Grand Marnier bottle.

For the next several months, whenever one of us went to Luc, we would sneak into the washroom and set up the next scene.  We felt like criminals doing this, as we never told them what we were doing.

The play involved port and roses, love and a baby, and (to my surprise) dragons; the full story is on the Port and Roses website, which we put up because Julia’s friends were watching the play from afar.  We eventually told Adrienne and the rest of the folks at Luc that we were the undercover playwrights, and to our relief they were delighted, and encouraged us.

Here’s one of the main characters, the daughter:

Here is close up of one scene (Act V, Scene ii), in which the daughter has a picnic with her dragon:

Act V Scene ii

In August of 2012 the final scene was staged, and on 26 August the cast of characters came out for a bow to the audience. Below are two views of that scene; the first view is from the point of view of the seated “audience”.

Finale

The Finale close up

After the finale, we cleaned up the cabinet, leaving only the two bottles and roses.

But when Julia came back to Corvallis to visit recently,  she decided to add an epilogue, and here it is:

This all comes to mind now as the chef at Luc, Ian Hutchings, is leaving for Portland, and tonight is his last night as a chef in Corvallis.  He provided Julia and I with such good food during our theatrical endeavors that he shall be missed.