The Family Fiorelli

Friends of mine had opined that this year's NYMF festival had shows with less gripping concepts than last's - where is the Oedipus for Kids? The [title of show]? The Family Fiorelli had that problem for me, and if it wasn't one of the very few shows I was given tickets to, I wouldn't have sought it out. Which would have meant missing one of my favorite shows of the festival so far - go figure.

The Family Fiorelli consists of a stereotypical Italian grandfather, the husband who spends all his time working at the winery, the wife having an affair with a priest, the son with cerebral palsy who's learning karate, the 9-year-old wine savant and the pregnant lesbian sister. They've tried to market it on the craziness of this group of characters, but the stories are much more human than that. While on paper the characters sounds bizarre, its their very quirks that make them so real and sympathetic on stage. If my life had to be summed up with a pithy phrase, I'm sure I'd sound insane too.

The ensemble of actors all play their roles with heart and honesty, but the two that really stood out where Harrsion Chad (who'd make a cracking Evan if they decide Ricky Ashley looks too old to star in 13, though I suppose Chad doesn't look any younger) and Sy Adamowsky, possibly the most talented child I've ever seen on stage. With a gorgeous clear voice, he never relies on acting cute to get the laugh, and his poignant act one finale "A Prayer to St Jude" is a gentle but perfect way to be sent to intermission.

The score is a strange mix of 80s power ballads and traditional musical theater songs, but it works, and provides multiple opportunities for what a show like this needs - extreme emotion let out through music. Several times characters are singing the same song and words with entirely different context - "So Close," for example, is a duet between husband and wife, with the wife opining about how close the two of them used to be and the husband singing about being so close to success. "I Am Delivered Too," a song after the lesbian lovers' baby has been born had me cringing in its early bars at the very concept, but close to tears by the end of Daria Hardeman's powerful delivery. (Ooh. Pun. Sorry. That was really, really bad.) Other songs allow for the adult men to showcase their strong tenors, and "Turn the Other Cheek" is a hilarious trio in which the three men talk about all the people who's asses they want to kick. An immature reaction to events, for sure, but one that's thoroughly real.

I hope that others didn't have the same reaction to Fiorelli's marketing that I did - and from the way it's selling it looks like they didn't. Regardless, there are still tickets to the Friday, October 5th performance - I suggest you buy them.