Cheesier than a Chicago deep-dish, Mambo Italiano is serving up heaps of laughs at Dallas' Trinity River Arts Center. The production by the Uptown Players also introduces some tasty new talent. Steve Galluccio's two-act comedy is a noisy-but-nice little ethnic sitcom with a message of tolerance and acceptance.

In the Italian community of Montreal, young writer Angelo Barbieri (John de los Santos) lives with his lover, accountant Nino Paventi (Butch Anderson). Neither has come out to his parents, who still believe their sons will settle down with nice Italian girls.

When the men reveal their preferences, the rotini hits the fan. Angelo's mother, Maria, gestures so wildly she could be waving in 757s. But actress Rebekah Durk puts a twinkle in her eye and lots of heart under her roomy polyester dresses, particularly in scenes with Richard Zavaglia as her husband, Gino. As Nino's Sicilian mama, Lina, Cynthia Matthews struts and tosses her black hair with great comic menace. If Nino doesn't get through his gay "phase," this formidable widow might just fit him for a pair of concrete wingtips. Also stealing the show are Elise Reynard as Angelo's pill-gobbling sister Anna and Maria-Khristy Millares as Pina, an old high school pal of Nino's who is dying to dig her press-on claws into him.

De los Santos is as cute as cannoli as Angelo. Anderson, making his acting debut as Nino, drew gasps just for removing his T-shirt. There's nothing subtle about Mambo Italiano (My Big Fat Greek Wedding was Pinteresque in comparison), but director Andi Allen, a real pro with comedies, knows how to keep the laughs bubbling like a good Asti spumante.

There are some immediate differences between the film and the play. But the main problem is still there, and that is writing and focus. The comedy is funny and at times downright hysterical, but this makes it feel like an Italian TV comedy. But the dramatic scene work is much clearer and focused [in the play]. Here is where it truly felt honest, organic, and substantial.

This production superbly overrides the lackluster material to deliver a resounding success. The first element is Wade Giampa's scenic design, a hodgepodge of levels and various environments strewn all over the intimate space and it works with finesse. Andi Allen directs with lip smacking pace. The piece never loses its energetic pace, right down to the rapid scene changes. But she allows the dramatic moments to develop and gives them the organic freedom to sink into the heart of the characters. Allen and Giampa must have worked very closely on the scenic design because both director and designer allow the characters to glide with ease on the set.

As Angelo's parents, Richard Zavaglia and Rebekah Durk bring warmth, love, and hilarity as the Italian parents. Their chemistry is vividly strong as they play off each other like a true married couple. Durk does impressive work both in the comedic and dramatic scenes. The actress throws incongruous zingers like plates smashing against a wall. The characterization is close to being over the top, but she does rein it in. Her best scene comes at the cemetery. Here she drops all the big, broad gestures and voice, and simply allows her heart speak of the loss of a sister and her problematic relationship with her children.

Maria-Khristy Millares and Cynthia Matthews deliver highly enjoyable performances as well. Millares is "Pina Lunetti," a gorgeous Italian woman with hair piled so high it would make a Jersey girl envy her. She creates loud laughter with her comedic skills. Matthews is "Lina Paventi," Nino's mother and a major ball breaker. She constantly brought the house down with her hurricane comedic performance. Her facial expressions matched her comedic timing, pace, and delivery to create a snooty, noisy, arrogant woman who would run over a small child just to get the best parking spot at Lola Camanchii's beauty salon.

Butch Anderson is a tall drink of water as "Nino," a handsome, masculine man. Anderson's chemistry with John Del Los Santos (As Angelo) was perfection. Both actors had raw, erotic, sensual, and intense chemistry that made you blush. This chemistry was much more erotic and believable than some straight couples I've seen on stage. Anderson earns respect and dignity for portraying a gay male like a strong, masculine man instead of making him flamboyant.

Elise Reynard delivers a smashing performance as "Anna Barbieri," Angelo's sister, a woman who is drowning emotionally living with her parents and not having a boyfriend. Reynard gives Anna an endearing, loving quality that you fall for immediately. She dearly loves her brother, and it shows in abundance. While this character could have easily become caricature, Reynard steered away from this and created a heartwarming, glowing performance.

Which leaves us John De Los Santos as the central figure of the play, "Angelo Barbieri." This production marked his first lead and challenge to carry an entire play. He succeeded. Big time. De Los Santos wisely stayed away from creating a stereotypical gay man. Instead this actor went for a masculine, brave, conflicted human being - with all his emotional flaws. De Los Santos made Angelo real, charismatic, organic, and wonderfully personable. His comedic work was fresh, hilarious, and laced with even keel comedic timing, pace, and energy.

De Los Santos easily had the audience in the palm of his hands. He played off the energy and reactions of the Saturday evening audience like a pro. When he introduced his boyfriend (Anderson) to the audience, a male patron voiced his agreement quite loud. This did not frazzle De Los Santos, instead he let his facial expressions and a quick ad lib do all the work. His dramatic work was equally - if not more - impressive. His emotional, confrontational scenes involving his parents and his lover where gut wrenching. You honestly felt De Los Santos expose those dark, painful layers of deeply rooted pain and explode with rage and defiance. This actor bled emotionally, and you could see it to the very core of his characterization. At the end, De Los Santos has a dramatic monologue about being free of the secret that he's gay. As he delivers this difficult monologue, this young actor allows his face to flood with tears. You see his throat shake from those powerful sobs. You felt De Los Santos truly get into Angelo's heart; his endless tears streamed down his face as he opened his heart and soul. He is phenomenal in this role. De Los Santos has proved here that he can carry a show; he met the challenge and captured the gold. It was a resplendent performance that truly should be observed.

Even with a so-so feasible script, this production clearly soars over the laborious material. You have Andi Allen's smart, detailed direction, Wade Giampa's charming set (dressed nicely by props mistress Cathy O'Neal), Coy Covington's tasteful wig designs, and Andreas Hoffmann & Suzi Cranford Shankle's festive costumes. Then you have this tight, uproarious cast with all the above and you have an exceptional evening of theater

Mothers Milked
By Elaine Liner from The Dallas Observer

Mothers really take it in the aprons this week. In the regional premiere of campy comedy Mambo Italiano at the Uptown Players, they remember Mama not with flowers but with bouquets of blame. Mambo dances the tarantella on its two Italian matriarchs.

Besides Mambo's moms, there's also Angelo's pill-gobbling, cuticle-chewing younger sister Anna (the adorable Elise Reynard, doing her first big comedy turn on a local stage) and Nino's old high school friend Pina Luneti (Maria-Khristy Millares, hair piled into layers of brunet rotini). These ladies don't just shoplift little bits of the show, they steal the whole shebang. Millares is a Fran Drescher without the adenoidal screech. It takes a confident actress to strut onstage in a zebra-striped skintight jumpsuit. Brava, Miss Millares, for wearing that little mother with bitch-slappin' sass. (The costumes by Suzi Shankle and Andreas Hofmann deliver their own hilarious visual punch lines.)

Rebekah Durk as Maria has some of Shelley Winters' grumpy slouch, but she edits down her expressions to the tiny grimace, the impish twinkle and one gut-bustingly funny air kiss. Cynthia Matthews, chubby tootsies squeezed into tiny black pumps, could give Victoria Gotti a run as a scowling Sicilian madre trying to control her wayward son.

The other new chest, uh, face in this crowd is young Butch Anderson (what a name, marrone). In his first acting role ever, Anderson, a bulkier version of that sweet gardener on Desperate Housewives, doffs his white undershirt, baring a physique tighter than La Cosa Nostra, [and] all the good fellas in the audience (and the good ladies, too) let out audible sighs.

Directed by Andi Allen, one of the best around for knowing how to stage big comedies, Mambo Italiano had the opening-night audience at Uptown roaring and stomping with laughter. Part of Uptown's mission is to produce plays about the gay experience that promote a message of tolerance and understanding. These things eventually happen in Mambo, at least for one set of parents. Angelo's father just can't stop being a proud papa, even if that means bragging that "No one is gayer than-na my son!' There's a real sweetness to this silly comedy.

Sitcom Paradiso
Arnolde Wayne Jones - Dallas Voice

The Barbieri family is flamboyant, though not in a gay way. From Dad (Richard Zavaglia) to Mom (Rebekah Durk) to sis (Elise Reynard) to brother Angelo (John de los Santos), this is a coven of drama queens. So when Angelo finally 'fesses up that his "roommate," Nino (Butch Anderson), is actually his lover, there are tears and fainting spells, even an abortive attempt to cure him of this "phase." Nino, though, is happy being in the closet. So while they started off on the same square, it's clear this relationship won't end well.

The first half of "Mambo Italiano" is remarkably quick — a tight one-act play. But there's a second act to come, and this sweet and funny sprint becomes a marathon of mawkishness that waves the rainbow flag a little too much. It feels padded, with a predictable resolution. No matter — the goodwill buoys your spirits enough that it's impossible to bring you down. It's no real surprise that the Barbieris finally come around. "No one is gayer than my son!" Dad proudly proclaims in his polyester Sansabelt slacks. "He has a new boyfriend — gorgeous man." Such lines are calculated to elicit approving hoots, which the audience delivers almost reflexively.

The actors contribute substantially to its success. De los Santos' puppy-dog quality and Anderson's hunky awkwardness are both appealing. But the scene-stealers are the women. They are crowd-pleasing and over the top — just like the show itself.