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Roman
Candles was a trip down memory lane for its co-authors Charles Messina and
Paul Gonçalves. The two friends grew up in lower Manhattan and were
quite familiar with the rites of passage and modes of behavior within that
Mafia-influenced, crime-ridden subculture. However, the friends were determined
not to reduce the piece to silly tough guy cliches. Roman Candles became
a profoundly humorous look at urban street life. The story
follows four friends through five days from July 1st through the 5th,
as they pass their time selling fireworks for a local gangster. Their
stories and lives unravel as the long, hot summer days drag on. Roman
Candles ultimately becomes a cautionary tale of wasted youth and broken
dreams.
The play was noted for its set design--an imaginative recreation of a
barroom, a city park, a bedroom, and a guiderail along the Holland Tunnel,
all of which co-existed simultaneously onstage.
The show ran in March of 1995 at Studio Theatre 4A in NYC. |