"I'm holding out for Pigs in a Blanket"
- Valentina Vitale

Reviewed by Diedre Kilgore

A joining of a union between Tony Nunzio and Valentina Vitale
Every Thursday through Saturday night at 7:00. The ceremony begins at St. Luke's Church, 308 West 46th Street

The Cast of that night: Joli Tribuzio, Johnny Tammaro (swing), Laura Escalante (swing), Scott Voloshin, Danielle Monteznos (swing), Craig Thomas Rivela, Amy Broder (swing), Deno Vourderis, Cindy Kostello (swing), Rhett Kalman, Daniella Gernoble (swing), Mark Nassar, Janine Molinari (swing), Joe Leone (swing), Abraham Sparer (swing), Henry Caplan, Susanna Hairy (swing), Danny Bruckert, Ernie Curcio, Matthew Knowland, Miriam Daly, Mike Lavelle, James Kluz and Sam Solovey (who recently guest starred in the Apprentice)

I had a little time to kill before meeting up to see Tony & Tina's Wedding with my fabulous clothing designer friend Eric Landgren, so I ducked into Pomaire, my favorite Chilean restaurant in Manhattan. Knowing I would be fed during the show, I opted to just nibble on a marvelous ceviche appetizer while sampling various South American cocktails. What.

Hunger pains at bay accompanied by a nice little buzz, I felt rejuvenated. I met Eric outside of St. Lukes Church where we were literally ushered inside. Unsure whether we should sit on the Groom or Bride's side, fortunately the usher realized that we were friends of the Bride, huh? We took our places and were immediately accosted by a nun with Touretes. Not the kind of Tourettes people constantly accuse ME of having, but the kind that makes one twitch uncontrollably. Eric and I loved this nun, but unfortunately, I didn't catch her name. Sorry about that, funniest nun in the world. You see, here's the thing. That night, there were about 10,000 understudies performing, and it was a little difficult for me to keep track of everyone, but I did my best. My apologies to anyone I may have left out. Understudy or not, they all did a fantastic job.

"But back up a minute", you might be saying to yourself, "I thought this show was cancelled?"

Well, it was, until Big Apple Entertainment got a hold of it and brought it back to life. Back by popular demand, the longest running show Off-Broadway, Tony & Tina's Wedding is here again, and for those of you finding yourselves in Las Vegas, it's running there too. So get out there and relish in the outlandish drama of an Italian wedding gone nutso (I learned all of my Italian American sayings from The Fonz).

Tony and Tina's Wedding was just recently made into a movie, starring Joseph McIntyre and Mila Kunis (That 70's Show) which screened this year at the Tribeca Film Festival. From what I understand, the film falls short in its attempt to re-create a story that was originally intended as an audience-interaction piece. I can understand why. The whole charm (and point) of watching Tony & Tina's Wedding is that you, as an audience member, are included in the festivities. You get to know the characters and they get to know you, and you don't really feel like you're watching a play as much as finding yourself thrown into the middle of a twilight zone that features an extremely trashy, bizarre Italian wedding.

There are two locations, when you go to see this show. The first is at St. Luke's Church, where the wedding takes place, then everyone parades a block down restaurant row with the cast to the reception hall located under Sophia's Restaurant. The journey alone between the two venues is loads of fun, especially while watching the reactions from the people on the street, who often times, seem to truly believe that we are a giant group of trashy wedding people. It's hilarious to watch the actors scream inappropriate things to the people on the street and witness the looks of disdain on the passersby's faces. It certainly puts you in a dimension outside of reality.

At the reception, the fourth wall becomes completely non-existent, melding dimensions, making you feel eerily comfortable yet a bit out of your skin at the same time. But just when Eric and I started to get a little edgy and confused, alcohol was served. What a great show! The characters not only include you in their worlds but will even lean over at times and tell you secrets. The production is truly an ensemble piece with a circus of activity and is therefore difficult to get the full experience of the show from only one viewing. From where I was sitting however, I was really taken with the bridesmaids, played by Danielle Montezinos, Laura Escalante and Amy Broder; one was very pregnant, one was a complete slut, and the other had a major attitude problem. Other standout performances included the father of the groom, played by Mark Nassarand who would blurt out offensive things at the most inappropriate times, accompanied by his sleazy girlfriend fabulously played by Janine Molinari, who kind of reminded me of a bizarre cross between Pat Benatar and Joan Jett. After having said this, depending on where you are, you get a completely different experience than the people sitting across the room from you. Not to mention that the majority of what you're seeing is improvised, so the vibe definitely changes with each production. At this reception, you not only get liquored up, you get fed. The food even tastes like wedding reception food. Eric was all about the pasta smothered in white sauce, until he saw an attractive man sitting at another table that forced him to have creative visions of other things one could smother in a white sauce. The whole experience was like an acid trip where you find yourself inside of an eerie cartoon, but at the same time, everything feels so very real.

Running Time: 2 hours 45 min - Price: $85 - $125
$125 VIP seating -- you will be seated in the best seats, and treated like family! 212-352-3101
 

Saint Luke's Church| 308 West 46th Street