Brunswick Little Theatre play is a trip 'Over the River and Through the Woods'

Tony Award-winning playwright and lyricist Joe DiPietro has given us such acclaimed works as the musicals "Memphis" and "I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change," along with the now-infamous "Diana," based on the life of the late beloved Princess of Wales.

Also among DiPietro's works is a little gem of a play titled "Over the River and Through the Woods," on stage now at Brunswick Little Theatre in Southport.

"Over the River" honors family as much as it deals honestly with the generational disconnects often made more painful by the pace and possibilities tugging at our lives – the career choices and relationships outside our family, for example.

Appropriately, loving attention is poured into BLT's production by co-directors John D'Amato and Maria-Louisa Winslow. It shows up in everything from cast chemistry to the careful detail lavished on the set.

We're lured into this story of "family, faith and food" by Nick Cristano's (Steven Sullivan) opening description of Sunday dinners at the home of his maternal grandparents, Frank and Aida Gianelli (Eben French Mastin and Cathryn O'Donnell). They're joined every week by his paternal grands, Emma and Nunzio (Elizabeth Michaels and Victor Gallo).

The elder Gianellis and Cristanos are about to discover that their beloved Nick – like his parents and sister – is moving far from their Hoboken, New Jersey, neighborhood to Seattle. What else should they do but come up with a reason for him to stay?

The grands bait the hook with the warm and lovely Caitlin O'Hare (Maddie Overman). They invite Caitlin to Sunday dinner, and Nick misbehaves – a jerk at best – which Caitlin calls out in a private moment.

Sullivan finds Nick's young man-in-a-hurry vibe and rides it into a sympathetic reading. We can forgive him for his bad manners and thoughtless "you people" shouted at his grandparents, and when he sits down with Frank, he learns something of the essence of family and what parents will sacrifice for their children – a note hit perfectly by Mastin.

Overman's Caitlin is someone who really could tempt Nick to stay put – she's intelligent, kind, and honest. Overman finds every nuance in this role, especially her emotional maturity.

O'Donnell and Michaels are like the salt and pepper of the grandparent quartet, pushing and pulling, each in their own way to manipulate the situation. And Gallo is wonderfully heartbreaking as Nunzio, who could, in the end, have changed the course of events with one word.

Aside from the individual performances, which are strikingly assured, BLT's cast exudes comfort with one another that one associates with living among people for a long time. The well-paced banter flows out of the ensemble as if it were the most natural of conversations, notably in the play's uproarious Trivial Pursuit scene.

BLT's "Over the River and Through the Woods" is indeed worth a trip, even over the Cape Fear from Wilmington.

WANT TO GO?

What: Brunswick Little Theatre presents "Over the River and Through the Woods," by Joe DiPietro

When: 7:30 p.m. Oct. 13-15, 3 p.m. Oct. 16

Where: Brunswick Little Theatre, 8068 River Road SE, Southport

Info: Tickets are $22, available online or in person at Ricky Evans Gallery in Southport.

Details: 910-447-2586 or BrunswickLittleTheatre.com.

This article originally appeared on Wilmington StarNews: Brunswick Little Theatre's 'Over the River and Through the Woods'