I had the pleasure of seeing Gary Morgenstein's new play A Tomato Can't Grow in the Bronx last night at the Producers Club in Manhattan, and definitely recommend it, although it only runs through Sunday Sept 26.
Carlo Fiorletta's expert direction brings out the best in the actors and keeps the play moving briskly. Donna Castellano and Bruce Levy shine as a feuding married couple who probably should have divorced 20 years earlier. Jessica Renee Russell is delightfully flustered as newly-minted real estate agent Madeline, while Simcha Borenstein, Alyson Linefsky, and Troy Dane are excellent as the equally dysfunctional next generations of the family.
The play's best moments come toward its conclusion, as 25 years of anger and frustration are released - and not gently. But the story manages a hopeful note, and the audience can leave with a smile.
The story takes place in 1964, but its theme of a family yearning for a house with a yard resonates today, especially as we deal with the aftermath of the real estate bubble.
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