My sister and I saw this play last week at the Avon Theatre in Stratford, Ontario. It is set in Naples in WWII and shows how a family deteriorates from dabbling in the black market to help out their neighbours to becoming wealthy on the backs of their once friends. The play verges on a farce in the first half and takes a tragic turn in the second. Written by Eduardo De Filippo during WWII, the play is just as relevant today. He also wrote a screenplay for a film adaptation of this play – Side Street Story (1950). This play is on until October 27, 2018 and is well worth checking out to see Tom McCamus as Gennaro – the patriarch of the family who tries to be their moral compass in these difficult times.
One bonus of attending a play at the Avon Theatre is the Festival Store attached to the building. Not that you have much time to browse during intermission, of which there are two, because they are both quite short. However there is plenty of time before and after the performance.
