Reviewed by Tony Annicone
The Arctic Playhouse’s first show of the 2020 season is “Any Friend of Percy D’Angelino Is a Friend of Mine” by Jason Milligan. It originally starred Peter Falk, Christian Slater and Jean Smart in a staged reading at Westwood Playhouse on March 28, 1994. This Mafia style comedy is a series of eight vignettes and takes place on Long Island where much theorizing goes on when a mysterious stranger appears out of the blue. The Mafia boss and his younger wife discover the stranger is going to play the part of the boss in a movie. This sends the both of them into a tizzy with the boss threatening to take “measures” to see it never take place. What are they going to do, let the stranger play him in a movie or will they rub him out at his brazen behavior? These and other questions about life, love, eating, and Mafia antics are discovered in this wacky comedy. Can this young man convince the hoodlum to let him play the gangster in the movie? Director Fred Davison casts these three character roles wonderfully and picks the perfect music for each of the scenes. The second act is better written and it is here where they leave the audience laughing merrily all night long.
Mark Lima leads the cast as the tough Mafia Don, Frankie who has guard dogs outside his mansion, has the place swept for microphones constantly and berates his younger wife with abandon. His scenes with Tony, the visitor crackle with wonder, tension and astonishment at the younger man’s brash behavior. Mark delivers the goods in this huge role as he runs roughshod over both his wife and visitor. His line delivery is splendid with his many lines in this show.
Mindy Britto as Sharon, the younger wife who makes bad tasting mint julips and scolds her husband at times about his bad behavior. She recognizes the younger man as someone she’s seen before and this sends her husband into a jealous rage until he finds out about the movie. Mindy is a hoot when she imitates the voices in the movie script and then has a meltdown at the description of her character in the movie that is going to be played by Roseanne. A huge insult because Sharon is svelte and sexy.
Mike Petrarca shines as Tony, the nervous young man who meets the Mafia Don to bone up on how to play him in the movie. The hoodlum forces Tony to rob a Seven Eleven store, handcuffs him to a radiator and forces him to send for the movie script so they can read it. Mike is hilarious as Tony eventually grows a backbone after Frankie slaps him around and berates him as well as when Tony recites a Shakespearean monologue to impress him. So for a fun filled show, be sure to catch “Any Friend of Percy D’Angelino is a Friend of Mine at The Arctic Playhouse. Vicki Yates does a terrific job as the stage manager with the multitude of props and sound cues for the show.
ANY FRIEND OF PERCY D’ANGELINO IS A FRIEND OF MINE (30 January to 16 February)
The Arctic Playhouse, 117 Washington Street, West Warwick, RI
1(401)573-3443 or www.thearcticplayhouse.com
