It was conceived and written by Amanda Palmer, with Jonathan Marc Sherman, Marcus Stern, Christine Jones, Anthony Martignetti, and the cast.
While drinking and talking, the clients peel onions, both to make crying easier and to lessen the shame for those afraid to express their feelings openly.
There are also frequent performances by Palmer and Brian Viglione's duo The Dresden Dolls, who portray the house band of the Onion Cellar, as well as characters in the play.
Both inside the theatre and in the lobby, they have displayed letters and objects by fans, critics and audience members from earlier trial runs of the show.
"[1] it was never supposed to be a dark, dismal, sobfest as the article sort of implies: it was supposed to be an interactive environment with lots of confusion, fun, prankery, audience participation and also darker images about Grass himself, the holocaust, guilt, the creation of art in terms of grappling with the past and how we, as humans, try to come to terms with emotions that are difficult to face.