BWW Previews: A TALE OF FAMILY LOVE – ITALIAN STYLE at Pelican Players

Opening on August 10 at the Veterans Theatre in Sun City Center is The Pelican Players' production of Over the River and Through the Woods, a tale about love of family, loud and Italian-style.

Nick is a single, Italian-American man from New Jersey who regularly has dinner every Sunday with his beloved, albeit highly annoying grandparents. A promotion at work means a move across the country to Seattle and a permanent disruption to this family routine.

"The grandparents are played by actors in their 70s who have retired in Florida and now have the time to breathe life into a truly humorous show with plenty of heart," explained director Don Keith.

The family decides that there has to be a remedy to stop Nick from leaving. And leave it to one of his grandmothers to come up with a surefire solution - get Nick a nice Italian girlfriend, a proper Catholic girl. Enter Caitlin, not Italian, but Irish and a way to halt Nick's departure.

"As an Italian-American single woman, I identify a lot with Nick (the main character). He loves his family, but he is also trying to find his own place in the world." said Jessica Mazza (Caitlin).

The Pelican Players produce four mainstage shows a year, regular Readers Theatre for the community and Dinner Mystery Theatre shows for clubs and businesses. Proceeds from the performances support college scholarships in the visual and performing arts.

"(It's been an) exhilarating experience being in this play. The cast is professional and the chemistry between characters is fabulous," said Cyd Charrow (Emma). "The play itself is fantastic: hilarious, yet so poignant."

Over the River and Through the Woods offers the eternal struggle between family obligation and sacrifice and doing what needs to be done to achieve personal fulfillment.

"We see Nick go through a journey of self-discovery that anyone who has ever debated 'leaving home' will easily recognize," said Jessica. "The play has plenty of laughs, but it will also tug on your heartstrings. It's a true-to-life story that celebrates the strength of family ties."

Over the River and Through the Woods runs August 10 through August 12. Tickets are $15 and available at the Box Office, 1900 Clubhouse Drive, Sun City Center. Learn more at https://www.facebook.com/PelicanPlayersSCC/

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