Lakeside Little Theatre’s 50th season is off to a great start with the bittersweet and sentimental comedy, “The Last Romance,” expertly directed by Ann Swiston.
This additional fundraising production, ahead of LLT’s regular season, with its age-appropriate story of late-blooming love between senior citizens, was extremely well received by a delighted and enthusiastic Ajijic audience at Friday’s opening night.
Written in 2008 by Joe DiPietro – a Tony Award winner and writer of the popular “Over the River and Through the Woods,” directed by Swiston at LLT last season – this too is an Italian family comedy set in Hoboken, New Jersey.
Without giving too much away, it’s the story of 80-year-old former railway worker Ralph Bellini, expertly played by former professional singer and actor Kenneth Bridges, who, by taking a different route on his daily walk, completely changes his life.
He visits the local dog park, where he meets the beautiful and wealthy Carol Reynolds – LLT favorite Candace Luciano - with her Chihuahua Peaches. Luciano’s performance is exceptional although her character’s purported age of 79 is so incongruous it prompts much laughter. She moves easily between the gamut of cleverly drawn emotions induced by Ralph’s attempts at flirting.
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 766-0954." src="/images/stories/2014/9-6-2014-JPGS/9-6-14-14.jpg" alt="" />Her expression, when Ralph suggests Peaches looks like a rat, adding, “Most people who saw a dog like that would say, “’Go ahead and kill it!,” was priceless. As was her one-liner when she accused Ralph, “You’re coming on to me!” then, after a long pause, “Aren’t you?”
Ralph has lived with his slightly younger, acerbic sister Rose Tagliatelle – Peggy Lord Chilton – for 12 years since his wife died. Rose looks after Ralph, cooks his favorite meals and he takes her for granted. A devout Catholic, Rose separated from her husband 22-years ago, but still refuses a divorce, hoping for a reconciliation.
Also a former professional thespian, Chilton adeptly brings just the right amount of impatience and pent up frustration to the role and her characterization is clearly much appreciated by the audience. The scene in Act Two, the interaction between Carol and Rose, with its slick dialogue is particularly worthy of mention.
Ralph flirts and teases Carol and gradually a friendship begins. Rose remains thoroughly controlling and disapproves of their slowly blossoming relationship. Act One ends as Peaches disappears.
Disappointingly the first act is not nearly as pacy as DiPietro’s usual standard. Despite good direction and the best efforts of the three gifted actors, the script gets off to a slow start as it weaves its tale, setting the scene. Only in the second part of Act One does the storyline begin to speed up.
With only a few really clever lines the script seems desperately thin and it seemed that DiPietro had held back the best humor and pathos for the second act, which was absolutely superb.
Rose’s, “My brother’s quite a catch, he can still drive at night” was, amongst many other such audience-attuned comments, met with uproarious laughter.
Act Two’s quick-fire ripostes and astute one-liners jostle for acknowledgement with the final cleverly constructed twists of the plot – and oh, what did happen on October 25th?
The set comprises a single row of flats across the rear of the stage, painted to represent the dog park. In its center is a frame covered in fabric – in the style of old apartments – which, when backlit reveals the shadow of the “Young Man.” Played offstage by Ken Yakiwchuk in shadow, this is the memory of the younger Ralph Bellini, an aspiring opera singer, who sings arias at appropriate points throughout the play.
Kudos to all, especially the “lovers” who learned so many lines, it’s a good show and well worth seeing.
“The Last Romance” runs from August 29 to September 7 with tickets available for 225 pesos from the box office on the night, via email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or at 766-0954.