Sep 25 – Oct 12, 2019

Over the River and Through the Woods

A Comedy By Joe Dipietro
Directed By Jason Vikse

How far will family go to keep you close?

HEART-WARMING, FUNNY & TOUCHING
Young, carefree bachelor Nick lives the life of a modern professional in New York City, but dines with his traditional Italian grandparents in New Jersey every Sunday. When he announces career plans will take him to Seattle, they do everything they can to prevent the move… with comic consequences.

MATURE THEMES, MILD LANGUAGE

Langham Court Theatre kicks off its 91st season with Joe DiPietro’s Over the River and Through the Woods. This heart-warming family comedy tells the story of Nick (Liam McDonald), a young professional working in New York City, who visits his two sets of grandparents in New Jersey for dinner every Sunday. We get to follow the humorous, complicated, and relatable results as Nick announces to Frank (David Biltek), Aida (Pam Miller), Nunzio (Ira Shorr), and Emma (Angela Henry) that he plans to leave New York for a promotion across the country in Seattle. Among their many ploys to get him to stay is inviting the charming and charismatic Caitlin (Emily McFarland) to come over for dinner in hopes of setting her up with Nick. We watch as Nick and his grandparents work through the pros and cons of his big decision. In the words of director Jason Vikse, “This play is a wonderful way to welcome audiences to Langham for the 2019/2020 season. It is warm, hilarious, and accessible, but will still challenge the audience to engage and invest in the characters and their journeys.”

The main source of conflict, and comedy, in this show comes from the grandparents’ attempts to convince Nick to change his mind about taking the promotion. Within their various discussions, arguments, and lectures, some important themes emerge about traditional versus modern views on what is important in life. Through fast-paced and high energy dialogue we learn about the various characters and their opinions on family, love, stability, change, jobs, adventure, legacy, and of course (seemingly above all) food. Indeed, with many of the scenes centering around meal-time, the detailed discussion of different dishes and ingredients, as well as how to properly prepare them, takes up a huge amount of real estate in the script to great comedic effect.

This play is based on the Italian-American experience in New Jersey, but the complex dynamic between Nick and his grandparents is universally relatable. Everyone knows or can remember the feeling that one’s own good news is somebody else’s bad news. In tackling the placement of touching and sincere moments among the more boisterous comedic ones, Vikse identifies the importance of “finding the line between character and caricature. Some of the characters are introduced as stereotypical grandparents, playing on two-dimensional ideas of what an elder is to a family. The challenge, and fun, of the process has been finding what is real inside those stereotypes.”

Join us at Langham Court Theatre from September 25th until October 12th for this funny yet moving beginning to our season. This tight ensemble of six performers, working with a well-crafted script by DiPietro and strong, specific direction from Vikse, offers something for everyone. Folks from all different kinds of families and backgrounds will find many moments and characters to connect with over the course of this play.

Cast

Liam McDonald as Nick
David Biltek as Frank
Pam Miller as Aida
Ira Shorr as Nunzio
Angela Henry as Emma
Emily McFarland as Caitlin

Creative Team

Jason Vikse, Director
Gil Henry, Producer
Caitlin Dowe, Stage Manager
Steve Bourgon, Assistant Stage Manager
Lise Bourgon (Assistant Stage Manager
Jason Vikse, Set Design
Ann Harris, Set Décor
Jean de Cartier, Props
Carol-Anne Moore, Lighting Design
Jason King, Sound Design
Pearl Arden, Costume Design
Eli Bender, Mandolin Coach
Iris Bannerman, Accent Coach
Chris Clarke, Head Scenic Carpenter

Liam McDonald as Nick (Photo by Andrea Cross Photography)

Ira Shorr as Nunzio, Angela Henry as Emma, Liam McDonald as Nick, Pam Miller as Aida and David Biltek (Photo by Andrea Cross Photography)