It’s dinnertime, and you’re invited to spend it with The Newtowne Players’ own big Italian famiglia in Hoboken, New Jersey, where more than plates of ravioli, cannoli and lasagna are served up by Italian immigrant grandmothers Aida (Linda Lagle) and Emma (Dawn Weber) in “Over the River and Through the Woods” by Joe DiPietro.
“They suck you in with the food,” Nick (Hunter Martin), the Italian-American grandson and eligible bachelor whom everyone wants to see get married, tells us. He’s right—Aida constantly plies everyone with food, no matter their insistence they aren’t hungry. With a coy smile, she obliges with plates of dessert, salads and ham sandwiches. (Can’t decide on the cheese? You won’t have to.)
You may be sucked in by the food, but you’ll stay for the family. “Tengo famiglia,” grandfather Frank (John Giusti) impresses on Nick throughout the play. Nothing is more important than family. That phrase becomes even more significant when Nick tells his grandparents, with whom he eats every Sunday for dinner, he’s been offered his dream job in Seattle.
The news doesn’t sit so well. For the grandparents, the thought of even wanting to move away from them is unfathomable. Thus begins a series of comedic schemes to keep Nick around, including bringing to Sunday dinner the lovely (oh, and single, of course) Caitlin O’Hare (Randi Wright) as bait, hoping she becomes a reason for Nick to stay in New Jersey.
For some members of the cast, this play is already like going to a family reunion: Weber and Giusti played the same roles in the troupe’s first rendition of the show in 2010, and Thomas Esposito returns to direct. This is the first time Newtowne has reprised a show at Three Notch Theatre, and the cast was specifically mixed with Newtowne veterans—Giusti, Weber, Lagle and Dave Bayles (who plays grandfather Nunzio), and more recent faces—Martin and Wright.
The family feel of the cast is evident, especially when they gather around the table for meals. Martin gives an earnest performance as Nick, deftly portraying an understandable annoyance at his grandparents while mixed with deep-seated adoration. Wright’s Caitlin brings an understated elegance to her scenes.
The four grandparents serve as the backbone of the play, and the actors’ years of stage experience is more than palpable. The tenderness between the couples is obvious, as is their deep care for Nick. You may even find, in between laughing at the Italian stereotypes and the verbal interactions and interruptions of any loud, passionate family, you shed a few tears. By the end of the play, “You realize what matters is family.”
“Over the River and Through the Woods” runs April 21 through May 7 at Three Notch Theatre in Lexington Park. For tickets, visit www.newtowneplayers.org.
