Photo Flash: Diamante's COLD FEET

Diamante Productions presents the newly revamped production of the comedy play Cold Cold Feet May 6 - June 5 at Stage773, 1225 W. Belmont. The original playwright and director, Tony Fiorentino, brings new life to this 2006 hit production. Just in time for the 2011 wedding season, Diamante Productions brings big screen humor reminiscent of "Wedding Crashers" and "The Hangover" to the stage in his bedroom farce, Cold Cold Feet.

 Fiorentino pulls most of the play's wedding humor from his real life experiences. Having been a groomsmen in eight, count them, eight weddings, Fiorentino's experiences with grooms with jitters, Bridezillas, ridiculous wedding procedures and fairytale endings are the source for this farce perfect for brides, grooms and the whole wedding party.

Preview performances are Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7. Opening/press night is Sunday, May 8 at 3 p.m. Performance times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 ($18 for previews). To purchase tickets call the Stage773 box office at 773-327-5252 or visit www.stage773.org.

Cold Cold Feet was hailed by critics and audiences alike during its original world premiere in 2006 at Theatre Building Chicago. Penned by Tony Fiorentino, artistic director of Diamante Productions, Cold Cold Feet went on to receive a second production at the Attic Playhouse in Highwood in 2008. Since then, Fiorentino has given the script a complete overhaul, adding in a gaggle of fresh characters, new plot twists, and a sprinkling of au courant humor to keep the proceedings up-to-date.

The play follows the prenuptial antics of Benny, a groom who gets the jitters on the eve of his Vegas wedding, and his best man, Carl, tasked to stall the rehearsal and keep the bridal party at bay. But when the hired entertainment shows up a day late for the bachelor party, the wedding cake really hits the fan! Chock full of door-slamming surprises, mistaken identities and madcap humor, it is the number one wedding to crash this spring.

Director and playwright Tony Fiorentino are joined by a talented cast of fresh faces, featuring Jennifer T. Grubb, Joe Bianco, Marie Goodkin, Brigitte Ditmars, Mike O'Brien, Kieran Welsh-Phillips, Laura Rauh, Florence Ann Romano, Rob Grabowski, and Joel Thompson.

Reviewing the original version's world premiere in 2006, The Daily Southtown called the play "Riotous . . . cute, lightweight, and lighthearted." The Beverly Review praised it as "Titillating fun . . . fantastic comic flair" and "riotous!" Chicagocritic.com hailed it as "Full of belly laughs . . . a hoot!"
Diamante Productions, a non-profit theatre company, was founded in 2005, and is dedicated to the production and development of new plays. Diamante Productions has presented six world premieres since 2005: Lease on Love (Theatre Building Chicago, 2006), Cold Cold Feet (Theatre Building Chicago, 2006), Fraternal Instinct (Athenaeum Theatre, 2007), My Dinner with Amy (Theatre Building Chicago, 2008), and All My Love (Theatre Building Chicago, 2009), and Lucid (Athenaeum, 2010).

The newly remounted and hilarious production of Cold Cold Feet opens at Stage773, 1225 W. Belmont Ave., Sunday, May 8 and runs through Sunday, June 5. Preview performances are Friday, May 6 and Saturday, May 7. Performance times are Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays at 8 p.m. and Sundays at 3 p.m. Tickets are $25 ($18 for previews). To purchase tickets call the Stage773 box office at 773-327-5252 or visit www.stage773.org.

Photo Credit: Anthony Robert La Penna