As a devout fan of Hallmark Christmas movies, I also fully recognize how ridiculous they are. They’re far too perfect, the problems not messy enough, the plots too predictable. That’s what I love about them, to be honest. In my house, we even play Hallmark movie bingo, where the spaces contain tropes such as “Main character from big city winds up in small town,” “Town hosts a tree lighting” or “Community saves a small business.”
But a real-life Christmas bingo would say things like, “Disappointing meal,” “Embarrassing relative,” “Someone cries,” or “Stupid argument breaks out.” In fact, if you took that same bingo card to Good Luck Macbeth Theatre in Midtown and caught its holiday production, My Big Gay Italian Christmas, you could mark all those spaces within minutes. The play—the fourth installment in Anthony Wilkinson’s My Big Gay Italian series—was based loosely on Wilkinson’s own experience as a gay man going home to his often-frustrating Italian family for the holidays. It captures all the features of a family Christmas that we love—and love to hate—from political arguments to meddling relatives, emotional outbursts, and that one recipe that gets trotted out every year, whether anyone wants it or not.
Though it’s a follow-up to three other plays, Wilkinson has said that each installment can stand on its own, and, based on my viewing of GLM’s media preview, I agree. I would never have known others existed—although now I love the characters so much, I will definitely want to see the other plays, too.
Set in 2018, this show takes place in the home of the Pinnunziato family in New York during a freak Christmas blizzard. Our main character, Anthony (played by Michael Davanzo), arrives wearing a tacky Christmas sweater, just in time to celebrate Christmas with his ma—Angela (Holly Lorgé), a stereotypically loud, emotional Italian mother—before the roads close. Anthony’s eight-month-pregnant sister, Maria (Tullia Rosa); their five-times-married, leather-pants-wearing Aunt Toniann (Darcy Harter); and their heavily made up, fad-dieting Aunt Josephine (Robin Soli) arrive soon after, and all four women are bursting with excitement over the impending arrival of Anthony’s new boyfriend, the handsome doctor Victorio Buccatini (Thomas Rao).
Despite the family’s progressiveness in accepting Anthony’s homosexuality, plenty of conservative values are immediately apparent in this family: a religious sort of worship of President Trump, desperation to marry off grown children to fellow Italians, and performative Catholicism. At first, the atmosphere is jovial, with a little good-natured ribbing and fawning over Victorio between cocktail sips. But as the storm outside becomes more ferocious, so does the temperature indoors. There are shameful secrets, a bisexual love triangle, surprise visitors, political arguments, tears, screams, uneaten lasagna … you know, all the messy stuff that comes with a real family Christmas. At least this version is funny.
In fact, the show maintains a sitcom vibe, from a steady diet of laughs at each other’s expense to bawdy jokes and physical comedy from a team of actors who can make a meal of eye rolls, martini sips, and signs of the cross. Set design and direction from McCarren Caputa and Brandon Collins even help establish a TV set atmosphere that plays right to a studio audience.
Speaking of physical comedy, Davanzo, Lorgé, and Soli are brilliant at giving their Italian stereotypes depth and lovability, while Harter’s portrayal of Toniann makes her the cool, racy aunt I only wish I could visit at Christmas. Thanks to dialect coaching from Rosie Brownlow, the actors’ Brooklyn accents add to the fun of the dialogue as the loud Italian family bickers.
So, if you’re looking for a Christmas show that calls ’em like it sees ’em—with complaining instead of caroling and more jangled nerves than jingle bells—this is the one for you.
Good Luck Macbeth Theatre Co., 124 W. Taylor St., in Reno, presents My Big Gay Italian Christmas at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 4-6,11-13 and 19-20 and at 2 p.m. on Dec.7, 14 and 21. Tickets are $28 for general seating, $38 for VIP seating, $23 for seniors and military members and $15 for students. For tickets and information, visit www.goodluckmacbeth.org.