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Weddings, Family, and Other Problems in “Damn Those Wedding Bells!”

 

Weddings and chaos seem to go together in the movies and theatre. Why not? It makes for fun drama as family and friends scramble to get the big day just right. The stress and excitement makes people do and say crazy things; things that should have been said a long time ago.

“Damn Those Wedding Bells!”, now showing at the Leonardo da Vinci Centre, is a roller-coaster ride of heart, chaos, and hilarity. It is the story about a family in the final week of preparation for the wedding of the daughter Connie (Christina Filippidis). The upcoming nuptial is a backdrop for the main conflict: the eldest son, Anthony (Tony Calabretta), still lives at home with no ambition, no prospects, and, worst of all, no relationship. This drives his loving but meddling widowed mother, Nunziata (a splendid Mary Long) to utter distraction. She tries to arrange blind dates for him with her friends’ daughters with no success. Her own mother, Lilly (Dawn Ford), counsels her not to interfere. But Nunziata cannot help it.

Tony’s serial dater brother Frank (Guido Cocomello) and their incredibly neurotic friend David (Shawn Campbell) try to coax him out and socialize. But Tony is seemingly content to just stay home. Then he meets Angela (a wonderful and elegant Eleanor Noble) and suddenly he is moved to action. This leads to mixed messages and hysterical attempts to break away from the familiar.

But as Nunziata’s match making plans go ridiculously awry, long simmering pain and anger comes to the surface. Tony’s apathetic demeanour reveals a sad and lonely man who is torn between moving on with his life and being the man of the family. The pathos brings depth to this tender and very funny family story.

The performances are wonderful all around. Mr. Calabretta shows his natural talent for comedy and how pain can fuel it. Mr. Cocomello is very good as the attractive brother who can’t commit; Ms. Filippidis is also great as the emotionally frazzled bride; Ms. Ford is sharp and charming. Mr. Campbell is hilarious and marvellously over the top without overtaking the scene. Ariane Castellanos brings edgy sexiness to the demanding blind date Rosa.

The set is Nunziata’s apartment with the kitchen and living room sharing an open space. This allows for lots of physical comedy, easy scene changes and for the action to move smoothly.

Leaving home can be daunting. But it helps when love, family, and friends are there as the safety net.

Photo credit: Antonio DiVerdis

“Damn Those Wedding Bells!”: Presented by Leonardo da Vinci Centre and Pellegrini Productions. Directed by Antonio DiVerdis. Written by Tony Calabretta. Show continues until September 25, 2016 at Leonardo da Vinci Centre, 8370 Boul. Lacordaire, St. Leonard. Tickets $50.50 to $40.50. Call the box office at 514-955-8370 or go to www.centreleonardodavinci.com

2 Replies to “Weddings, Family, and Other Problems in “Damn Those Wedding Bells!”

  1. Hi Yolande… I was trying to locate a review you wrote for my previous play entitled ‘Don’t Blame it on the Stork’ in September of 2015. Unfortunately, it is not available on your website. Is there anyway I can obtain a copy for my records?

    Thanks for your help.

    1. Hi Tony,
      I’m sorry for the delay in replying to your request. I did not review “Don’t Blame it on the Stork”. I am not sure who reviewed it. This was before I started writing for Curtains Up. I will see what I can find.
      All the best,
      Yolande Ramsay

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