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STC's 'In Piazza' a hilarious, hot-blooded good time

Sudbury Theatre Centre is going for laughs with its final mainstage production of the season. And In Piazza San Domenico , by Canadian playwright Steve Galluccio, is funny.
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STC's production of Steve Galluccio's "In Piazza San Domenico" is crowd-pleaser of a romantic farce. Photo by Arron Pickard
Sudbury Theatre Centre is going for laughs with its final mainstage production of the season.

And In Piazza San Domenico, by Canadian playwright Steve Galluccio, is funny. It’s not especially profound, poignant, thought-provoking, hard-hitting, or groundbreaking. It’s not meant to be. There’s a big audience eager for shows that are pure crowd-pleasers, and this is one of them.

Raised in Montreal’s Little Italy, Galluccio hit box office success in 2002 with Mambo Italiano, which was made into a movie, and also wrote the movie Surviving My Mother, as well as the TV series Ciao Bella

For In Piazza San Domenico, he draws on his Italian immigrant heritage again with a story of neighbourhood scandal set in Naples in 1952.

Carmelina has learned that her fiancé Guido has been seen publicly kissing Mafalda, a woman considered by the locals to have loose morals. At the news, Carmelina faints in the arms of married man Tonino, adding more fuel to the storm of gossip.

She not only breaks off the engagement, but sets out to get revenge on Guido by replacing him with Tonino’s brother, Severino.

Meanwhile, Tonino’s wife, Marisa, is on fire for the spurned Guido, and Carmelina’s widowed mother, Isabella, is being wooed by the local fig vendor Pasquale.

If that sounds confusing, don’t worry — it’s a tangled web that’s the perfect material for romantic farce, but it’s easy to follow.

While farce always requires a fast pace and exuberant performances, that goes double when all of the characters are hot-blooded Italians. Energetic hand gestures accompany every word of dialogue, and there’s no such thing as a quiet discussion.

In this production, authenticity is assured because all of the cast members apparently have Italian blood. Sudbury-area talent is particularly well-represented too — four of the actors are either Sudbury natives or now live here.

Actor/singer Alessandro Costantini is an audience favourite with his portrayal of the hopelessly geeky mama’s boy Severino. STC regular Ron Tough is endearing as the salt-of-the earth Pasquale, hoping for a chance at romance.

The object of his affection, Isabella, is played by Sandra Battaglini in one of the least frenetic yet most convincing performances, but every member of the cast does a great job, all while Geoffrey Dinwiddie’s terrific set, Brandon Kleiman’s 1950’s costumes, and Ben Whiteman’s soundtrack combine to transport the audience to a Naples that’s full of ageless appeal and small town charm.

Being Italian will help you understand the colourful insults flying through the air like gunfire, but you don’t need to be Italian to have a great time. Although you just might find yourself waving your hands a lot as you’re telling your friends about it.

In Piazza San Domenico runs at the Sudbury Theatre Centre through May 15. The box office number is 705-674-8381 x21 or go online to sudburytheatre.ca.

Scott Overton is the author of the thriller Dead Air. He writes theatre reviews for Northern Life.

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