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| GAY GUIDO GETS HITCHED: (left to right) Anthony J. Wilkinson, Reichen Lehmkuhl and cast in 'My Big Gay Italian Wedding'. Photo: Carol Rosegg |
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Theater
Review
My Big Gay Italian Wedding is silly, stereotypical fun
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By David NouNou
Weddings are supposed to be happy and fun events, and My Big Gay Italian Wedding is no exception. Granted, it is not your conventional wedding. Instead, the title says it all. However, it is the audience that gets to enjoy all the frenzy and mishaps that go terribly wrong in arranging a wedding. Although the characters are stereotypical, loud, over-the-top Italians, its heart and intentions are in the right place.
The premise is simple. Anthony (Anthony J. Wilkinson) informs his parents he wants to marry his boyfriend Andrew (Reichen Lehmkuhl). He wants his mother to give him away and his father to pay for the wedding. The wedding can take place on two conditions: the family priest must perform the ceremony, and Andrew’s mother must attend the ceremony. A preposterous idea, yes—but go with it. Furthermore, Anthony is a romantic Italian and Andrew is a gorgeous, promiscuous Polish hunk. Anthony has a large, loving family, while Andrew has a mother that lives in Florida and refuses to come to the wedding. Do complications arise? Most definitely. How can there be a wedding without complications?
Adding to the confusion is a flamboyant wedding planner, Maurizio Le Grande (Brett Douglas), giving a wonderful performance that lampoons every ridiculous, self-absorbed person with that vocation. The result is an evening of mirth and delight. I would be remiss not to mention that it is similar to the 2002 mega-hit film My Big Fat Greek Wedding; simply substitute Italians for Greeks in this instance, but it’s not as clever or original as that movie. However, the cast does its best to entertain, and as the audience, we vicariously enjoy it and fondly remember all the horribly tacky weddings we’ve attended.
(Editor's note: Daniel Robinson took over for Reichen Lehmkuhl on July 29, 2010.)
Published July 18, 2010
Reviewed at performance on July 17, 2010
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