Yes, its only Rapid City, South Dakota (Pop 60,000), Yes its only a Community Theatre Production, But it's about an Italian Family, and there is No Mobsters, and No Goombas, written by an Italian American, And the reviewer thought it was well-written, hilarious and poignant!

Maybe you Italian Americans in the Wisconsin, and Minnesota, may be interested in inviting the play over to your locale, as a fund raiser for Italian American Projects?
Fly over and take a look, its open until November 21th.

"Over the River and Through the Woods"
Written by Joe DiPietro
Directed by Angela McKie
And the Cast is:
Nick Cristano by Michael Dupre
Frank Gianelli by Dick Wilcox
Mrs. Ganelli by Melanie Wilcox
Emma Cristano by Marian Reed
Nunzio Cristano by H. Streeter Shining
Potential girlfriend, Caitlin by Tiffani Shoemaker Taylor

Two Comments: The Title needs some Italian Seasoning, and is the Author, Joe DiPietro the ONLY Italian in Rapid City??? Even the Reviewer remarked:"Early in
the show, I struggled to accept this group of people as Italian Americans..."
Wait a minute, let me think about what he meant by that.

Rapid City Journal
South Dakota
By Lynn Taylor Rick, Journal Staff Writer

RAPID CITY — When a play is as well-written and funny as "Over the River and Through the Woods," it's really hard to go wrong, and Black Hills Community Theatre does Joe DiPietro's hilarious and poignant show justice.

Directed by Angela McKie, "Over the River and Through the Woods" follows the often exasperating life of Nick Cristano, played by Michael Dupre, as he struggles to free himself from the Kevlar apron strings of his Italian American grandparents.

When the 29-year-old Nick informs his four grandparents that he plans to take a job in Seattle, far from their Brooklyn home, they put their heads together to find a way to keep him "where he belongs." They start their lovable conniving at the Sunday dinners that the dutiful grandson always attends.

And they start with perhaps the most obvious of ploys: a potential girlfriend.

But that is really where the obvious ends. Perhaps that is what makes this play so much more interesting than the average fare. It steps out of the formulaic storyline that usually ends with the all- too-obvious and a happily-ever-after. I liked it that "Over the River" took a realistic look at life, albeit in an over-the-top style.

Although there are plenty of sad, truly heartfelt moments, the show is rife with humor.

Leading the laughter pack is Dick Wilcox as Frank Gianelli. Not only does Wilcox get some of the best lines in the show, but he also delivers them wonderfully. He is such a real person on stage, and that's a pleasure to watch.

Melanie Wilcox, the real wife of Dick and the stage wife of Frank, pads to and fro as Aida, keeping the food coming. Always the nurturer, Aida begins nearly every meeting with the same comment: "You look hungry."

Together, the Wilcoxes provide some of the most authentic characters and accents in the pack.

Dupre allows his Nick to be both annoyed by and deeply attached to his grandparents, and Tiffani Shoemaker Taylor is both charming and sweet as the potential girlfriend, Caitlin.

Marian Reed and H. Streeter Shining as Emma and Nunzio Cristano provide the boisterous roles that every family must have and also provide the dramatic evolution of the play.

Early in the show, I struggled to accept this group of people as Italian Americans, but as the show progressed, that improved. As the characters' lives became more engrossing, the actors seemed to settle into their roles, and their ethnicity jelled.

As the holidays approach, audience members will likely see a bit of their own family in the Gianelli/ Cristano get-togethers. Who among us doesn't have a family member who uses food to start, end, smooth over and revive any and all conversations?

Who hasn't struggled through a conversation with family members who talk in a code all their own? Who hasn't blushed their way through the "remember when"

conversations that inevitably arise during family gatherings?

Although most of us are spared the family that Nick inherited, we can all relate on some level.

McKie has done a beautiful job, first in play choice, and then, in staging. The little things that don't work are quickly swallowed up by the many things that do.

If you're a person who loves smaller, intimate shows, "Over the River" is just the ticket. Expect to laugh a lot, cry a little and go to your next family get-together with a fresh set of eyes. While we all strive to find our own way, this little show reminds us that a connection to those who love us most is really such an important and primal need.

"Over the River and Through the Woods" continues through Nov. 21 at Dahl Arts Center. Call 394-1786 for more information or reservations.

Lynn Taylor Rick can be reached at lynn.taylorrick@rapidcityjournal.com or at 394-8414.

Rapid City Journal: Review: Community theater production goes beyond the average fare http://www.rapidcityjournal.com/articles
/2004/11/06/news/local/news06.txt