Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant is a sweeping, forty-year domestic comedy/drama about three siblings struggling to find their place in the world, and with each other, in the wake of their father’s abandonment and their mother’s anger and resentment. In the end, they come to terms with the family dynamic, when one of them unexpectedly invites the father to their mother’s funeral.
Adapted with permission from the novel by Anne Tyler.
Genre: Dramatic Comedy, Adaptation
Acts: 2
Run time: 90 minutes
Suitable for students 14+
Content notes: This play deals with the topic of abuse by neglect.
Cast size: 19 actors
Male roles: 11
Female roles: 8
Casting notes:
The 19 characters can be portrayed by 7 actors total. This cast includes the Tull family (4 characters) and the following possible double-casting:
Adult male-identifying actor:
Beck /Darryl /Dan/Joe/Foreman/Minister
Younger male-identifying actor:
Harley/Boy in Dormitory/Slevin/Luke
Adult female-identifying actor:
Ruth/Edith/Mrs. Scarlatti/Teacher/Mag
Second female-identifying actor:
Jenny/Susie