Reviews

My Big Gay Italian Wedding

When Anthony (Daniel Joseph Serra) announces to his totally over the top Brooklyn Italian family that he intends to marry boyfriend Andrew (David O’Mahony), his devoutly Catholic parents decide everything will be fine so long as the wedding is done “properly”, the family priest conducts the service and Andrew’s Polish mother signs off.

And so begins Anthony J Wilkinson‘s Big Gay Italian Wedding, a farce which the company play big, shouty and entirely for laughs. The script is high camp and low in any type of logic or consistency. It plays on every gay stereotype you can think of – all of which has the audience in hysterics.

Although the rest of the cast walk a fine line and could easily become totally ludicrous, wedding planner Andrew Bennett appears to have been given carte blanche by director Paul Taylor-Mills and goes at it with gusto. The six-strong group of “lesbians” make for an interestingly consistent cat fight, clad head to heels in red, white and green.

Big hair and bare chests are the name of the game in this crowd-pleaser, and although Serra and others occasionally need to slow their deliveries, Damien Tracey deserves special mention as long-suffering father Joseph and queer priest Father Rosalia.

The “16 bars” of “Ave Maria” from Ceris Hine make a strong bid for the tackiest moment, but are possibly the funniest of the night. Other highlights include the audience joining in wholeheartedly and without prompting to the couple’s fairytale ending.