Last night I went to see the Off-Broadway show "My Big Gay Italian Wedding" with my friend Patrick from high school. I had heard about this show because it is produced by one of the Real Housewives of NJ, Dina Manzo, and last week tickets were on sale at Groupon.com for the amazing price of $42 (regularly $70+). I didn't want to pass up such a great deal!
Although I have been to a handful of Broadway shows in the past, I have never seen one Off-Broadway before. I wasn't quite sure what to expect. The theater was rather small, with just chairs set up for the audience. The great thing about that, though, was it made the show more personal. The actors often interacted with the audience. At one point (during the wedding scene), the mother of the groom even yelled at Patrick for wearing jeans to her son's wedding! It was hilarious!
If you are looking for a show to see that is cheaper than Broadway and in a more intimate setting, I would definitely recommend My Big Gay Italian Wedding. The show was so funny, and it had some really great moments in there. Something that made me laugh a lot was the cast's version of the Italian Ducky Dance that my family does. I couldn't believe it! The wedding reception was definitely my favorite scene, but I don't want to give too much away.
Of course, I also found it touching that a Catholic, Italian family loved their gay son enough to throw him a wedding (okay, with a little begging involved). Civil rights is an issue that is extremely important to me, and plays like this one help to show people that gay marriage really isn't so bad after all. If two people love each other, that's what matters. While Anthony and Andrew could not get legally married in My Big Gay Italian Wedding, I hope that one day down the road they can rewrite the script because New York has made same-sex marriage legal.
I also hope that I can go to many more shows, both Broadway and otherwise, while I'm here in New York City. They aren't always the most affordable form of entertainment, but they are worth every penny!
