“Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” took place in New York on Feb. 6, 1988.
The wedding ceremony was at a Methodist Church in Greenwich Village followed by a reception at Carmelita’s Hall at 150 E. 14th St.
I was visiting many theaters and saw as many shows in New York as I could that year, trying to find something I could bring back to Philadelphia when I stumbled upon “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding.”
I couldn’t believe the audience’s reaction.
“Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” is an audience participation play based on an Italian wedding where the audience becomes part of the show. If you are looking for a scripted show, you might be disappointed. As a guest at this wedding you get to enjoy the music, the dancing and the food just as you would enjoy a real wedding. Everyone has a great time.
We opened the show in South Philly’s Torano’s restaurant where there was an actual church next door. We were the first company to take the show out of New York.
We had hoped the show would run for six months when we opened in July, and much to our surprise we sold out within weeks through February 1989. The show excited people because audience participation was an entirely new and different type of theater at the time. “Tony n’ Tina’s Wedding” surprised us all, and we ran for 24 years.
We presented the show in Atlantic City, Pittsburgh, Los Angles, Baltimore, Boston and San Francisco and didn’t stop producing the show until 2012 in Philadelphia.
The Bucks County audience always heard the name, however many didn’t want to make the long drive into Philadelphia to see the show. The same thing is happening all over again.
Tony n’ Tina will be getting married at Delaware Valley University from June 22 to June 26. The show has sold out except for the last remaining 100 tickets for the evening performances. Tony n’ Tina’s is performing at Delaware Valley University in the Student Center also called the Moumgis Building.
We are creating a restaurant for this event, bringing in tables and chairs, recorded dance music, and catered food by Luberto’s of Pipersville.
The few remaining tickets can be purchased online at buckscountycpa.org or by telephone at 215-297-8540.
The rest of the season brings you “A Musical Cooking Lesson with the Calamari Sisters” and the final show in August, “Sweet Charity.”
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