OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS Comes to ActorsNET This Month

ActorsNET will continue its 27th season with OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS by Joe DiPietro, a charming and funny play set over the river in New Jersey where an Italian immigrant family experiences deep familial love and the inevitable little heartbreaks that occur as time passes and children grow. The show opens on March 8th and runs through March 24th. 

Nick (Thomas Wick) is a single, Italian American guy whose parents retired and moved from New Jersey to Florida. That doesn’t mean his family isn’t still in Jersey. In fact, Nick sees both sets of his grandparents every Sunday for dinner. This is routine until he has to tell them that he’s been offered a dream job. The job he’s been waiting for—marketing executive—would take him away from his beloved, but annoying, grandparents. He tells them. The news doesn’t sit so well. Thus begins a series of schemes to keep Nick around. How could he betray his family’s love to move to Seattle, for a job, wonder his grandparents? Well, Frank (Barney Stone), Aida (Bonnie Kapenstein), Nunzio (Tom Hawe) and Emma (Mary Menna) do their level best, and that includes bringing to dinner the lovely—and single—Caitlin O’Hare (Sarah Jane Zawodniak) as bait…we won’t give the ending away here.

“The play addresses the challenges of balancing cultural traditions, family bonds, and the pursuit of personal dreams,” says director David Deratzian. “With humor, warmth, and poignant moments, OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS beautifully captures the essence of familial love, cultural heritage, and the enduring strength of intergenerational connections.”

The show’s producer Maryalice Rubins-Topoleski adds: "This comedy stands out as a great American classic for its universal family message and genuine, relatable characters. The grandparents portrayed could easily resemble anyone's own, making them all the more humorous as we recognize traits in people we know.”

OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS is directed by David Deratzian. The show stars Thomas Wick as Nick Cristiano, Barney Stone as Frank Gianelli, Bonnie Kapenstein as Aida Gianelli, Tom Hawe as Nunzio Cristiano, Mary Menna as Emma Cristiano, and Sarah Jane Zawodniak as Caitlin O’Hare.  The play is produced by Maryalice Rubins-Topoleski, and stage managed by Karolina Matyka. 

The Heritage Center Theatre is located at 635 North Delmorr Avenue, Morrisville – near the Calhoun Street Bridge.  Show times are Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 2 p.m.  There will be a special Saturday matinee at 2:00 p.m. on March 23, in addition to the regularly scheduled evening performance. Doors open one half hour before show time. OVER THE RIVER AND THROUGH THE WOODS is presented by special arrangement with Broadway Licensing, LLC, servicing the Dramatists Play Service collection. (www.dramatists.com) 

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