I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!

A wedding planning satire in which a young bride-to-be becomes hooked on a magical Starbuck's special which leads her to see a Prince on a unicorn.

Posted on June 4, 2026 by Victor Gluck, Editor-in-Chief in Off-Broadway, Plays, Still Open

Rachel Lin as Jenny and Fernando Gonzalez as The Prince in a scene from Catherine Weingarten’s “I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!” at The Tank (Photo credit: HanJie Chow)

Rachel Lin as Jenny in a scene from Catherine Weingarten’s “I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!” at The Tank (Photo credit: HanChie Chow)

Catherine Weingarten’s I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!! works entirely by whimsey. The only modern playwright who could have been successful with this material was Sir James M. Barrie, author of Peter Pan and A Kiss for Cinderella. However, director Alex Tobey could have done more with the actors to make this viable. Don’t blame the cast who give their all to this wedding satire.

Jenny is getting married to her beloved fiancé Sebastian in two weeks and has a series of meetings set up at her local Starbucks with Darla, her wedding planner. There are still a great many things to decide like which flavor wedding cake and what will go in the gift bags. Jenny’s mother is thrilled for her although her own marriage seems to be on the rocks. Jenny is upset that Sebastian never seems to be home anymore. Sebastian who is an SAT tutor can never seem to find the time to attend the meetings even after he has confirmed he will be there.

Sabina Friedman-Seitz as Darla, Fernando Gonzalez as Sebastian and Rachel Lin as Jenny in a scene from Catherine Weingarten’s “I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!” at The Tank (Photo credit: HanJie Chow)

Darla mentions at the Starbucks that they are having a four-day special on Unicorn Frappes, a delicious sugary pink drink advertised as magic. Jenny becomes hooked on them and we notice that each day they grow bigger. Worrying about the wedding and Sebastian’s lack of interest, Jenny is visited at Starbucks by a prince on a unicorn who looks suspiciously like her fiancé. He seems to be more attentive to her than the man she is to marry. Jenny begins to not believe Sebastian’s excuses while becoming addicted to the sugary drink. Her best friend Cassandra gives her good advice which is not taken. Eventually Jenny has to make a life changing decision about Sebastian and their marriage.

Playwright Weingarten has a good ear for dialogue but this alone is not enough for a modern comedy. While I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!! could have been a satire on wedding and wedding planning, the mockery is much too mild and familiar to have any sting. Both Darla and Cassandra are way ahead of Jenny on noticing that Sebastian is not too interested in her – as are we. Why it takes so long for Jenny to wake up to reality is a mystery. However, the unicorn frappe may be a metaphor for the pink dream that she has about her life once married though it appears to all be in her head. The play is much too long for its content, going over the same ideas over and over.

Lindsley Howard as Cassandra in a scene from Cathreine Weingarten’s “I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!” at The Tank (Photo credit: HanJie Chow)

The cast does a fine job with the little they have been given making the characters more credible than the script. As Jenny, Rachel Lin is cheerful, wide-eyed and easily taken in. Sabina Friedman-Seitz’s wedding planner Darla is perky and efficient. Lindsley Howard as the best friend ironically named Cassandra (the Greek heroine who no one would believe) is the voice of reason. Meg MacCary is amusing as the mother who (like her daughter) can’t see what is right before her eyes in both her relationship and Jenny’s.

Fernando Gonzalez has the most work as both Sabastian and the Prince. As the Prince, he is utterly charming, directly out of a fairy tale. Unfortunately, as the fiancé, he never lets us know if he is really a workaholic or has lost interest in Jenny. Whether this is the fault of the playwright, director or actor cannot be decided without insider information.

Meg MacCary as Mom and Rachel Lin as Jenny in a scene from Catherine Weingarten’s “I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!” at The Tank (Photo credit: HanJie Chow)

The design team is more successful than the play. Benny Pitt’s picture book sets are heavy on pink as is the luscious lighting by Haley Garcia Parnell. The attractive and colorful costumes by Olivia Vaughn Hern is as much a feast for the eye as the Unicorn Frappe is described as a feast for the mouth. Maya Ramdayal is responsible for the clever props which include the Unicorn Frappe ever increasing in size.

While Catherine Weingarten’s I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!! wants to work as comedy, satire and fantasy, it fails at all three as it is neither original nor pungent enough to meet its goals. What is missing are real surprises other than the fantasy drink. Bad fiancés and princes on silver unicorns do not make a new fairy tale. And heroine Jenny seems a little too naïve to be real.

I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!! (through June 21, 2026)

The Tank, 312 W. 36^th Street, in Manhattan

For tickets, visit http://www.thetanknyc.org/

Running time: 95 minutes without an intermission

About Victor Gluck, Editor-in-Chief (1192 Articles)

Victor Gluck was a drama critic and arts journalist with Back Stage from 1980 – 2006. He started reviewing for TheaterScene.net in 2006, where he was also Associate Editor from 2011-2013, and has been Editor-in-Chief since 2014. He is a voting member of The Drama Desk, the Outer Critics Circle, the American Theatre Critics Association, and the Dramatists Guild of America. His plays have been performed at the Quaigh Theatre, Ryan Repertory Company, St. Clements Church, Nuyorican Poets Café and The Gene Frankel Playwrights/Directors Lab.