actor Robert Cuccioli comes onto the stage as the patriarch Con and the whole night changed.  Robert Cuccioli is a huge force on stage.  One can easily see why he received a Tony Nomination for Jekyll & Hyde on Broadway.  He is so big and SO forceful.  He chews up every moment on stage.  Basically, he just scares the shit out of you.  In simplest terms, the character of Con has an ENORMOUS chip on his shoulder for being an Irish immigrant and not a “gentleman.”  He does ALL and I mean EVERYTHING to fuel this fantasy of importance and respectability.  He loves his wife then hates her horribly.  He loves his daughter – and then being reminded that she is a waitress – – rails against her unmercifully.  

The play needs a man that can own the HUGE pathos of the play.  He needs to fill big raging moments, ferocious dreams, and massive cruelty all while quoting passages for Lord Bryon with aplomb.  Robert Cuccioli can do it.  It is worth the ticket price just to see him.  But do NOT sit in the first three rows. You won’t be able to take the fire and brimstone.