Upstairs at Tierney's Tavern, the entertainment usually stays on the stage.  But Cafe Theatre's presentation of "nuts 'n honey"  surrounds you with eight laugh-out-loud comedy sketches on the trial and trauma of love.

Imagine sitting at the pub, brew and burger in hand, when suddenly the lights dim then spotlight the young couple at the bar...or the lovelorn-looking girl drowning her sorrows alone...or a man and a woman conversing with paper bags over their heads. You find yourself part of the scene.

"I'll take the 'I'm getting dumped special.' I've learned the real meaning of hate." There's the absurd, the hysterical, the conversations under the cover of anonymity... a classical look at jealousy and revenge (with a therapist), and a love deprived stalker. Real life? Maybe.Art? Definitely. The original (some never before produced) vignettes are of the 10 minute theatre genre and take a farcical, sometimes metaphorical look at familiar romantic themes of awkwardness, obsession, break-ups, anger, passion, deception, and even cyber dating.

The actors, many MSU graduates and Baristaville performers are all around you, but you're never quite sure who grabs the spot-light next. The 90 minute show, "nuts 'n honey" is fun and friendly - part theatrical Haiku, with a little bit of Woody Allen, a Chaplinesque surprise ending, and a lot of laughs.

We took our teenagers, who were very amused, without enduring too much blushing. Catch the show upstairs at Tierney's for two more weekends, Friday and Saturday at 7:30 pm. Admission at the door, $15. If you didn't catch their last run, Close Shave, you won't want to miss Cafe Theatre this time around.