A “parody” to Francis Ford Coppola’s “The Godfather,” “Clemenza & Tessio are Dead” is the type of play that fans of the film will definitely get a kick out of. Using moments in the film as a springboard to deeper drama, this piece is a “behind the big picture” type of performance that is even better if you watch the source material right before.

However, on its own, “Clemenza & Tessio are Dead” lacks the punch an homage to anything even remotely-related to “The Godfather” should have. While Anthony Gallo [Sal Tessio] and Frank Senger [Peter Clemenza] are more than solid and get their fair share of laughs and applauses throughout, the play’s less than modest set, dialogue problems and lack of other actors on-stage takes away from what could have otherwise been an excellent drama.

Being an off-off broadway production, it’s understandable that the stage for this performance was a bare black. With a focus on the dialogue and these two over-the-hill Mafioso, there’s no need for a lavish set. But because of this, the dialogue in the play needs to be super strong and keep you involved throughout. In spite of some excellent writing at times, the script doesn’t get the job done. One scene in particular, in which Clemenza is yelling at his wife across the room, captures what essentially hurts the play the most, repetitiveness. After the first two times of hearing his roaring voice across the stage, the crowd has to at least chuckle and smile. And they do. However, three or four more instances of this same scream kill the joke and make the audience anxious for what’s ahead, rather than enjoy the current scene.

Similar situations where Tessio is forced to consistently repeat himself to Clemenza drag some scenes along. This ultimately robs the show of the conversational tone that playwright Gregg Greenberg does a more than adequate job of crafting- through a good two-thirds of the play.

Eventually, these small hiccups add up over time and hurt the flow of the performance immensely.

Feeling like “The Odd Couple” meets “The Godfather” at times, the play is billed as comedic drama, but never really sets its feet firm in either direction.

Luckily, both Gallo and Senger are excellent throughout. Even with the problems with the script, they are stellar as two mobsters that have seen better days. Troy Dane is decent as a host of other supporting characters and truly shines at the end as a young mobster who talks too much. Regardless of the trio’s ability on stage, this performance could have been helped out immensely with a few more talented faces on the stage.

Overall, with a few holes in the dialogue and a less than imaginative set, “Clemenza and Tessio Are Dead” is a performance geared specifically for fans of the genre. Anyone else not interested in the source material will enjoy the work Gallo and Senger, but will lack the aesthetics to put this story together properly.

Photo by Nick Tochelli

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