2006: What's Goin' On? by John Barresi

What's Goin' On? written and performed by John Barresi.  National Multicultural Festival at Tradesmen's Union Club, Dickson, February 13-15, 7.45 for 8pm start.  Bookings: 6162 5656

    Barresi's performance dominates as uncle (famous comedian), mother (deli-cafe owner), father (builder) and grandfather (escapee from the nursing home) of Luigi Lambrusco, overshadowing James Liotta (Luigi) and Michelle Galati as Karen Brown in this comedy of an Italian-Australian romance succeeding against all the traditional family objections.  I would like to see the script give the young lovers more to counterbalance the star's roles.

    Each of Barresi's characters are truly awful caricatures, played right over the top with sexual innuendo, Italian-English language jokes, exaggerated costumes, extreme stereotypes, and bodily movements no Anglo-Saxon could look at without shame.  The result is very funny, whatever your cultural background (to quote, "Ca-tholic, Muslimite or P...P...Prostitute"), though especially so for the Australians of Mediterranean background who were there on opening night at The Tradies.  Multiculturalism was the message on stage and was the order of the day among the audience.  With supper at interval, the show is a good community event for everyone.

    The Tradies are to be congratulated on sponsoring this show and providing a new venue for the National Multicultural Festival for the next three years.  It is a trial venture for the Club and, with a full house on opening and few tickets left for the season, should be a great success.  Though technician Tania Lentini had to contend with radio microphone problems on first night, these will be fixed with time, and the venue is intimate enough for voices to carry in any case.

    If Luigi and Karen were written as commedia dell'arte characters, the play would become more consistently funny - in the real Italian tradition.  The second half already points the way, as the audience reaction showed.  It's a good night out now, but it could be much better.

   
   
© Frank McKone, Canberra