Sunday, June 15, 2014

Review: (Montreal / Theatre) My Big Gay Italian Wedding (Fringe)

My Big Fat Stereotypes
by MacRae Campbell

Anthony and Andrew are two men in love who want to get married and must run the gauntlet of Italian stereotypes and Gay stereotypes in this farce that tries to imitate the campy humour of My Big Fat Greek Wedding but doesn't do it very well. 

All the elements are here for some predictable fun; the overbearing Italian mother, the swishy, fuchsia-wigged wedding planner, the evil ex-boyfriend but the whole thing looked like a rehearsal and not showtime. For this production to work the energy has to be amped up and I just didn't feel it with the exception of Daniel Carter who was quite good as Anthony. He was also one of the few actors who did a credible Jersey accent - my grandmother was from New Jersey so I can tell.

Some of the jokes were lost on me because an actor didn't speak loud enough or mumbled and for such a large cast the staging was not very imaginative; too much standing in a long line and talking. The show I saw was amateurish and not ready but maybe with a few performances under their belt they will improve and be a show worth seeing.

June 14 - 22
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5 comments:

  1. UnknownJune 16, 2014 at 3:38 PM

    LOL The accent is Brooklyn-Italian-American as taught by the amazing and talented vocal coach Julia Lenardon; but then you can tell … LOL … The mother has it mastered as well as most of the cast. The directing and movement is brilliant and creative for such a small stage. But then I'm just basing that on the feedback we've had so far. As for the 1st opening night I agree 100% the cast was off due to major sound cue issues with our TD who didm"t understand hois P's & Q's but we did our best to compensate. 2nd show was better but still has a way to go agreed. Maybe this play is just too BIG to stage at the Fringe… we'll see tonight. GRAZIE for coming OUT!

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    Replies
    1. AnonymousJune 16, 2014 at 4:53 PM

      Responding defensively and passive-aggressively to a fair critique of your show?

      Way to go, Davyn.

      Delete
  2. AnonymousJune 17, 2014 at 9:52 AM

    Okay, the accent is Brooklyn-Italian-American and not Jersey - you got me. As for the directing and movement being brilliant and creative, no, it was not and yes, I can tell. Davyn, I hope you resolve your technical issues and best wishes for a good run but I could not recommend the show that I saw. Sorry. MacRae

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  3. Guy JanticJune 17, 2014 at 1:49 PM

    As someone who has put on three original plays at Fringe and produced them all, I applaud someone standing up for their show and their cast. Good for you Davyn! Many of the bloggers who review Fringe shows have as much knowledge about the given production and theatre in general, as the 17-year-old clerk bagging your groceries.

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  4. THE CHARLEBOIS POSTJune 17, 2014 at 3:03 PM

    Guy

    Yup, many bloggers do, but MacRae Campbell is not one of them. He has been reviewing Fringe here and at the Gazette, as most of the CharPo reviewers have. All in CharPo Montreal have extensive reviewing backgrounds.

    Gaëtan Charlebois

    ReplyDelete

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