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Peer Reviews Italian American Reconciliation is a Theatrical Delight By A.S. Waterman Entire contents are copyright © 2007
A.S. Waterman. All rights reserved.
First of all, no dogs were harmed during the production of this play. The promotional artwork, suggesting a Mafia-style hit on a pitiful doe-eyed pug, doesn't really tell the story. Rather, the wife's shooting of her husband's dog (yes, she shot his dog) is handled anecdotally, as the culmination of a spiral of mutual misunderstanding that (understandably!) brought about their divorce. Second, this is not "Moonstruck, Jr." Clever staging and phenomenal direction distance this production from any stereotypes, despite John Patrick Shanley's much-touted authorship of both plays. Third, this show is great
fun. The latest offering
from Actors Theatre is a credit to the cast, the
theatre and director Jon Jory, who returns to Louisville
after seven years for this production. The lighthearted
story revolves around attempts by amiable sleaze
Aldo Scalicki to foil his best friend Huey Bonfigliano's
quest to reunite with shrewish ex-wife Janice,
in order to reclaim the manhood he thinks he left
in her custody -- a plot that provides a wealth
of opportunities for creativity, and the production
relishes them all. The cast equally relishes each
role, and renders it charmingly.
Drew Cortese is an engaging Aldo, thoroughly convincing in his "best bud" interchanges with Huey as well as with the audience. As the hapless Huey, Josh Stein-Sapir tugs at our heartstrings while we laugh at his perceived predicament. Veteran actress Geraldine Librandi brings a wealth of impressive stage credits to her role as Aunt May, and gives a worthy performance. As the two women in Huey's life, Lee Fitzpatrick (as "normal" girlfriend Teresa) and Alexandra Tavares (as the lunatic Janice) occasionally have difficulty sustaining their dialect, but nonetheless execute their roles with aplomb. From the captivating opening, in which Aldo shmoozes with members of the audience, to the final moments, the show continually defies expectations and raises howls of delight. It tears down not only the fourth wall but the ceiling as well, presenting all on a bare stage painted with a cloud motif, lifting this very earthbound story onto an ethereal plane. Objects appear and then vanish with amazing sleight of hand. Furniture rises and then flattens so subtly that the audience is barely aware of it. Three masked stagehands invoke the spirit of a sprightly commedia dell'arte, raising such plebian scenes as eating minestrone at a diner, or loudmouthed macho bonding, well above their roots. As for whether any of these characters will wind up with the right person, or with anyone at all, or whether anyone in their right mind could wind up with them, the answers unfold with the unraveling of a convoluted history. Ironically, the more improbable the story becomes, the more real the characters become to us. This beautifully executed production reminds us what live theatre is all about. And no less importantly, this show is very, very funny. Can a progressively debased Italian swain successfully reconcile with the self-proclaimed hellion who shot his dog? Well, you'll have to find out for yourself. And you should. Italian American Reconciliation is a sure-fire, non-Mafia hit.
Italian American Reconciliation ---------- Posted Apr. 22, 2007 |
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