Left to Right: Richard Zavaglia, Ray Abruzzo, Dan Lauria (photo credit: Suzanne Barabas)
In Dan Lauria's Grand Guignol-ish comedy Dinner With The Boys a pair of Brooklyn-based professional hit-men — Charlie (Dan Lauria) and Dominic (Richard Zavaglia) — have been sequestered by their mob boss Big Anthony, Jr. (Ray Abruzzo) to remain in semi-seclusion in a house somewhere in the wilds of New Jersey. Living together for the past six months as preliminary punishment for not completing a "hit" as instructed, these two inglorious anti-heroes have established a routine of housekeeping, gardening, shopping, cooking and reminiscing about the good old days as they await phase two of their fate. Their past has been marked with enough "hits" between them to keep their dinner conversations lively comprised primarily of the preparation of food and of their most memorable killings, as described with gruesome detail.
Listening to Charlie and Dominic trade off stories as they also consider the options that these "good-fellas" have or don't have, one might initially get the impression that there is more to their relationship than simply the preparation of food and figuring out who did what to whom, when and why. But Lauria's skill as an actor and now as a playwright gives him an edge in a role that is designed to show him off. He is full of surprises in a performance that builds up a nice head of comedic steam and is nicely balanced with the more conservatively nuanced Zavaglia.
Fine teamwork is at the root of Charlie and Dom's long-time attachment to each and is the pleasures they recall of their past rub-outs. Exposition plays a large part as does our unwittingly surrendered affection for the motor-mouthed Charlie and Dom.
Big Anthony, Jr.'s arrival, which is expected by one of the "boys" and unexpected by the other, puts them into survival mode: a concerted effort that has been well calculated by Lauria to insure plenty of uneasy laughs as well as many full out guffaws. There are also some chills in store for those who may not have a taste for blood and the macabre. When Charlie and Dominic also finding themselves welcoming mob accountant "The Uncle Sid" (Morris "Moe" Rosenbaum) and unseen others, it is time to put all their culinary skills to work.To read the complete review originally posted 09/13/14 please go to http://curtainup.com/dinnerwiththeboysnj14.html
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