One's family can, at the most inconvenient of times, be completely embarrassing. Mother's who tell your new best friend you only stopped breast feeding at four make you cringe in shame. Aunts who feel it necessary to bring out the good ol' baby album where you're lying completely starkers bawling your eyes out for the viewing pleasure of your latest girlfriend make you wanna find a black hole, yell yippy-kah-yeah and disappear into oblivion.
Somehow however, most people manage to make it through their lives without offing their embarassing relatives. Steve Solomon (Michael Richard) takes his audience through his life and times with his Italian mom and Jewish dad - as if life wasn't tough enough.
The play is set in his psychiatrist's reception area where he's waiting for a session with the doc. He's a pretty stressed out guy and pretty much at his wits end; talking about it does seem to help. Everyone in his life seems to be wearing a hearing aid - his gran hears condom instead of condo to both their horror. His dad uses Chinese food as an escape from the birds and bees talk and has to encourage himself while trying to go to the bathroom. You'll be cracking up at the absurdity of it all. Love em' or hate em' as the old saying goes, you can pick your friends but you sure as well can't pick your family.
The venues nice and cosy for this sort of play so if you haven't been to the Newspace Theatre yet, now's the perfect opportunity. Also just along Hout Street is an intriguing bistro and bar called Boo Radley's. Mr Francis and I, while ordering our complimentary cocktails, decided to try something new. He went for a Moscow Mule and I settled on a Sidecar. They were both delicious, made with extreme expertise by the professional barman behind the counter. Both cocktails had quite the kick and induced quite a bit of laughter once more from the both of us. Boo Radley's seems like a great place to chill out after a hard day's work or gather with some friends.
Good production, good venue (very friendly, courteous staff), good cocktails - all in all a really good night out.
Tickets are available at Computicket online or call 074 134 6636.
For more information go to www.italianjewishtherapy.co.za or www.newspacetheatre.co.za.
