Mambo Italiano: A Review
It’s been a stage hit in Canada for years and even made into a somewhat weak film in 2003. The Uptown Players current rendition is a wonderful production of this great peek into Italian-Canadian (or is it Canadian-Italian?) culture with great performances, many laughs and more than a few moments of introspection.
What’s it like to grow up gay and Italian, with a hard-nosed, loud-mouthed Mama along with a father who thinks if he had pushed his son to play hockey as a child, he might have turned out straight? That’s just the beginning of this plot after we see that the son in question, Angelo, is living with his hunky Italian childhood friend Nino, and they’re more than roommates. Wait until Nino’s Mama finds out! That’s just the start of the fireworks cooked up by these dysfunctional families, along with a bimbo named Pina and Angelo’s sister who’s very close to being an alcoholic and pill-popper.
The acting performances were superb and the lighting and overall production were magnifico!
Mambo Italiano is playing through May 22nd at the Trinity River Arts Center, located at Stemmons Freeway and Motor.
Hurry! Tickets are going fast.
…why do i wonder if this play is any better than the usual gay ghetto circuit stuff…are you sure it’s not just for the queer crowd?
I guess that’s something you’d have to find out for yourself. The acting is above average, and the play has been around for quite a while, so they must be doing something right with crossover appeal.