Family takes center stage

The TNT cast does a superb job in this humorous and heartwarming play.
By L. CROW
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
The generation gap has been an age-old cause for exasperation for most people at some point in their life. Whether we are the young up-and-coming, who can't understand why the older generation is so set in their ways, or we are the mature folks, who have spent a lifetime acquiring wisdom, and see the younger set as foolhardy, we know that our view is right, and sometimes go through great means to prove it.
The walls of Trumbull New Theatre in Niles are ringing with laughter, as the company presents a very funny, witty and honest look at the generation gap in "Over The River And Through The Woods." The script, by Joe DiPietro, is well-written and the cast is marvelous. Everything works.
The story revolves around two sets of Italian grandparents in Hoboken, N.J., who go to great lengths to keep their grandson, Nick Christano (Geno Blair), from moving to Seattle. He is the last remaining nearby relative, but also represents the last vestige of traditional family. The great humor is in the quick-moving dialogue as they meddle and connive to keep Nick close by. The underlying message, however, is the changing role of family.
The setting
The play is set in the home of Nick's maternal grandparents, Frank and Aida Gianella (Tim McGinley and Deb Nuhfer), where they all gather for dinner every Sunday. Nick desperately tries to tell them the news: He has gotten a promotion and will be moving. But he can't get a word in edgewise, as they fuss and interrupt, filling the room with unimportant chatter. In turn, each person steps apart into the spotlight, as we begin to understand what makes them tick.
Aida cooks. Her solution to every problem is food, and everyone who walks into her home "looks hungry." She is aghast that Nick has eaten Chinese food. She married Frank because he was the first man to look at her and promised to build her their beautiful home.
Frank is the quiet one, spending most of his time in a chair, but when he does speak, his words are often sarcastic. His whole life purpose has been taking care of his family. His father pushed him onto a boat to America when he was just 14. He tells about buying a 1923 DeSoto, which symbolized his ability to care for his family. And he laments that his only great-grandson, who lives in San Diego, doesn't even know him.
Nick describes his paternal grandparents, Nunzio and Emma (Tom Jones and Donnajean Palmer), as "the loudest people I ever met." Nunzio worked at Ford Motor Co. all his life. He says he got the job because he lied and said he was Irish. He is cantankerous, and makes up stories.
Emma thinks that Mass cards are the answer to everything. She is constantly having Masses said for Nick in the hopes he will find a wife. She tries to hook him up with a pretty, young friend, Caitlin (Maria Wright), a vegetarian, which the old folks think is an animal nurse.
Finding his place
Through all of this, Nick struggles to find himself, oscillating between the old family values and what is actually important in his life. He asks the audience, "How did I come from these people?" and tells Caitlin that he is really, really normal away from his family.
But in Act 2, he finally catches a glimpse of what they were like in their youth. He sees the passion that still exists between Nunzio and Emma. He sees Frank and Aida kissing. And he comes to terms with who he is and what will make him happy.
This play is a winner that brings lots of laughs and a couple tears. It runs Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m., and closes with a Sunday matinee Sept. 25 at 3 p.m.