THAT’S AMORE!
The first time Tony and Tina got married in Vancouver, the production sprung out of Tanja Dixon-Warren and Michael Fera’s dream to bring the popular New York show to the West Coast. With $300 raised at a garage sale and negotiations between St. Andrews Wesley Church and Vancouver’s Chardonnay restaurant, Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding began. That was 14 years ago, and Tony and Tina have been getting married again and again every week since then.
Photo: Hoarse Raven Theatre
Truth be told, though I’d been hearing about Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding since the beginning, I had no idea what to expect. I knew it was an interactive production, but was in for a delightful surprise when I learned just how interactive the cast and audience really become! The evening began at St. Andrews Wesley Church where we were all witnesses to the nuptials. From moment one, the audience was drawn into the drama, excitement, laughter, family gossip and lovers’ quarrels as the Nunzio and Vitale families come together in holy matrimony.
By the time the entire wedding party and attendees (Rebecca and myself included) made the procession from the church to The Other Space at the Queen Elizabeth Theatre for the reception dinner, it’s difficult not to feel like you’re attending a true Italian wedding. What happens next is anyone’s guess – and surprise! From a Las Vegas-style duo acting as emcees to Uncle Vinnie’s charismatic catering style (how would the Italians describe “je ne sais quoi“?) and Sal the photographer capturing every moment in between, laugh-out-loud fun is an inevitability. In fact, it took a solid hour after the lights went down before my cheeks stopped hurting.
Photo: Hoarse Raven Theatre
It’s almost time for the honeymoon to begin, as Tony and Tina will be walking down the aisle for the last time on May 30, 2009. Productions run Thursday through Saturday with church doors swinging open at 6:30 p.m. (beware of the groomsmen’s charms – they’re difficult to resist) each night. Tickets range from $70-85 and are available by calling (604) 665-2373, and include a full dinner buffet of Nona Nunzio’s best recipes. Visit the website for more information.
Join Tony, Tina and their families before the curtain falls for the final time. Eat, drink and be merry but, like any wild wedding, don’t be surprised if you still feel the buzz from Vinnie Black’s red wine the next morning.
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6 Comments
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This sounds like so much fun…would have been nice to go to next time I visit. We’ll have to find something else exciting to do.
Sounds like a brilliant idea! I want to be the bride that gets married every week!! haha…
Mike and I want to go when we’re in van!!
[...] I gladly sent off my RSVP when I received my invitation. On Friday I grabbed a date (the lovely Keira-Anne), got all gussied up for an evening wedding, and headed straight to St Andrew’s Wesley Church [...]
Wow – as Uncle Lui in the show, I enjoyed watching you and Rebecca enjoy the crazed -but believable (if you have ever been to an Italian wedding) situations constantly unfolding throughout the evening. Às you noticed, one or more actors join each table for dinner and our mission is to make your evening as enjoyable as you wish. Some guests prefer to sit back and watch – others to jump in and stir the pot. We are professionals and read`each persons needs – so need to worry about being placed in an embarassing situation.
Yes indeed – I takes awhile for your cheeks to stop hurting from way too much laughter – but I hear that laughter is healthy and makes the earth little greener.
Its-a Beautiful-a Wedding
Ian Bideshi , Keira thanks for posing with the rayban sunglasses on. Sal Antonucci
[...] those that have never attended a production of TnT, or haven’t – ahem – read my previous blog post, the performance is an interactive comedy. It revolves around two rival Italian families who are [...]