Jake Shipley - FULLY COMMITTED

Jake Shipley - FULLY COMMITTED

From Maître d’ Diaries by Erica Cantley

December 11, 2025 · 23 min · Season 4 · Episode 1

About this episode

Jake Shipley discusses his performance in 'Fully Committed' and the restaurant industry's portrayal in theater.

Back in the year 2000 the Cherry Lane Theater hosted the premier of Becky Mode's side-splitting, lightening-paced one man show, "Fully Committed", and restaurant reservationists in basements and broom closets all around town felt seen. And maybe not a little bit exposed. An updated version of the show moved to Broadway in 2016 starring the great Jesse Tyler Ferguson who won a Drama Desk Award for Outstanding Solo Performance for his role as Sam, and the other 30-plus characters that populate this 90-minute whiplash inducing romp through the trials--and wins--of a New York City reservationist. Now Jake Shipley, an actor and FOH restaurant worker since his teens, is performing FULLY COMMITTED at the Phoenician Playhouse in Phoenicia, NY, to great acclaim, for two weekend only. Jake took an hour during his crazy performance schedule to chat with Maître d' Diaries about the role and the work. And the possible future of taking this behind-the-scenes in the restaurant world play back out on the road.

People in this episode

Host: Erica Cantley

Guest: Jake Shipley

Topics covered

  • theater
  • restaurant industry
  • acting
  • New York City
  • performance
  • comedy

Keywords

  • Jake Shipley
  • Fully Committed
  • restaurant reservationist
  • theater
  • Jesse Tyler Ferguson
  • Phoenician Playhouse
  • New York City

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Cherry Lane Theater

Books & works: Fully Committed

Places: Phoenician Playhouse, Phoenicia, NY

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