BUSHWICK — Park Slope native and playwright John N. Frank is bringing a taste of his Italian-American upbringing to North Brooklyn with “It’s My Brooklyn, Too!”
“This is my family’s story, but it’s also the story of every immigrant family that’s come to America,” says Frank. “It deals with their struggles to achieve the American dream, looking at what families must sacrifice along that road.”
The play is set in a 1960s Park Slope row house on New Year’s Eve, where an Italian-American immigrant family is wrestling with the American Dream. Frank hopes that immigrants from any background will relate to this play as it deals with themes of family, culture and Brooklyn life.
“The American dream is to be accepted as American without the ethnic slurs and derision that’s normally directed at immigrants,” said Frank. “One character, Sonny, decides financial success and the trappings that come with it, like a big house, will mean acceptance for him and his wife. He decides to do something that will come back to haunt him in order to achieve that.”
The play is semi-autobiographical for Frank, whose experiences growing up at 688 President Street in Park Slope informed the play. Paying homage to his maternal grandmother and his family’s traditions was integral to the show. As many immigrant families will understand, Frank highlighted food as a signal of identity.
“The New Year’s Eve party at my grandmother’s house — the Smaldone family depicted in the play — was the major family event of the year when I was growing up. It always seemed like food prep for it started right after Christmas,” Frank said. “My mother was one of eight children, seven of whom had married. All would come to the party and each would bring food and all my cousins. The food would include…
Read the full article here
