Texas Triangle Review of Over the River

From left to right:
Heather Child, Ada Lynn,
Barbara Bierbrier and Hugh Feagin in
Over the River and Through the Woods

Photo by Rose Pearson

Review:
Circle’s Show Not "Over"
August 29, 2002
By Steven Alan McGaw
Texas Triangle

FT. WORTH- Theatre-goers in search of an entertaining evening have until September 21 to catch Circle Theatre's enjoyable Over the River and Through the Woods. Audiences are responding heartily to playwright Joe DiPietro's tale of a young man's wrestling with questions of personal fulfillment versus family obligations, and the script's mix of humor and genuine drama is a good fit for a summer night's viewing.

Charming Ric Leal heads the cast as Nick Cristano, a 29-year-old Italian-American working in Manhattan, and spending every Sunday afternoon with his grandparents just outside the City. Dinner is staged at the home of Frank and Aida (Richard Zavaglia, Ada Lynn), his maternal grandparents, but his father's folks, Nunzio and Emma (Hugh Feagin, Barbara Bierbrier) live but a few doors down. In servings as large as the ravioli come advice and questions, usually focused on Nick's lovelife, or lack thereof. Nick is also reminded frequently that he alone has stayed close to home; his folks have moved to Florida, and his sister is relocated to San Diego.

And there's the rub. When Nick announces he's just received a hefty new job offer in Seattle, the grandparents mobilize all efforts to get him to stay, from matchmaking to industrial-size loads of guilt. What's a boy to do, in the face of such pressure from la familia? His dilemma makes for drama at once amusing and poignant.

Though many moments elicited loud laughter from the ample audience, this critic thought the show was best in its quieter moments. DiPietro's script is not always subtle, and some performances seemed a tad overdrawn, but each performer also found moments to display real humanity. It is surely thanks to director Rene Moreno's meticulous work that the warmth and universality of the play remain in focus, rather than just a broadly played serving of faux Neil Simon-with marinara sauce. In particular, Feagin handles the revelation of his character with restraint and dignity, and Zavaglia has his best moment in a quiet musing on his own father. Heather Child, as a woman the folks try to fix up with Nick, is breezily charming, yet grounded in an earthy way that Nick finds at once odd and appealing. At the center of the show is Leal, who navigates his character's changes well, if at times seeming a little forced.

Circle's founder and Executive Director Rose Pearson wishes to remind everyone of the All-Star Bowling Party, hosted by the Live Theatre League of Tarrant County, coming up on Monday, August 26. A laughably low prices of five bucks at the door of Don Carter's All-Star Lanes entitles one to a burger-and-fries dinner and access to those oh-so-fashionable bowling shoes. Bowling lanes are "pay what you can" and a cash bar and pool tables are also available. Besides fun, the gathering raises a little money for the League, and allows Tarrant theatre folk to mingle, gossip and, oh yeah, network.

Info: 817-877-3040