COOKING WITH THE CALAMARI SISTERS Continues at Society Hill Playhouse thru Dec 2

A new smash hit in Philadelphia, the hysterical all-singing, all-dancing, all-cooking hit musical "Cooking With The Calamari Sisters," currently playing at the Society Hill Playhouse, has been extended through Sunday, Dec. 2.

Tickets at $45 may be purchased at www.comcasttix.com or at the Society Hill Playhouse box office (215-923-0210), 507 South Eighth Street, Philadelphia. Group tickets can be purchased by calling 215-923-0211.

Performances include: Wednesday and Thursday evenings at 7:00 pm; Friday and Saturday evenings at 8:00 pm; Saturday and Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm. The matinee performance on Sunday, Nov. 25 will begin at 1:00 pm.

An additional holiday matinee performance is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 23 at 2:00 pm. No performances are scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 21, Thursday, Nov. 22 (Thanksgiving Day) and Wednesday, Nov. 28. For further ticket and show information visit: www.societyhillplayhouse.org.

Starring the zany and incredible Delphine and Carmela Calamari (see complete bios below), hilarity ensues when the wide-waisted siblings --- the darlings of Brooklyn's cable access TV station, WFAT --- tape the final broadcast of their popular cooking show "Mangia Italiano." Audiences join in the fun onstage, while the sisters sing, dance and cook to favorite Italian tunes such as "Que Sera Sera," "Volare," "That's Amore," "Come-On-A-My-House," and "Mambo Italiano."

Produced by New York based Squid Ink/Lively Arts Productions, "Cooking With The Calamari Sisters" was conceived and created by Jay Falzone, Dan Lavender and Stephen Smith. The trio have also produced and created two other "Calamari Sisters" episodes including "Christmas With The Calamari Sisters," and "The Calamari Sisters' Big, Fat Italian Wedding." For further information, visit www.thecalamarisisters.com.

CARMELA CALAMARI was born in Bay Ridge, NY, the lightest daughter of Rocco and Vittoria Calamari, weighing 15 pounds at birth. Carmela began turning heads with her cooking from a very young age, combining a lemonade stand with a kissing booth at the age of eight. After being promptly shut down by her uncle, and several of her customers mysteriously disappearing, she turned her attention to more conventional outlets and began competing in the Bay Ridge pageant circuit. While qualified, Carmela was crowned Miss Salami of Bay Ridge, first runner-up Miss Wooden Spoon of Bay Ridge, and Miss Congeniality for Miss Stuck Pig of Bay Ridge; always wowing the crowd with some extraordinary new and unusual talent. It was while competing for the famous Miss Macaroni of Greater Brooklyn that Carmela was allegedly caught feeding one of the judges minestrone soup out of her Gucci knock-off pump. Although never conclusively proven, she was disqualified from any and all future Italian pageants in all five boroughs. Never one to accept defeat, Carmela dove into helping her sister, Delphine, and their grandmother cater events at the Rigatoni Lodge, becoming the fastest cake frost-er in all of Brooklyn. In addition, she became the darling of the St. Lady of the Divine Pain High School's Drama Club, playing such roles as Effie in Dreamgirls, Eliza DooLittle in My Fairy Lady, and Mary in The Secret Garden. After graduation, Carmela pursued her dream of a life in the show biz. She came close to her big break when she was cast as Kathy Bates butt double, but the MPAA deemed the scene "of questionable taste," and Carmela's film debut was never seen. However, when her sister, Delphine, suggested they start a singing-dancing-cooking business together, Carmela knew it was the perfect marriage of her two favorite things: cooking and performing, and so Calamari Sisters' Catering Company was born. Achieving neighborhood attention for their unusual catering style incorporating song-and-dance routines, she always knew that she needed a medium that would allow more people to experience her unique caliber of entertainment. Public access cable was the answer!!

She became the star of MANGIA ITALIANO! Carmela wishes to thank her Uncle JoJo for never making good on his bets, and her devoted fans for their countless letters, pictures (both G-rated and otherwise), and articles of clothing (both laundered and otherwise) the past four years. Carmela wishes to leave you with a quote: "Dreams are like butterflies. Don't let them go 'cause they won't come back. So hold onto them tight even if kills the butterfly."

DELPHINE CALAMARI was born in Bay Ridge, NY, the eldest daughter of Rocco and Vittoria Calamari. By age seven, she was assisting her grandmother in catering every major event at the legendary Rigatoni Lodge of the Brooklyn Federation of Italian-American Societies. Her love for meat began soon there after, and within a few years she was known throughout the borough as "that Italian girl that can tell you which butcher a sausage comes from with her eyes closed." By the time Delphine was a young woman, it was widely believed that unless you served Delphine's meatballs at your wedding reception, your marriage would be doomed and you would never conceive a son to carry on your family name. In addition to cooking, Delphine has always been interested in the arts, singing countless duets with her sister, Carmela, at St. Lawrence of the Roasted Martyrs Church and Convent. Their nativity of cold meats and dairy was always a huge crowd pleaser at Christmastime. Also, as a young girl, Delphine attended Miss FloFlo's School of Dance for Bigger Girls, where she excelled until she was asked to leave due to an unfortunate fight with a fellow dancer, Tula Mercantelli, over a piece of Easter pie. Today, Tula is carrying her third illegitimate child by a third father, and it serves her right. Undaunted, Delphine was Founder and President of the Pasta and Meat Club at St. Lady of the Divine Pain High School, as well as unofficial Cookie Maker for the Drama Club, where she also landed such roles as Nurse Flinn in One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest, the Kit Kat Club Janitor in Cabaret, and Rusty Charlie in Guys And Dolls. Upon graduating, she attended DeVry University for a year and a half, but soon teamed with her sister, Carmela, and founded the borough-famous Calamari Sisters' Catering Company. They became well-known for their song-and-dance-and-cooking routines, being hired by such notable public figures as Ed Koch, Hoda Kotb, and Nancy Harrigan. Knowing that the next natural step for them was television, when the opportunity presented itself, they grabbed it. Four years ago, their Uncle JoJo accidentally went swimming without taking off his cement block, and left them a large inheritance, which they used to finance their public access cable TV show, MANGIA ITALIANO. Delphine wishes to thank her family for all of their support (except her Aunt Viola, go to hell), especially Uncle Geno for being in the right place at the right time when this kitchen set fell off the back of that truck! Delphine sends much love to all of her fans, and invites them to mangia, MANGIA!

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