Playing in the intimate black box space of the Firehall Theatre at TIP, Farren Timoteo’s one-man show Made in Italy (a production from Western Canada Theatre) is a suitably personal story which draws the audience into the world of the playwright’s characters. Timoteo’s show not only succeeds on the emotional front but also as a duly entertaining performance piece in its own right, as directed by Daryl Cloran, who also happens to be the artistic director of the Citadel Theatre in Edmonton, AB. Telling the story of an Italian-Canadian teenager’s struggle to fit in while growing up in 1970s Alberta, Made in Italy communicates equally the trials and humour of such an experience.

Beginning with the appearance of Salvatore, a first-generation immigrant of the Mantini family, the values which are to become central in Timoteo’s show are presented. He speaks of the dining table as the most important piece of furniture in the home, since all of the family gathers there for meals. The symbolic significance of the table is further underscored by Salvatore’s remark that it is the first item he bought in Canada, thus foreshadowing its central role (both literal and figurative) throughout the play. The focus, however, eventually falls on Salvatore’s Canadian-raised son Francesco, who only feels embarrassment and resentment at his heritage which separates him from other youth. By going through many dramatic and rough experiences, including an inspiring visit to the old country, Francesco eventually comes to embrace both his Italian identity and the importance of family. …

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