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Arts & Entertainment

Review: Bickford Comedy Perfect for Holidays

Jersey influences add to laughter in "Over the River and Through the Woods."

As we prepare for the annual and often stressful ritual of sharing a big dinner with extended family, Joe DiPietro’s “Over the River and Through the Woods” is a timely reminder why many of us dread the prospect, even while we pour our hearts and souls into its preparation.

So while it might not have been written as a holiday show, director Eric Hafen can add perfect timing to his list of accomplishments in bringing this delightful comedy to the professional stage.

DiPietro, the Jersey-bred writer of “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change,” “Toxic Avenger: The Musical” and the Tony-winning “Memphis,” has evolved into one of theater’s most versatile storytellers. But for this first effort, which goes back nearly 18 years, he wisely stuck to the old adage of “write what you know.” And since he knew nothing better than his own Garden State roots, New Jersey audiences can appreciate this family comedy—which has struck a chord with audiences around the world—better than anyone.

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Clearly standing in for the playwright, Nick Cristano (Michael Bernardi) is a young and successful New York City marketing executive who still finds time to share weekly Sunday-dinner visits with all four of his grandparents in Hoboken. As DiPietro based the characters on his own grandparents—proud Italian-Americans who rarely stray from their neighborhood—it’s no surprise that he became a writer. His representative character rarely gets a chance to get a word in edgewise at these noisy gatherings.

With the action, according to the program, taking place “several years ago,” the dinners are served in the play’s single set, the Hoboken home of Frank (Ed Schiff) and Aida (Nancy Lee Ryan). Scenic designer Bill Motyka, one of the Bickford’s unsung heroes, builds an authentic elongated living-room-dining room set that effectively suggests the kind of row house easily found in Sinatra’s hometown.

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Frank is the grumpy one who won’t stop driving, even though he keeps getting into fender-benders. Aida is the prototypical grandma who can cure anything with her cooking. She never graduated grammar school, Nick tells us in many direct chats with the audience, but give her some butter and flour and “she’s an Einstein.”

Nunzio (Jerry Marino) and Emma (Teri Sturtevant) are the more outgoing grandparents (“The loudest people I have ever known,” Nick claims). They’ve actually been to Atlantic City and summon the name of Mario Perillo like that of a patron saint. Older Jersey residents in particular will connect with this reference to Perillo, the longtime king of Italy tour packages, along with references to Grand Union and other familiar Jersey institutions.

The elders are in crisis because Nick has announced he’s moving to Seattle to accept a big promotion. They’ve yet to reconcile how the rest of their progeny, including Nick’s parents and sister, have moved out of state. They live by the old Italian adage, “tango familia,” which translates to “we have family,” yet means much more. But Nick, while loyal to these loving busybodies, wants to stake his own claim in life as well.

The belly laughs escalate when Aida and Emma hatch a plot to keep him home by setting him up with Caitlyn (Noreen Hughes), a lovely and eligible neighborhood girl. Despite Nick’s comically vocal protests, the hair-brained scheme almost works, but fails in a way you probably won’t see coming.

The laughs are broad, but just when you worry that the story is devolving into a cliché family sitcom, DiPietro adds some realistic drama that anchors the credibility and depth of his semibiographical tale. Not so much that he ruins the party, though. It’s a fun show from start to finish and has the kind of broad appeal that should attract a wide range of viewers.

The cast is strong, with Ryan leading the way, shuffling in and out with calorie-laden entrees and loving advice. Bernardi deftly handles his character’s tricky mix of deadpan humor and red-faced temper. Marino’s Jersey accent is a treasure, even by Jersey standards.

Schiff’s Santa-worthy white hair and beard are a bit distracting and Sturtevant is a little too shrill at times, but, like our own relations, we gradually look past their superficial imperfections and accept them as welcome family. And they all nail their funniest lines, which is what matters most.

Put all these strengths together and this is a production that could be enjoyed almost anywhere at any time. Here and now, it’s as welcome as a perfectly-roasted Butterball.

“Over The River and through the Woods” runs Nov. 17 to Dec. 4 at the Bickford Theatre, 6 Normandy Heights Road, Morris Township. Tickets are $20 to $40. For information, call 973-971-3706 or visit bickfordtheatre.org.

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