Family picture: (Left to right) Millie, Solomon, Esther (Eldest Daughter), Joey (Youngest Son)

A Family Affair

Hungry for something different? Step into NONA’S SUPPER CLUB—an interactive musical where the audience becomes part of the family drama unfolding at a beloved NYC restaurant’s reopening night.

Equal parts hilarious and heartfelt, Nona’s Supper Club invites you to the table for a theatrical experience brimming with music, love, and just the right amount of dysfunction.

Created by award-winning mother-and-child duo Amy Poux (book, music, lyrics) and Trudy Poux (music, lyrics), and co-produced by longtime collaborators (and sister-in-laws) Amy Poux and Jennifer Sabin, this original musical is a multi-generational labor of love. Rounding out the family ensemble is cousin Tucker, a master improviser who plays the chaotic but lovable chef.

Inspired by the life of Amy and Trudy’s Sephardic grandmother/great grandmother, this story of family—written by a family—unfolds in the fictional “Nona’s Supper Club,” a legendary restaurant on the brink of both collapse and rebirth. When Nona announces her retirement, the Abalafia family must rally: a missing chef, a Staten Island hostess with no filter, and a bartender in romantic free fall are just a few ingredients in the wild mix.

Will they pull it off? Or go down in flames—singing.

As specially invited guests, the audience tastes the food, sips the wine, and immerses themselves in the music of this unforgettable evening. But behind the festive atmosphere and the brave faces, the Abalafia family has one nearly impossible goal: convincing Nona—their beloved matriarch—that she can retire and pass the restaurant on to them.

Flashing between past and present, Nona’s Supper Club weaves the story of Matilda “Nona” Abalafia as an immigrant single mother building a dream from nothing, and the family determined to keep her legacy alive. With an electrifying original score—from infectious pop anthems to show-stopping ballads, and a delicious dinner—this interactive musical celebrates love, resilience, and the power of food to bring people together.

The Backstory

This play is about Amy’s grandmother/Trudy’s great grandmother—and countless women —whose resilience, intellect, and talents are eclipsed by cultural and societal constraints, leaving their brilliance unrecognized and their potential unfulfilled.

Born Matilda Lazar in 1918, Millie was a Sephardic Jew whose family journeyed from Spain to Skopje, Macedonia, before immigrating to America. She carried within her a deep well of artistry—a natural singer, her voice reminiscent of Sarah Vaughan, and a gifted seamstress, working in the garment district and sewing special occasion dresses for me and my sister for many years.

At 18, Millie gave birth to my mother at a time when having a child outside of marriage was considered deeply unconventional. She married my grandfather, a Turkish Sephardic man, and navigated the challenges and humiliation of a turbulent home life. Through it all, she built her husband’s tax business from the ground up and became an extraordinary cook, mastering the rich traditions of Sephardic cuisine.

Maybe it was hardship that shaped her—or maybe it was simply who she was—but Millie saw the world through rose-colored glasses—choosing to embellish those around her. She was larger than life, sweeping into rooms with a song, dressed in red lipstick, fur, and costume jewelry—as if she were starring in a glamorous Hollywood film, rather than enduring struggles at home.

This play is a reimagining of Millie’s life—one in which she makes a different choice. Instead of staying, she walks away from her husband and opens her own restaurant as a single mother, reclaiming her agency and forging a new future for herself and her child. Nona’s Supper Club unfolds in the present, on the night she must decide whether to pass the restaurant on to her son, Cesar, and her grandchildren—while also flashing back to the pivotal moments that shaped her journey.

In the end, Millie must remove the rose-colored glasses and face the truth about her son and the future of the restaurant she built on her own. As she stands at this crossroad, we return to the defining moment of her life—the day she first stepped into an empty space, convinced a landlady to take a chance on her, and decided she would carve out a future for herself, no matter the odds.

Nona’s Supper Club will open in two NYC venues this spring—a story rooted in the real-life history of a woman whose journey deserves to be told, even if it requires a little rewriting.

Family picture: (Back row: Left to right) Millie, Solomon, (Front row: Left to right) Esther (eldest daughter), Joey (youngest son)