Over the River and Through The Woods is Laugh Out Loud -Hysterically Funny!

Over the River and Through The Woods by Joe Dipietro

Directed by Steven Schipper, this play about love of family 'Tengo Famillia" is the theme of this endearing, warm-hearted comedy. The central character Nick is an attractive up-and-coming young marketing executive from NYC who has dutifully visited his maternal and paternal grandparents in New Jersey every Sunday for dinner since his childhood. He announces that he has received a promotion that comes with strings attached, a transfer to Seattle, far enough away that it will affect their relationships. Thus ensues a plot by the grandparents to give him a reason to stay.

Although written from an Italian family's perspective, this is a familiar dialogue between the generations, that transcends ethnicity and cultural backgrounds. The play is truly enjoyable and suitable for all the family; so drag along the kids and the grandparents alike. The tightly well written text is riddled with jokes that generate bold laughs from the audience starting with the first few lines right through to the end of act one and most of the second act but then this where things become somewhat more sentimental. It plays out not unlike a TV sit-com with two relatively short acts. Running time is under 1:45 including a 15min. intermission which is not too long to hold on to our attention, and there is enough humour to keep us focused stage front.

A brilliantly talented cast add to the overall enjoyment of the production; -Featuring: Doreen Brownstone (Emma), Bernie Passeltiner (Nunzio), Diana Donnelly (Caitlin), and Gianpaolo Venuta (Nick); But it is the commanding performances of both Deann Mears (Aida) and Frank Savino (Frank), as the husband and wife who's home the play is set in, that steal the show. Their comedic timing and total physical embodiment of their characters make us want them to be our grandparents.

The set design of Michael Gianfrancesco is well suited to the play, however in this space becomes overwhelming in structure, often enveloping the characters to the point that depending on where you are sitting in the theatre you have to look for the actors on stage following their voices. Perhaps this is a deliberate choice since for this generation and culture it was always about the home and their appearance; -Since he also designed the costumes the visual is that they too are also absorbed into the walls and decor.

The only fault I had with the play is that it relies heavily on individual characters narratives to provide the audience with information and to move the story forward, and although this works well in the first act it gets abused in the second act and drags on into the epilogue. The production also has some transitions that are a little rough and need some polish; And some of the blocking choices are questionable in that for example, we're learning about the demise of a particular character while that actor is still present on stage, which again may be deliberate but to the audience could be a bit confusing, specially since this happens a few times.

Playing @ Segal Center 514 739-7944
GO C IT!


Photo credit Randy Cole.