en-us Copyright 2008 - All Rights Reserved. Mon, 23 Nov 2009 05:39:11 GMT 15 By Steven Russo
    Blood Type: Ragu is a recently opened off-Broadway show that is a celebration of family, culture, heritage, and healing. The one man show stars Frank Ingrasciotta who, throughout the duration of the play, embraces more than twenty different characters. He features family members, his aging self and eccentric neighbors such as “Senora Cameratta con le gambe aperta” (Mrs. Cameratta with the legs spread open).      Mr. Ingrasciotta begins the play as himself as a young boy torn between his overly attached mother (whom at some points refers to her son as her “husband”), and his dominating father. The play is centrally focused around the “Holy Trinity”- that being, Frank, his mother, and his father. A clash of cultures is present as Frank bridges the gap between his parents’ Sicilian heritage and the American culture they must adapt to. Sicilian dialect is thrown in throughout the majority of the play, usually with an English translation following immediately after. Some of the antics that are told include a pizza fight, a war between catty neighbors over eggplant and clothes lines, and a trip to a brothel in Nevada that changes the way Frank views himself and the world around him.     This is a heart-felt performance that draws you into the general flow of a struggling first generation son of immigrant parents with comedic brilliance, yet, sneaks up on you with the more serious issues that overcast a son or daughter from the inside of a family looking out. Though, the play never really gets too solemn, there are moments that snap you back to the underlying message of the play, that is, family is family, and no matter what culture you’re from, we all have the one we need to live with.     You certainly do not to be Italian to enjoy such a play, but for those that are, it makes it that much more meaningful. Anyone who knows the conflicts of a family can appreciate the show. Mr. Ingrasciotta has developed this eleven year “in-the-works” play into a carefully crafted piece of work put together with Director Ted Sod and Flying Machine Productions. If you would like to learn more about Blood Type: Ragu or how to obtain tickets, visit the website at www.BloodTypeRagu.com ]]> Wed, 08 Apr 2009 00:42:06 GMT