Waterfront Theatre Company

Giorgio Demarco and his family have run The Cafe Byron for generations, but ever since the movie La Dolce Vita, the tourists have decamped to the Via Veneto to gawk at the movie stars and pose for the paparazzi.

Giorgio is in trouble; he owes a lot of money to Ragno, the loan shark and it looks like he’s going to lose his beloved Cafe Byron. His daughter Arriana works at a film studio and she excitedly informs him of her promotion to makeup artist for Elizabeth Taylor.

Everybody knows about Taylor’s affair with Richard Burton and with the paparazzi swarming round them like flies they are looking for quiet corners to have their romantic dinners. Arriana suggests luring them to Cafe Byron, where Giorgio can have his picture taken with them and post it up outside as an endorsement by the stars.

Then the Byron will once more be the most popular place in town. However, the plan backfires resulting in a minestrone of farce and black comedy, with a tender love story thrown into the mix for good measure.