←Recommendations of For a Limited Time Only (The Bread Play)

Stephen King meets Red Shoe Diaries at the Olive Garden is a horrifying concept when you think about it. Daniel Prillaman has obviously thought about it. This simple story becomes an existential horror when a deal too good to be true (or Hell of a Deal as the play puts it) turns out to be just that. As cringey as the thought of eternity in a restaurant eating nothing but bread is (okay, there IS some other eating going on, but I don't want to spoil that) makes this one eatery missing a boatload of Michelin stars. Foodie fun!

This is a Pandemic play that does not reference covid, lockdowns, or 2020. This play is about a couple who can't leave a restaurant until they eat all the bread in their unlimited bread order (Hell of a Deal!) but the isolation and sense of dread that accompany this play are so deeply rooted in the experiences of 2020 that we are able to process the those events through absurdism, comedy, and sex jokes. This play would be amazing onstage!

Bravo, Daniel!

With an original concept, Prillaman does great work weaving all the elements together to create this terrifying tale. Prillaman brings all the elements necessary to bring this horror comedy to life. This play will sure to get audiences laughing and horrified.

I enjoy the simplicity of the situation coupled with the grandiose perplexion. It felt cute in many ways yet deep in many others. Laughing at a dark absurdist comedy was all I needed, and in ten minutes - it's quite a feat!

I adore the things Daniel Prillaman's mind churns out. A humorous situation turns horrifying as Arlo and Val realize that the Italian Garden Factory's unlimited bread deal is truly unlimited. I especially loved the little vignettes showing the passage of time and the ending - the whole time I was wondering how on earth this story could possibly end, and it turns out the answer is: perfectly. (And as a person who is no longer able to eat bread, this play helps me feel less upset about it. You guys, there is SO MUCH bread. Everywhere. What a stage picture.)

The concept alone had me giggling. But even though this is an existential horrorscape of a restaurant, the relationship between Arlo and Val becomes so strong and beautiful! I adore this terrifying play, even though it left me feeling a little bloated.

A simple, family style Italian restaurant where unlimited bread for $5.99 is a hell of a deal. Enter Val and Arlo, a young couple having a normal evening although overindulging on the meal and, of course, the bread. But when they ask for the check, they suddenly discover they are in the Daniel Prillaman Zone! What a funny, creepy story! I would absolutely love to see this performed! If there’s a moral to the story, I think it’s if you want to eat out, do it at home.

“You can dream better dreams than just being able to sleep wherever you want.” And boy, did Prillaman dream up one hell of a script! A play about eating that will leave you full and satisfied even with a bit of an ambiguous (and perfect) ending. I can tell Arlo and Val love each other (they had me at Bake Off accents) and the Server serves every time.

No Exit Parmesan? Val and Arlo learn the hard way the true cost of an unlimited offering. The dawning awareness of their situation and their attempts to escape and then reconcile themselves to it are wryly amusing and appropriately desperate. And the surprising conclusion cements their bond and their fate.

Yes the premise is gorgeous, allowing for both horror and humor. But what I most appreciate most in this one-act dark comedy is the journey taken by protagonists Arlo and Val.

Starting slightly bickering and slightly dissatisfied, the couple at the start of "For a Limited Time Only" turn very dark as conflicts grow deeper. And yet Daniel Prillaman provides them with a final turn that -- perhaps while not a happy ending -- sees them to a level of care that they had not shown before.

This play is emotionally richer because of Prillaman's skill.