World Premiere of Eat Me is playing now at South Coast Repertory, April 12 – May 3, 2026.

Directed by Caitlin Sullivan, this bold and distinctive work revels in its own quirkiness. This is a strong source of its appeal, and it also makes it difficult to grasp.

Centered around Chris (Sheldon D. Brown), a former administrative lawyer. Who chooses to leave his job after a traumatic brain injury, which gives him Gourmand Syndrome. It is a rare brain and eating disorder characterized by a desire to eat particularly high-quality cuisine. Chris spends his time now surfing food forums online and dreaming of the ultimate restaurant at the top of the world.

Three times I genuinely asked myself  “what” while watching this new production at South Coast Repertory. The first was during the show. The second was after it was over and I left the theater. The third was while I helped myself to a half rack of baby-backs at the Claim Jumpers across the street. I was hungry, and in my defense, I just watched a 100-minute play about food. I cleaned off the ribs.

Quite thoroughly, as I do. It was fine. It’s Claim Jumpers, I wasn’t expecting greatness, though greatness did find me.  I was driving in my car, heading home at a loss for words. This play stumped me. Then I don’t know, maybe it was the ribs, maybe it was the indigestion, but it finally clicked. I realized this is a very unique and challenging piece that mimics the sensation of trying to catch a wave at the beach with your bare hands. You think you’ve grabbed it, but it’s oh so elusive. To be honest, it still puzzled me a little but way less.

The show has a relentless pace, and it’s largely Chris going to meet up with either Stevie (Jake Borelli), a person he’s dating, his sister Beatrice (Kacie Rogers), Jen (Carolyn Ratteray), Beatrice’s wife, or his friend and roommate, Cindy (Anne Gee Byrd). Many conversations center around food and other niche obsessions.

Eat Me is a challenging piece, no doubt, centered on life, transitions, and the transformations we undergo, physically and psychologically. While it has quirky characters and dialogue that elicit quite a few laughs, the play’s actual direction is hard to pin down, even after the curtain falls.