New bridal look for Tony n' Tina

BY TANIA PADGETT
tania.padgett@newsday.com

September 14, 2007, 3:56 PM EDT

Weddings are supposed to be elegant affairs. "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" isn't. The long-running Off-Broadway comedy about a tacky Italian-American wedding is filled with obnoxious, funny characters, including a surly pregnant maid of honor, a boozy priest and a groomsman who hawks hot items from the inside of his tuxedo jacket.

One of the more amusing elements of the show is that audience members are the guests, and they get to eat, drink and interact with the bride and groom, as well as their wacky family and friends.

The production is strongly associated with New York City. The couple -- Valentina Lynne Nunzio and Anthony Angelo Nunzio Jr. -- are from Queens and get married and have their reception in Manhattan, at Sofia's Restaurant on 46th Street, to be exact. But its beginnings are in Long Island, and that's where it will return on Oct. 5 for a special performance at Hofstra University's homecoming festivities.

Joe Corcoran, a 1982 Hofstra graduate and the show's producer, was among several university alumni from the early '80s who thought interactive theater would go over big. He was right. Now there are productions of "Tony n' Tina's Wedding" across the country, including in Atlantic City, Philadelphia, Orlando, Las Vegas, Dallas and Chicago. There also also productions in Japan, Australia and many European cities.

The show is fun. But when it comes to high fashion, you can, well, fuhgeddaboudit. The biggest offenders of good taste are the bridesmaids, who wear hideous red satin off-one-shoulder bridesmaid dresses with tasteless, sheer red stockings. The groomsmen aren't far behind, with outdated ruffled tuxedo shirts. And though Tina's A-line dress doesn't scream tacky, it looks dull and cheap, as does Tony's off-white, ill-fitting tux.

Despite the show's success (it will be celebrating 20 years next Valentine's Day), Bridal Planner decided it was time for an intervention.

We convinced six of the show's talented and good-looking cast members: Craig Rivela (Tony); Elizabeth Gerecitano (Tina); Barbara Ann Rollins (Connie, the maid of honor); Anthony Augello (Dominick, a groomsman); Con.cetta Rose Rella (Sister Albert Maria, the bride's cousin) and Dawn Luebbe (Marina, a bridesmaid) to let us give them a makeover.

We called in Salon Blue/Spa 190 in Mineola to style hair and makeup. We had the ladies try on the latest in wedding couture, which included Anne Barge, .David's Bridal in Westbury, Priscilla of Boston and Nicole Miller. Then we polished up the guys in Ralph Lauren and Calvin Klein tuxedos and ties supplied by Flow Formal Alliance in Bristol, Pa., and white shirts from .Gino's Fashion Tuxedos in Farmingdale.

Then it was off to the Woodbury Country Club, with its spectacular grounds dotted with sparkling fountains and ponds.

Flowers were supplied by Jack and Rose Florist and Decorators, 300 Woodbury Rd. in Woodbury.

"We had a great time," said Luebbe, who plays the ditsy bridesmaid. These clothes are "much better than what we are wearing in the show," Augello added, eyeing his ruffled shirt doubtfully. We didn't think we did too bad, either. In fact, we thought it was BEYUU-TEE-ful.

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