December 11-17, 2003

artpicks

Mondo Mangia

theater

If the holiday season brings nothing more delicious than Mondo Mangia, well, that's horn-of-plenty enough for anybody.

Jilline Ringle, a genuine Philly diva (and one seen far too infrequently on our stages) is both creatrix and star of Mondo Mangia, a masterful one-woman theatrical banquet. In Mangia, Ringle combines nature's three essential ingredients -- love, music and pasta -- into a magical stew of an evening.

Picture the lusty Ms. Ringle, turned out as a quintessential South Philly mama, holding court at the family stove. She talks about life (and is particularly poignant on the subject of her own mother), sings a program of food-related cabaret material ("Don't Touch My Tomatoes," a saucy novelty number, and Dave Frishberg's poignant "Sweet Kentucky Ham," are highlights) and cooks. The patter's good, the music's better and the spaghetti is done to al dente perfection. "It's a mélange of Morgana King and Emeril," I wrote ecstatically following the show's premiere in 2000, and I'm every bit as hungry to see it again. Mangia is offered for one performance only, as a benefit for 1812 Productions. All of Philadelphia's theater community is certain to be on-hand, and it's equally certain that the show will be a sellout.

Mondo Mangia, Mon., Dec. 15, 7 p.m., $50, Painted Bride Art Center, 230 Vine St., 215-592-9560.

—David Anthony Fox

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