
Fri 3/4/2011
"Guido Monologues" Off-Off Broadway
Play Not "Jersey Shore", But Still Crap
Director Joseph
Mileto referring to "guido." "To me, it's not a bad word. It's
a culture," he said. "It's having fun, having a nice car, being a fun-loving
type of person. That's Laughable !!!!!! The Definition
of "CULTURE is: the quality in a person or society that arises from a concern
for what is regarded as excellent in arts, letters, manners, scholarly
pursuits, etc. Guidos are Anti- Culture, especially Anti
Intellect
Yes, it is also used to describe
the behaviors and beliefs characteristic of a particular social, ethnic,
or age group, such as : the youth culture; the drug culture. the binge
culture .
Mileto says: I don't find it to be
ANY type of ethnic stereotype."Right, No Ethnic Stereotype, I hear people
calling each other "Guido" in Black, Latino, and Jewish Neighborhoods ALL
the time. LOL.
This play deserves NO PUBLIC Attention
from the Italian American Community, for fear of giving it Free Advertising
and Controversy.
However it would be wise to embark
on an "underground" boycott and attack, "Guerilla warfare". We can't win
Conventional warfare.
'Guido Monologues' doesn't
visit Jersey Shore territory, says off-off Broadway play's director
DAILY NEWS; By Tanyanika Samuels;;
Friday, March 4th 2011
The play might be "Guido Monologues,"
but director Joseph Mileto says don't expect two hours of fist pumping
and drunken brawls.
"We're so much more than 'Jersey Shore,'"
said Mileto, referring to the popular MTV reality show that has incensed
some Italian-Americans.
Instead, "Guido Monologues: Evolution
of the Italian American," is about growing up in a vibrant culture, he
said.
"We reminisce about a time when kids
rode their bikes, when families sat down together, when people really enjoyed
each other," said Mileto in a thick Bronx accent. "God, that world seems
so far away."
The play will be performed from March
8-13 at The Producers Club Theatre on W. 44th St. in Manhattan.
Mileto, who grew up in Pelham Bay,
doesn't flinch at the term "guido."
"To me, it's not a bad word. It's
a culture," he said. "It's having fun, having a nice car, being a fun-loving
type of person. I don't find it to be any type of ethnic stereotype."
The play unfolds in six monologues,
heavy on Bronx references. The characters muse about their heydays, from
the 1970s to the present.
Actor Robert Gadero, 47, of Pelham
Bay, plays "Benny," who grew up in the 1980s, comparing his family to the
ones on television.
Benny delivers lines like "on 'The
Brady Bunch,' they send the kids to bed with no dessert. No Italian mother
would ever starve their child of food. He could pull off a homicide and
she'd come to court with two cannolis."
Gadero said he sees some of his own
childhood in his character's memories.
"I can definitely connect with being
able to go outside and play for hours without ever once saying, 'I'm bored,'"
he said.
Actor Robert Mark, 31, of Throgs Neck,
thinks the audience will be able to relate because the "writing is real."
The challenge, he said, comes in tackling the character alone.
"It's very different being on stage
by yourself," he said. "You have to keep the audience captivated for however
long you're up there."
Mark plays "Bobby," a city kid who
gets uprooted to the suburbs.
"Bobby likes to have a good time;
he's the life of the party," said Mark, an imposing figure who, like his
character, comes across as a teddy bear. "He's [comedians] Chris Farley
and John Belushi, but in guido form."
Creator of the off-off Broadway play
"Pasta & Pigskin," and "The Can'noli Happen" skits, Mileto hopes his
latest effort also gets his audience thinking about modern "conveniences"
like Facebook and smartphones that keep us from truly connecting with each
other.
It's time, he said, to return to the
good old days.
"Are we going to get your attention
with the title? Yes. But if you're an Italian-American who's offended by
'Jersey Shore,' just give us a chance," Mileto said. "We guarantee you're
going to walk out of there with a big sense of pride."
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