Pizza and Whine

What I liked

-A play memorializing a loved one is genuinely sweet
-Gogo and Fabio were both very compelling
-For a fringe show, the set dressing and props were phenomenal
-The sisters have beautiful singing voices

What I didn't like

-Most of the dialogue was about people who weren’t there. This made me wonder several times why I was watching THESE characters when the grandma and grandpa’s relationship sounded a lot more interesting. Well, I know why I was watching these characters – because four sisters wanted to act together to pay tribute to their grandmother. Familial catharsis is a noble goal, but since I’m not part of the family, I felt at a distance
-No central conflict, low stakes, no one was changed all that much by the end
-There were several moments that were supposed to be funny, but the most the show got out of me was a smirk
-The actors weren’t talking TO each other, they were talking AT each other – pretentious as the following sounds, but there was a general lack of objectives amongst the actors
-A few of the actors had poor enunciation
-Jennifer, the “sarcastic” sister, is clearly talented but tried way too hard to be funny
-The attempts at topicality were (for the most part) inorganic and forced

My overall impression

You very well could enjoy this play more than I did, but it was difficult for me to see past a multitude of fundamental issues in the script/performances. I can appreciate a play that is essentially a eulogy to beloved family member. I find this sort of familial catharsis a touching notion. However, I’m not a member of the creators’ family nor a particularly sentimental person and so there was little for me here.