Love is like a shrimp cocktail

Love is like oxygen. Love is a battlefield. Love is like shrimp cocktail? That’s the metaphor in the musical revue Love and Shrimp, based on the poetry of Judith Viorst with music by Shelly Markham. A script-in-hand production will be presented by the Metropolitan Ensemble Theatre at the Writers Place this Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights.

A friend of mine, actress Bonita Hanson, is in the cast. I asked what in the hell love has to do with shrimp cocktail (although I do love a good shrimp cocktail) and she explained it this way: “When a couple first fall in love, they’re happy to share the shrimp in a cocktail,” she said. “But as the relationship progresses, they get a little more possessive of the shrimp and after awhile, they don’t want to share the shrimp at all.”

The cocktail sauce may represent something too, but I was afraid to ask for more specifics. To find out more about the show, which also features Katie Kalahurka and Karen Paisley, call the Writers Place at 816-753-1090. There will be a reception after the show, but I understand they’re serving wine and dessert — not shrimp.