Aldan’s Colonial Playhouse hosts Lorraine Ranalli’s ‘La Famiglia’
Media personality and author Lorraine Ranalli is releasing a new theatrical comedy. “La Famiglia” is a trilogy of one-act plays that Ranalli describes as moment-in-time scenarios based on her 2009 humorous narrative “Gravy Wars: South Philly Foods, Feuds & Attytudes.” Family dynamics and stereotypical Italian-American idiosyncrasies are brought to life through the fictional Scamorza family.
“La Famiglia” is a fastpaced, funny look into a family of highly-charged, strong yet loving personalities and their frequently outlandish behav ior.
“Peer in the window of most any family and you’ll recognize the Scamorzas right away. You may even recognize yourself,” Ranalli said. “It’s a fun-loving show to which everyone can relate. So many Gravy Wars readers told me that I had described their family to a T, that I was inspired to dramatize those relationships.”
Writing for the stage was not Ranalli’s original intention for Gravy Wars, but it turned out to be the obvious choice.
Two of the three acts that comprise La Famiglia enjoyed successful runs in 2009 and 2014 at Colonial Playhouse, an historic community theater in Aldan.
“The audience howled with laughter,” Ranalli said. “I knew I was on to something. Even the actors had a good time. It was universally funny.”
“La Famiglia’s” first act, Agita, is the depiction of a typical Sunday dinner gone awry when Nona, who claims to be suffering from multiple ailments, conveniently forgets her daughter offered to bring dinner. Son Vinny capitalizes on the mother-daughter cooking rivalry and taunts both while Grandpa referees. The mood shifts when grandson Petey arrives with a pot of gravy made by his Polish neighbor.
In Act II, Crepe Hangers, patriarch Sal tries to arrange a family intervention in the back of a church while Cecilia sits among strangers congregating to mourn the loss of their loved one. Daughter Gina thinks her mother is crying for attention but that doesn’t stop her from pursuing a possible romance with the deceased woman’s grandson. Nor do Cecilia’s antics prevent Sal from a little street betting on hallowed ground.
More cultural eccentricity crops up in Act III, Maloiks, Beware the Evil Eye. Gina doesn’t have just a migraine. Obviously, someone has put a curse on the family. Sal thinks it’s the unsavory character Gina used to date. He leads the family into general hysterics before a surprise visit from local policeman Sergeant Kelly halts the angst.
Ranalli has several more vignettes in the pipeline and plans to turn “La Famiglia” into a series. In the meantime, she is working with additional venues to run the current edition. Stay up-to-date by following Gravy Wars on Facebook or @LorraineRanalli on Twitter.