Like many Edmontonians, Lauren Hunter loves to watch improv comedy and loves to eat sandwiches at The Next Act. But can community theatre make a chicken sandwich even better?
The answer is yes.
When it comes to food, Hunter picks what she loves and remains ever loyal, never so much as glancing an eye away from her ride-or-die dish: the Tequila Lime Chicken Sandwich.
“I swear I don’t just like it because it has tequila in the name — it’s a delicious sandwich,” she says.
But after nearly 10 years of chicken sandwiches, Hunter met one of the men who makes the meals when she was the guest judge for Battle Kitchens — a Rapid Fire Theatre improv comedy show where chefs duke it out with wacky ingredients.
Instead of sandwiches, Paul Blinov, an improviser, writer and cook at The Next Act, served up laughs, whipping up absurd pretend meals for an audience of theatregoers.
“I remember we were judging The Next Act [cook] on his ‘cooking,’” Hunter says. “I remember it was so funny. I haven’t laughed that hard in years.”
And while Hunter can’t wait to judge another Rapid Fire Theatre show, she’s already plotting her next visit to The Next Act to order her favourite sandwich.
The Next Act
Strathcona | 8224 104 St NW, Edmonton | 780.433.9345 | nextactpub.com
Hair and makeup by Tiiu Vuorensola
This article appears in the Jul/Aug 2024 issue of Edify
