About the Play:

Over the River and Through the Woods has long been a favourite of acting teachers for Male Monologues.

Over the River and Through the Woods is a full-length comedy by Joe DiPietro. Going to grandma's house was never so much fun! Nick is the only grandson, so when he is offered a promotion that will take him far from his Italian-American neighbourhood, his overbearing and somewhat zany grandparents plot to keep their beloved grandson from making a "big mistake" – moving away from them! Over the River and Through the Woods is a comedy about love, family, and the ties that bind a little too tightly.

Over The River and Through The Woods follows Nick, a single, Italian-American guy from New Jersey. His parents retired and moved to Florida. That doesn't mean his family isn't still in Jersey. In fact, he is very close to both sets of his grandparents – even joining them every Sunday. However, this family ritual is threatened the day Nick is offered the job he's been waiting for – a marketing executive position that would take him away from his beloved, but annoying, grandparents. He tells them. The news doesn't sit so well. How could he betray his family's love to move to Seattle (just for a job!), wonder his grandparents? Thus begins a series of schemes to keep Nick around. Frank, Aida, Nunzio and Emma do their level best, and that includes bringing to dinner the lovely – and single – Caitlin O'Hare as bait… we won't give the ending away here.

Over the River and Through the Woods premiered in 1994 at the Belmont Italian American Playhouse in the Bronx, New York. It played Off-Broadway at the John Houseman Theatre for 800 performances over two years. This much-produced comedy has become a favourite scene study vehicle in acting classes and workshops and is a popular choice for school and community theatre productions.

Cast: 3 female, 3 male

What people say:

"A hilarious family comedy that is even funnier than his long-running musical revue I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change." — BackStage

"Loaded with laughs every step of the way." — Star-Ledger

"...deliriously funny...." — The New York Daily News

"...wins the audience with humor, warmth and charm." — Houston Chronicle

About the Playwright:

Joe DiPietro is an American playwright who has written numerous on and off-Broadway plays and musicals. He may be best known for writing the book and lyrics for Memphis, the Tony-winning musical about the dawn of rock 'n' roll, and for the musical revue I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change, which is the second longest-running musical in Off-Broadway history.