The Recipe Box

Austin Rainbow Theatre opens The Recipe Box on September 4, with the run continuing through September 19. It's the newest play from Del Shores, who's also directing this production. If you've spent any time around Southern queer theater, you've likely heard his name—he's the mind behind Sordid Lives, Southern Baptist Sissies, and Daddy's Dyin'... Who's Got the Will?. His work is known for dark comedy and the kind of outrageous family dysfunction that's a hallmark of Southern queer stories, and The Recipe Box fits right into that tradition.

The play is set on a lush, plant-filled Louisiana porch. It follows a gay couple navigating the end of their marriage, with one husband left living with his former mother-in-law—a gambling-addicted Southern firecracker. Armed with his late mother's old recipe box, a fiercely protective chosen family begins to form around them. It's Shores' trademark Southern queer wit mixed with high-stakes family drama and dark comedy, and it's only the second time the play has been staged anywhere. This production is a bit of a homecoming for Shores, who's directing and serving as a guest artist in residence alongside Emerson Collins.

Collins is a longtime collaborator of Shores, and he's also in residence as a guest artist here. He produced and starred in A Very Sordid Wedding, the film adaptation of Southern Baptist Sissies. On stage, he plays Rick, with Cynthia Sanders as Lou Wanda, Chelsea Manasseri as Oona, and Chris Skinner as Joah. Shores' work has been brought to life over the years by names like Leslie Jordan, Olivia Newton-John, Whoopi Goldberg, and Beau Bridges, so there's a clear lineage of Southern camp and character acting running through this.

The Recipe Box runs from September 4 to 19 at the Austin Rainbow Theatre, Ground Floor Theatre, 979 Springdale Rd #122. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 PM and Sundays at 2 PM, though there's no show on Sunday, September 6. Tickets range from $25.11 to $65.23, including fees.