WEATHERVANE COMMUNITY PLAYHOUSE What's behind scenes adds interest to play

It's a funny play with touching and tearful moments.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
AKRON -- Great plays seem to offer endless possibilities for fresh interpretations. One popular play in this region, "Over the River And Through The Woods," by Joe DiPietro, will once again come to life, this time at the Weathervane Community Playhouse.
The play is about two sets of grandparents from Hoboken, N.J., who get together for dinner with their grandson, Nick Cristano, every Sunday.
He is the last remaining relative who still lives near them, and when he tells them he has gotten a promotion and is moving to Seattle, they do everything in their power to stop him.
Timothy Champion, of Akron, is playing Frank Gianelli, Nick's maternal grandfather. He says that there is deeper meaning to their conflict than appears on the surface.
"It is very easy to interpret these characters as one-dimensional," said Champion. "Nick assumes his grandparents will be unhappy because he is leaving, and they don't want him to go. And that is their initial reaction. But the deeper meaning that unfolds is that the grandparents have lived a long time and don't want Nick to make the mistakes they made."
Even though there are touching and even tearful moments, this play is really very funny. Champion thinks director Nancy Cates of Kent has a talent for working with humor. "Nancy has a gift for focusing on the essential human situation, guiding the actors to play the comedy so it is natural," he said. "We become these people, and they are funny."
How play moves
Cates says she loves this play because it is charming, witty and classic. And the dialogue is very rapid. "When Nick tries to tell his grandparents he is moving, he gets the full assault from all fronts," Cates said. "Their distraction is so complete and overwhelming that he keeps being pulled into other conversations. I am thrilled to be working with six tremendously accomplished actors who understand the demands of timing and comedy."
And timing is a big issue. Aida, Nick's maternal grandmother, thinks food is the answer to everything, and much of the play takes place around the dinner table. "We have three scenes with serious eating," said Cates. "The first is when Nick enters to tell his grandparents the news that he is moving. They all insist on sitting down and having crumb cake. We tried numerous ways to do this scene, like bringing the cake out to slice on a platter with five plates, forks, napkins, but the dialogue was too rapid-fire. Then we tried pre-slicing it. We spent hours figuring out at what word each person would take a bite and swallow. When Nick finally tells them he is moving to Seattle, they all put their plates down, and the eating stops."
Another eating scene
The second major eating scene happens when Nick comes to dinner to find that the grandparents have invited Caitlin, in a matchmaking attempt. In this food-intense scene, Aida puts veal on Caitlin's plate, who is a vegetarian, Nick switches plates with her as she serves herself squash, Nunzio pours wine, Frank serves veal to himself and Nunzio's wife, Emma, amidst chaotic conversation. "We have to be very careful that nobody says a punchline while they're serving food, or it will distract," said Cates. "Everything is perfectly timed: serve here -- don't take a bite until here -- finish chewing here. Then, when Caitlin describes a special sandwich she makes using Italian bread, all the eating stops and the grandparents exclaim, 'Thank God,' 'This is the one,' She's our dream come true.'"
Cates said the food scene during the Trivial Pursuit game presented yet another problem. "They are eating cannoli -- crispy wrappers surrounding a cheesecake center," she said. "Scott Shriner, who plays Nick, is allergic to cheese, so we have to substitute whipped cream. The audience would never have any idea how much has gone into these rehearsals."
But Cates thinks this attention to detail and her experienced cast will make this performance very real and very funny. "It is tremendously fun to work with these pros," she said. "We're all on the same page and having a ball."
XLow-cost preview nights are Oct. 19-20 at 7:30. The play runs Fridays and Saturdays through Nov. 5 at 8 p.m., Thursdays at 7:30 through Nov. 3, and there are two Sunday matinees, Oct. 30 and Nov. 6, at 2:30. Call (330) 836-2626 for information or go to www.weathervaneplayhouse.com.