Theatre review: My Big Gay Italian Wedding at Above The Stag

Hilarity ensues when a wedding doesn’t quite go to plan in this off-Broadway cult hit

The title tells you all you need to know about this camper-than-Christmas, laugh out loud New York wedding farce, enjoying a London run hot on the heels of its British premi�re at the Edinburgh Fringe.

Anthony Pinnunziato (the endearing Benjamin Vivian-Jones) has exciting news about himself and Andrew (Robert Hannouch). “You dumped him?” best “man” Mercedes squeaks hopefully. “No, Mercedes, we’re getting married!”

The 90 minute romp enacts at breakneck speed hilarious ups and downs the happy couple negotiate on their skip to the altar – for a church service or rather “soy-viss” is one of the conditions laid down by Anthony’s Italian family for them to give their consent - and chequebook.

But the main threat comes from a wonderfully quiffed ex from hell Gregorio (Matthew Barksby), who would just adore to tell assembled guests what he and Andrew got up to on Memorial Day on Fire Island.

Intricacies of the cartoonish plot are irrelevant: MBGIW’s all about big performances from the entire cast, including the colourful troupe of lesbians, creepy camp priest and eventual master of ceremonies, Maurizio, played by insanely energetic Andrew Beckett.

The set’s New York City landscape and Italian flag colour scheme shout the Italian American theme out loud, and the tiny venue above the pub only adds to this production’s hysterical in-your-face fun.

* My Big Gay Italian Wedding is showing at Above The Stag, Bressenden Road, SW1E, until Saturday, November 19.