La Nonna’s Saucy Sauce Day

It’s the traditional day to make passata – chopping, crushing, bottling the summer’s best tomatoes – juicy, rich – but gotta be cheap.  Two nonnas – played by sparky, vivacious Anna Cerreto and pernickety, dour Samuel Dariol (in drag) - prepare for the big day… But, oh, no, they don’t have enough tomatoes! 

Cerreto and Dariol are really much too young to be nonnas, and they compensate with crazy make-up.  The heavy ‘Italian’ accents sometimes get too thick for us to understand every word, but that doesn’t matter.  They’re sending up the cliché, the nonna stereotype and having as good a time doing it as the audience is enjoying it.  In the very intimate space of La Mama HQ, the nonnas are practically in our laps – and certainly in our faces.  They appeal to us for help, for support; they scheme, they bicker, one is optimistic, the other pessimistic.

Getting those tomatoes – via the most surprising means – and recruiting help and passing on the traditional skills – are the threads that runs through this delightful comedy/drag show with real tomatoes, plus some agit prop, plus willing audience participation.  The text may be a little formless, but its carried by charm, clowning, pace, and energy – and punctuated with song and dance numbers.

For no particular reason, the nonnas burst into song and segue into spirited dances.  No choreographer is credited – maybe it’s director George Lazaris or maybe Cerreto and Dariol are just naturals – but the choreography and the dancing are terrific – and funny. 

But… where they gonna get the tomatoes?  They try their usual source, tomato merchant ‘Bruno’ – that is, a member of the audience dragged into the action.  On opening night, this audience member is so good as Bruno that Dariol protests, ‘Hey, you’re stealing our show!’  When Cerreto has trouble with a heavy box of tomatoes, another audience member leaps up to help.  It’s that kind of show.  People are eager to play a part.  You can’t miss how involved the audience is (on opening night, many Italians) in the action and what a great time they’re having.  The laughter is just about continuous.

When all avenues of tomato supply have failed, the nonnas resort to prayer.  On their knees they importune The Black Madonna - La Madonna Nera di Montevergine – and she appears!  But not quite as they expect…  The show does get a little preachy, but only for a few minutes, and Savanna Kruger as La Madonna seems uncomfortable with the ‘message’ but soon things are back on track, Kruger relaxes, and we all go outside onto the forecourt to make passata.  Tomatoes abound – thanks to La Madonna – or the Earth Mother, or the Spirit of Country.  Everyone has a go at cutting, crushing and bottling.  Spaghetti and red wine appear.  And a very happy crowd mingle, laugh and enjoy the Italian spirit.  Do get along.  Only four more performances. 

Michael Brindley

Photographer: Darren Gill