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Theater Review | New Jersey

The Hits Just Kept On Coming

From left, Richard Zavaglia, Ray Abruzzo and Dan Lauria star in “Dinner With the Boys,” written by Mr. Lauria and directed by Frank Megna, at the New Jersey Repertory Company.Credit...SuzAnne Barabas

There’s no drum in sight. But you can almost hear the ba-dum-bum following the jokes in “Dinner With the Boys,” a hokey comedy that’s far more enjoyable than it really should be.

In the play, which is making its world premiere at the New Jersey Repertory Company in Long Branch, two old-school mafia men are holed up in a secluded house after botching an assignment. They have been there, in “the wilds of New Jersey,” for months, waiting to discover how the mob will ultimately punish them.

While the men, Charlie and Dominic, await their fate, they rehash old times and dine on Italian meals that they prepare for themselves. Recipes are described and past murders are discussed, and most every story winds its way to a punch line.

In one tale, Charlie recalls how he and a former hit-man partner brought two victims to Nunzio’s restaurant, where they threw them into the pizza oven. One victim was still alive. The wiseguys then “watched them burn till there was nothing left but ashes.”

Dominic, a former cook for the mob, is touched that Charlie has opened up about the memory. “Thank you for sharing,” Dominic says, almost with a tear in his eye. “Now I know why Nunzio’s crust has that unique taste.”

Ba-dum-bum.

Similar gags follow, along with intentionally groan-worthy puns. To be sure, several of the jokes fall flat. But a surprising number hit their mark, given that such characters and situations have been mined in countless organized crime movies and television shows. If cliché isn’t always averted here, at least it’s approached with tongue planted firmly in cheek.

The script, by Dan Lauria, is at its best when it’s at its wackiest. The opening is a tad talky, with an unsteady tone and pace. Yet the madcap situations escalate with the arrival of Big Anthony Jr. and, later, “the Uncle Sid,” two mafia officers. Even amid some gross-out talk of grisly murders, the actions and stories remain amusing and strangely good-hearted (with some surprises that are best not revealed here).

Remembering Leo, his old partner, Charlie tells of a time when the now-deceased man showed tender mercy to a victim, whom they had taken to the zoo. Leo cut the victim’s throat “before we threw him in with the gators,” Charlie says with admiration. “Is that a stand-up guy or what?”

As a stage actor, Mr. Lauria has proved himself skilled in leading roles (as the title character in “Lombardi” on Broadway, for instance) and supporting ones (as Jimmy Hoffa in “Good Bobby” Off Broadway). He’s especially comfortable here, in a part he’s written for himself. As Charlie, he sets up his jokes smoothly, and Richard Zavaglia as Dominic finishes them off with ease. The actors are impeccably matched, like an old married couple who alternately bellow at and praise each other.

Ray Abruzzo, who doubles in the two supporting roles, is best tuned-in to the zaniness, and milks his characters for many of the best laughs. As Big Anthony Jr., he’s a manic loose cannon with a ferocious temper. As the Uncle Sid, a Jewish man who married into the Italian family and now wants to lead it, he’s a calculating, borscht belt curmudgeon. He plays both parts to the hilt.

The three are fairly well directed by Frank Megna, though at one recent performance some slack timing led to a few laugh-worthy lines earning only smiles. The first-rate set design is by Jessica Parks, whose sharp eye for detail is always worth praising.

A friendly, big lug of a play, the 100-minute “Dinner With the Boys” exists solely to please its audience, and more often than not it succeeds. Yes, you can see some of the jokes coming from a mile away. But they’re still quite funny once they arrive.

“Dinner With the Boys,” by Dan Lauria, is at the New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, through Oct. 5. Information: 732-229-3166 or njrep.org.

“Dinner With the Boys,” by Dan Lauria, is at the New Jersey Repertory Company, 179 Broadway, Long Branch, through Oct. 5. Information: 732-229-3166 or njrep.org.

A version of this article appears in print on  , Section NJ, Page 11 of the New York edition with the headline: The Hits Just Kept On Coming. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe

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