A gritty bittersweet comedy romance from John Patrick Shanley, writer of the Oscar-winning screenplay for Moonstruck.

Huey Bomfigliano has been divorced for three years from Janice, who brought him nothing but "heartbreak, screaming, bad food and a dead dog." But despite the zip gun which killed the dog and very nearly Huey himself, Huey is convinced that only by reconciling with Janice will his manhood be restored to him, much to the chagrin of his new girlfriend Teresa and his best friend Aldo who can’t believe it - “It’s like you get the Hong Kong flu - you get rid of it, now you want it back”. Aldo has his own problems - nobody can compete with his mother, and he thinks men and women are like unexploded bombs waiting to set each other off.

A modern day folktale, Italian American Reconciliation is a heartwarming story of love lost and found, and four young Italians whose declarations of love are also declarations of war.

John Patrick Shanley’s other plays include Danny and the Deep Blue Sea, Psychopathia Sexualis, Four Dogs and a Bone and Savage in Limbo. Italian American Reconciliation debuted at the Manhattan Theatre Club and has rarely been seen in the UK. His script for Moonstruck won both the Writers Guild Award and an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay. He also wrote the screenplay for Five Corners, which won a Special Jury Prize at the Barcelona Film Festival, and the screen adaptations of both Alive and Congo.

Following the success of Frank Pig Says Hello and Masks and Faces ( “…eminently deserves revival…A welcome and surprising revival.” Michael Billington, The Guardian; “This rare and diverting revival” Jewish Chronicle), Penny Dreadful Theatre Company return to the Finborough Theatre. Director Ian O'Brien’s previous work includes Brian Friel’s Faith Healer, Mojo by Jez Butterworth and David Mamet’s Speed The Plow at the Brockley Jack Theatre.

The Press on Italian-American Reconcilation
"American dramatist John Patrick Shanley may not be major league, like, say, David Mamet. But, he’s a name worth watching out for, someone with a quietly acute sense of theatre, who always has something to say. And, more importantly, something to show. . . Angela Rauscher’s Janice . . .sets the action alight . . ".
Timothy Ramsden, reviewsgate.com

"There’s skill and spirit in the playing, and Shanley who won an Academy Award for his screenplay for Moonstruck adorns the simple plot with smart dialogue that’s a pleasure to listen to."
Robert Shore, Time Out

"Playwright John Patrick Shanley takes a barbed look at the nature of relationships and charts how conflicts between the sexes can be just as ferocious as any inter gang battles. . . Ian O’Brien’s pacy direction ensures that its never boring and the cast works hard, particularly on their accents which, for once, actually do sound authentic. . . Paul Agar is a sympathetic, love lorn Huey and Angela Rauscher has just enough menace as the fearsome Janice."
Maxwell Cooter, Whatsonstage.com

"A charming, funny and intelligent play, set in New York’s Little Italy. . . These intense emotional struggles are portrayed by the actors with a light, deft touch, so you almost don't know they've hit you. Holding the show is the marvellous Roy Khalil as Aldo, with Paul Agar giving us brilliant nonsense as Huey. Angela Rauscher plays the scary and unhinged Janice, gun in hand, while Helen Owen Taylor charms as the woebegone Teresa. Acute observations dressed up in a humorous and naive manner prove to be a winning combination here. Highly recommended."
Julia Hickman, Theatreworld Internet Magazine

"Roy Khalil . . .His face paints a thousand words; he plays the Italian with much confidence and clarity, and his delivery of numerous one-liners and interaction with the audience is hilarious."
Sharon Garfinkel, Rogues and Vagabonds

"In particular, there is a very fine a performance from Angela Rauscher as the man eating, or at least shooting, Janice. She brings out an excellent and very funny performance from Roy Khalil's Aldo in one scene that they share. It is hard to believe that any balcony love scene could be further from the romance of Romeo and Juliet. . . Penny Dreadful who produced the recent Masks and Faces at the same theatre are to be congratulated on selecting a challenging play that is so different."
Philip Fisher, British Theatre Guide