Tony n' Tina's Wedding
| Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding | |
|---|---|
| Written by | Artificial Intelligence comedy troupe |
| Characters |
Anthony Nunzio, Jr. Valentina Lynne Vitale et al. |
| Date premiered | November 11, 1985 |
| Place premiered | New York City |
| Original language | English |
| Genre |
Environmental theatre Interactive theatre |
| Setting |
Italian American wedding Wedding reception |
| Official site | |
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is an "environmental/ immersive theatre" event based on a traditional Italian-American wedding and reception, with warm and intrusive stereotypes exaggerated for comic effect. Audience members are treated as guests at the wedding by the interactive, improvisational comedy cast.
The piece was first performed in an American Legion Hall in 1985.[1] It opened Off-off-Broadway on February 6, 1988 with the wedding held at the Washington Square United Methodist Church in Greenwich Village and the reception at a reception hall at 150 East 14th Street.[2][3] It continued to play at St. John's Lutheran Church on Christopher Street before moving to midtown Manhattan to a long run at St. Luke's Theatre, then to the Edison Hotel and finally at Sweet Caroline's before ending its 22-year run on July 25, 2010. It has been staged in over 100 locations worldwide, including cities in Canada, Japan, Germany, United Kingdom, and Australia.[4]
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding shares some similarities with a 1969 Australian play called Dimboola, written by Jack Hibberd.
History
The interactive, environmental comedy Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding is the creation of the Artificial Intelligence comedy troupe. Thirteen original cast members share the copyright: Kevin Alexander, Tom Allen, James Altuner, Elizabeth Dennehy, Mark Campbell, Nancy Cassaro, Chris Fracchiolla, Jack Fris, Mark Nassar, Patricia Cregan Navarra, Larry Pellegrini, Susan Varon, and Moira Wilson.[5] According to Cassaro, "Tony and Tina evolved when Mark [Nassar] and I were in college and found ourselves the outcasts of the drama department. We were doing improvisations of a young couple having a fight, and they became so real that the dorm master called wondering what was the matter. It snowballed as we enlisted other friends who created other characters."[3]
The show was first performed in an American Legion Hall on West 14th Street on November 11, 1985.[1] The off-off-Broadway production opened on February 6, 1988 with its first wedding held at the Washington Square Methodist Church in Greenwich Village and the reception at Carmelita's, a reception hall at 150 East 14th Street.[2][3] It then played at St. John's Lutheran Church on Christopher Street before moving to a long run at St. Luke's Theatre, then at the Edison Hotel, and finally at Sweet Caroline's before ending its 22-year run on July 25, 2010. The original cast included the above 13 actors and also Joe Corcoran, Eli Ganias, Jacob Harran, Jennifer Heftler, Elizabeth Herring, Monica Horan, Denise Moses, Phil Rosenthal, Kevin A. Leonidas, Joanna Cocca, Mickey Abbate, Tom Hogan, Vincent Floriani, Michael Winther, Kia Colton, Charlie Terrat and Towner Gallaher. It was originally produced by Joe and Dan Corcoran, two Hofstra alums who were just starting out on Wall Street.
Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding has been hosted in over 200 cities including, but not limited to New York City, Las Vegas, Vancouver where it had a run of 14 years, closing only due to the 2010 Olympic Games, Toronto, Montreal, Portland, Detroit, Dallas, Orlando, San Francisco and Chicago.[4]
| Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding: The Movie[6] | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Roger Paradiso |
| Produced by |
Tony Travis Michael Tadross Mark Lipsky[6] |
| Written by | Roger Paradiso |
| Starring |
Joey McIntyre Mila Kunis Adrian Grenier[6] |
| Distributed by | Emerging Pictures |
Release dates | November 30, 2007 (limited)[7] |
Running time |
106 minutes (theatrical version)[7] 110 minutes (DVD)[6] |
| Country |
 United States |
Film adaptation
The play was "freely"[8] adapted for film by writer-director Roger Paradiso— "filmed primarily from the point of view of a lisping videographer"[7]—with Joey McIntyre and Mila Kunis playing the title characters.[9] The film premiered on May 3, 2004 at the Tribeca Film Festival and received a limited theatrical run three-and-a-half years later.[7][9]
Upon its release, Slant Magazine gave the film 
("no stars"), calling it a "relentlessly unfunny detonation" of the play, and a "tin-eared disaster" featuring "profanity delivered at a Mamet-like rate."[8] The New York Times called the film a "dated sendup of low-class comportment" and, noting the film's limited release, said "exactly how limited will depend on your tolerance for tasteless behavior, extravagant overacting and a decibel level to rival the unveiling of Oprah's Favorite Things."[7]
The film has since been released on DVD.[6]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 B. Isenberg (October 8, 1989). "'Tony n' Tina' Married to Their Work". LA Times. Retrieved 2011-09-02.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Mel Gussow (February 23, 1988). "The Stage: 'Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding'". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
Neighbors across the street must have been wondering why this same couple was marrying every Saturday and Sunday afternoon for the last three weeks. Beginning this week, they will also marry on Thursday and Friday evenings.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 Stephen Holden (February 5, 1988). "Avant-garde Antics for Fearless Audiences". The New York Times. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 "About the Show". tonylovestina.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-08. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ↑ "About the Show - Tony n' Tina's Wedding - Credits". Official website. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 "Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding: The Movie". Emerging Pictures. Archived from the original on 2007-08-13. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 Jeannette Catsoulis (February 5, 1988). "Here Comes the Bride With Chewing Gum". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 2007-12-01. Retrieved 2014-01-18.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 "Tony n' Tina's Wedding". Slant Magazine. Retrieved 2010-02-16.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Tony ’n’ Tina’s Wedding at the Internet Movie Database