Cafe and Then Some, featuring Viva Greenvegas!

“Something to offend everyone” is the motto at Cafe and Then Some, downtown Greenville’s comedy dinner theater. In business since 1979, Cafe and Then Some combines great food with hilarious entertainment for an evening of make-your-sides-hurt fun.

We headed downtown to check out the new show, Viva GreenVegas: “Join Toy Pettigru, Mary Louise Earl McDaniel Hampton Pinckney, Veranda Bannister and her daughter Madison, a Greenville city policeman, two Reedy River crayfish and a host of others as they attempt to explain exactly what is going in in Greenville with all the trendy restaurants and new construction of apartments and condos!  And where the hell all the people are going to come from to support this madness!”

The comedy troupe is spot-on in this newest show, poking some good-natured fun at Greenville’s restaurant scene and current events. The cast includes Susan Smith, Maureen Abdalla, Jim Wilkins, Traysie Amick and Bill Smith, and the show ran the gamut of comedy with one-liners, funny costumes, musical numbers and enough witty repartee to keep the laughter coming.

The cafe opens for dinner at 6:30, but another option is going for drinks and dessert (served at intermission). The menu ranges from standard to southern, but make sure to save room for dessert; their "Homemade Sin" is a chocolate chip cookie baked during the show and smothered in ice cream, chocolate sauce, whipped cream and peanuts. Or try "The Elvis!," a miniature peanut butter and banana sandwich, battered, deep-fried and rolled in powdered sugar and cinnamon, topped with a mixed berry puree and mini marshmallows. The drinks menu is reasonable, and the service always friendly and cheerful. The show starts somewhere after 8pm and goes around two hours – admission is $20+tax. Make reservations in advance as the venue frequently sells out, and to stay up to date on the newest shows (and get alerts on opening night which is usually free), check out their facebook page. Shows run Wednesday through Saturday, and the dialogue often changes over the course of time as the cast fine-tunes the skits based on audience response. 

This article is part of the Food on Friday series.