Review: OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS a Sweet Look at the People You Can't Believe You're Related To

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS by Joe DiPietro, opened Off-Broadway in 1998 and ran for over 800 performances during the original two year run. Audiences may be more familiar with DiPietro as the author of the long-running musical revue I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change. It is easy to see why the show was a long running success. It is a script full of warmth, wit and familial truth that speaks directly to the generation gap experienced by Baby Boomers.

Nick (Jeff Davis) is a single, Italian-American New Jersey male. With his parents retired to Florida that leaves his grandparents as his only local family. In the classic Italian tradition, he spends ever Sunday with his grandparents for dinner. That routine is shattered when he tells them that he's been offered a dream job in Washington State. As expected, moving away from the family doesn't go over well. His grandparents can't fathom how he could betray the family to move to Seattle. Anyone of the Baby Boomer generation will recognize the reaction Nick gets from his grandparents. Frank (Bill Lotak), Aida (Kaye Thompson), Nunzio (Chuck Schlewatt) and Emma (Liz Stewart) embark on a series of schemes to give Nick a reason not to move that includes a blind "date" dinner with the single Caitlin O'Hare (Suzanne Alford).

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS is a sweet look at the things that are at the core of Italian family life: food and family. As the family's touchstone is the saying "Tengo Familia!" As the show progresses it becomes clear that these values are the traditional American family values of the generation of the grandparents and that what holds true for their family holds true for most families. You'll recognize and relate to the emotional core of this tale. The script also uses the device of breaking the fourth wall, where all the characters talk directly to the audience, much like in James Lapine's Table Settings.

Morgan Fogleman as director and scenic designer (along with Darrell Hutchinson and Bryn Rigby) has provided a lovely upscale New Jersey feel to the set and has pulled some utterly charming performances out of her cast.

Jeff Davis, as Nick, is so utterly charming that when his blind date calls him out for being rude to his grandparents we kind of think she's a bit harsh on him. Bill Lotak, Kaye Thompson, Chuck Schlewatt and Liz Stewart are, by turns, hilarious and heartbreaking as the grandparents. Suzanne Alford delivers a nice performance as the date. In all, the cast works well together as a unit and we feel a genuine sense of affection among these people.

In short, if you're looking for a sweet show that will make you feel warm and fuzzy then I can recommend OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS as the perfect solution.

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS by Joe DiPietro

Running time: Approximately Two Hours with one intermission

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS, produced by Sun City Theatre, in the Ballroom (2 Texas Drive, Sun City, Georgetown, TX) Runs through June11th, 2016. Performances at 7 pm. Tickets: www.sctexas.org or at the door. Tickets range $12-$14.

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