NORTH END MOVING TO LAS VEGAS
By SHAWNA WRIGHT, North End Business Journal - April 1009
Almost everyone is familiar with the movie My Big Fat Greek Wedding, the harrowing yet hilarious tale of a woman's craxy family and their effect on her romantic life. What makes this film so appealing to audiences is the fact that everyone can relate. The overbearing mother, the cousin no one talks about, the crazy uncle that gets invited anyway. No matter what ethnicity; Italian, Irish, Jewish, Greek, Polish, Mexican, and so on, everyone understands the dynamics of family functions.
Steve Dacri, writer and director of "Nathan and Nina's Jewish Italian Wedding", understood that concept when he drafted his own version of the popular dinner theatre production, "Tony and Tina's Wedding". However, instead of two Italian families clashing at their children's wedding, Dacri decided to pair the Berio family - as in Fillipo Berio olive oil - run by mob-father Mario, with the nerdy Glickensteins. As actor David Fioravanti, who plays Mario Berio says, "My family is Jewish-Italian. I totally get it."
Many may recognize Fioravanti from the first season of NBC's "The Biggest Loser" as the contestant who won $100,000 after losing the greatest percentage of body weight. The then 40-year-old real estate broker decided to take "A leap of faith and go into one of the hardest industries in the world. I had the NBC machine behind me". Playing Mario Berio "Is so fitting," remarks Fioravanti, whose family is from the North End.
The comedy is roughly 2 1/2 hours long, with a scripted wedding ceremony followed by nearly 2 hours of an improvised reception. "It's incredibly difficult to stay in character (when) some guests are trying to get you to break character. Some casinos even put spotters in the room to see if we break," explains Fioravanti. The improvsied reception has all the elements of a real wedding; cutting the cake, the garter dance, throwing the bouquet and the traditional horah dance (chair dance) of Jewish weddings. Add in bridesmaids named Ann Chovi and Lynn Guini, the Rabbi Manny SHevitz (the brand name of a kosher wine) and Father (Pasta) Al Dente, the cast is a walking punchline.
The show just finished its run at Fallsview Casino in Ontario and is now moving to Las Vegas under negotioations with the Rio All-Suite Las Vegas. Ironically, "Nathan and Nina's" is set to replace "Tony and Tina's Wedding", which is reportedly moving to Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino. (Ed Note: A deal has not been set at this time, but other casinos are interested in the show now)
The show was was met with fantastic audience reviews in Ontario, selling out nearly 800 guests every show. Fioravanti believes that, "In the current economy, people want a release and escape from reality. Where else can you get a meal, show and open bar for $45?"
Audience members quickly get wrapped up in the story line, sometimes even creating their own characters to interact with the actors during the reception. Fioravanti has had people come up to him and claim to be his character's second cousin from Salem Street - the Berio's are a long time North End institution. It's his job to never say no and work whatever they say into the story.
No two receptions are ever the same as "Two hours can go any way (they want)." Fioravanti believes this is what keeps people coming back to see the show again and again. "People have been known to take (their friends) to the show and pretend that its not a show. They drag their friends to their cousin Nin's wedding and pretend its an actual wedding. They never even realize they're at a fake wedding."
For its Valentine's Day high roller attraction, Fallsview Casino reportedly spent $100,000 on set desgin to make rthe ballroom look as close to a real wedding set-up as possible. They also prodvided the production with a team of technicians, sound and light teams, a live band, and hair and make-up artists.
According to the director, the show was beyond a hit. In his cover story for VegasInsideTips.com, Dacri remembers, "We were hitting home runs; every one of them out of the park. They aughed at every joke, many times a lot harder than I can remember...the ceremony lasted at least 10 minutes longer than usual due to all the prolonged fits of laughter. We were a hit. The crowd was eating up every word, every gesture, every funny bit."
The casino had warned Dacri that he should expect most audience members to leave after dinner and the room would be totally empty by 9:30 PM. By 10:20 PM over 80% of the audience was still there, keeping the dance floor packed.
Read about the making of the show here
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