Drama unfolds over Sunday sauce in Massapequa Park playwright’s ‘All that Matters’

By Sam Desmond |

The CM Performing Arts Center in Oakdale is set to debut a powerful new original play from Massapequa Park’s own Michael Livoti — a story filled with family secrets, simmering tensions, and stuffed shells.

“All That Matters,” opening Friday, July 11, follows the Cardello family as they gather for dinner in the wake of their father’s death. What begins as a somber tribute soon boils over with long-buried resentments as the family’s dysfunction unfolds — course by course.

Livoti, who had originally conceived of the play as a movie five years ago, decided the story of a family struggling to cope after the death of the patriarch would be better told as a stage play.

“All That Matters” follows the Cardello family when recently widowed Terry calls her four children to come together to honor their late father’s memory. While the family tries to maintain composure and niceties with each other during dinner, the seething anger and resentment toward one another surfaces through gritted teeth and throughout a five-course Italian Sunday dinner.

Hans Hendrickson, who plays only son Chris, a fresh-out-of-rehab heroin addict, said that originating a role “gives you the freedom to work from the ground up to create a character without any expectation and Michael has provided me with a solid foundation to build on.”

When we meet Chris, his sisters are confused and judgmental of his mere presence at the funeral and he admits he checked himself out of rehab against medical advice.

“There’s a lot to unravel there and I’ve had the script since we did the table read back in January, so I’ve been lucky enough to have the time to really think about who he is to better understand him and his significance in both the family and the story. Playing a role no one’s played before is so refreshing and it’s one of the aspects that really drew me to the project.”

The director, Patrick Campbell, who in the past has directed bold and lush musicals like “Jekyll and Hyde,” “The Prom,” and “Saturday Night Fever,” returns to his roots as his love for directing came from working on straight (i.e. non-musical) plays.

“The first time I ever got the opportunity to direct was in college…I discovered that straight plays really lend themselves to so much exploration and countless creative possibilities,” he said. ” Musicals are certainly challenging in their own right as casting often relies on delivering across multiple talent disciplines (acting, singing, dancing, etc.).

“Straight plays present different challenges that call on directors, performers, and designers to create a world of intrigue without having a story that has built-in musical numbers to push the action and visual excitement along for the audience.”

Hollid-Ausset wanted audiences to be able to experience theater in a different way from the Broadway-quality musicals CMPAC is typically known to produce.

“Producing this play is definitely different than the type of show we usually produce but what is not different is the talent of the cast and quality of the production. I am confident that our audiences will embrace this local playwright’s work and enjoy yet another cultural experience at our center,” he added.

“All That Matters” tickets are on sale at CMPAC for Friday, July 11 at 7:30 pm, Saturday July 12 at 2 pm and Sunday, July 13 at 2pm.

— Photos by Sam Desmond