By Matthew Wexler
Shortly before John Patrick Shanley won an Academy Award for writing Moonstruck, which starred Cher as an Italian American widow and Nicholas Cage as her new fiancé’s estranged younger brother, the Bronx-born writer penned a play with similar themes starring a young John Turturro. Now, in a rare revival, Italian American Reconciliation returns to the stage at the intimate 50-seat Flea Theater in New York City.
Austin Pendleton directs the “folktale” featuring a powerhouse cast including Broadway veteran Mary Testa, who appeared earlier this summer in Little Island’s Galas, and Wade McCollum, himself coming off back-to-back Broadway shows (Floyd Collins, Like Water for Elephants).
Aldo Scalicki (a charming Robert Farrior) narrates the story of his best friend, Huey (McCollum), a tortured soul who ends his relationship with Teresa (Mia Gentile) to revisit the toxic relationship with his ex-wife, Janice (Linda Manning). Testa, as Aunt May, herself a widow, appears throughout to offer snappy one-liners and sage advice.
Shanley first workshopped the play at the famed Eugene O’Neill Theater Center’s National Playwrights Conference. (In its 60-year history, the creative incubator has welcomed the likes of August Wilson, Martyna Majok, and Jeremy O. Harris.) In many ways, Shanley’s play still holds up as a parable for letting go of the past, despite May’s mantra that “there ain’t no bargains in people. You get what you pay for, and the currency is trouble.”
Despite Janice’s penchant for shooting zip guns at dogs and people, and Huey’s overly punitive self-deprecation (“I am my castle of thorns”), Pendleton molds his cast and Shanley’s script like Italian sculptor Antonio Canova. Does the script veer into a dated, binary definition of the traditional roles of men and women? Yes. But it’s also a sentimental Polaroid of first- and second-generation Americans, the emotional residue of starting over, and the power of self-love.
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Fast facts: ‘Italian American Reconciliation’
John Patrick Shanley’s rarely revived play returns to New York City with Broadway stars Mary Testa and Wade McCollum in a heartfelt story about toxic relationships and self-love.
- The Flea, 20 Thomas Street, New York City
- 90 minutes, no intermission
- Performances through October 26, 2025
Traveling to New York City? Find the best hotels in Lower Manhattan near The Flea
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