Tater Tomater is a short student film that was directed by Phil Morrison while he was a student at NYU. The short is based on MacLachlan's stage play Behold Zebulon.[1] It was first screened in 1989 at the Rialto Theater in Raleigh, North Carolina and in 1992, both screened at Sundance and aired on PBS'sAmerican Playhouse.[2][3] The short stars Beth Bostic and Mary Lucy Bivins as two servers working in a cafeteria; Bostic continually asks customers if they want "taters" or "tomaters" until she has a mental breakdown.[4] Since its premiere the short has received praise and taken on cult film status.[5] A now-defunct website, tatertomater.com, was launched and allowed fans to take polls, sign a guestbook, or purchase a copy of the short film.[6]
MacLachlan and Morrison, who grew up together in Winston-Salem, would later work together again on the film Junebug (2005).[7]