With its robust production of Eduardo de Filippo's earthy Italian seriocomedy (translated and adapted by Tori Haring-Smith), the Road serves up gourmet theatre, bubbling over with zesty ethnic flavor and seasoned performances. In the expert hands of director Deborah LaVine, de Filippo's timelessly relevant play about moral chaos during wartime is a richly rewarding experience, glistening with ravishing production values and incisive dramaturgy.
When Naples patriarch Gennaro Jovine (Sam Anderson) remarks that war teaches you what makes life worth living, he encapsulates the lessons learned by his family as they cope with the terrifying and soul-crushing fascist regime in their homeland during World War II. The temptations of war profiteering coupled with basic survival instincts lead to moral malaise in a society accustomed to dashing for shelter at the sudden wail of an air-raid siren and forced to barter or beg for everyday household staples. Gennaro's thick-skinned wife, Amalia (Suanne Spoke), deals in the black market to secure coffee, flour, and other commodities for use by her family and for illegal sale to others. Following Gennaro's sudden disappearance during an air raid, Amalia's expanding enterprises bring wealth into the family, while corruption invades their domicile at several levels. When a family crisis occurs, priorities and values come into question.
LaVine elicits the most superb ensemble effort within memory, letter perfect in dialect and pitch perfect in characterization. From bit player to major role, there's a marvelous sense of verisimilitude both in individual portrayals and the overall interplay. Most impressive is Anderson's heartfelt and splendidly layered portrayal of the loving father. Initially quite amusing, he's ultimately shattering as the voice-of-reason character who anchors both the family's transgressions in conscience and the play's dramatic arc. Spoke is likewise a powerhouse. This consistently brilliant actor has an enormous range; here she makes us care for a complex character with a problematic code of ethics.
Other exemplary work abounds: Kelly Lynn Warren as a kindhearted neighbor and Bettina Zacar as her giddy niece; Rick Fitzgerald as a loyal family friend; Paul Witten as Amalia's business partner and potential adulterous amour; Joe Hart as a benevolent police sergeant; K.C. Marsh as a middle-class businessman down on his luck; Alex Douglas as Gennaro's boisterous son Amedeo; Michael Scheer as a pal who draws Amedeo into shady dealings, and Heather Sher as Amalia's neglected daughter, impregnated by an American soldier.
Among the stellar design accomplishments, Desma Murphy's astonishing set--a character in itself--shines the brightest. From its textured brown hues to its meticulous details of decor, her home interior (with surrounding exterior views) is triumphantly atmospheric, as are Robert L. Smith's lovely lighting, Marci Hill's superb costumes, and Dave Marling's sublime sound effects. De Filippo's densely plotted three-hour play, brimming with humor and heart, is a heaping helping of dramaturgical pasta, and LaVine's exquisite rendition provides nourishment for even the heartiest of theatrical appetites.