'Move Over, Patti LuPone!' Mob Wives Star Big Ang to Make Appearance in My Big Gay Italian Wedding

Mob Wives star Angela “Big Ang” Raiola will make her off-Broadway debut in My Big Gay Italian Wedding, appearing in the show for one night only on March 9. Raiola will officiate the wedding of Anthony and Andrew in the wacky comedy at St. Luke’s Theatre. Written by Anthony J. Wilkinson and directed by Sonia Blangiardo, My Big Gay Italian Wedding is scheduled to play a limited engagement through April 13.

“I am a huge supporter of the gay community and to perform a gay wedding will be easy for me,” Raiola said in a statement. “I’ve always wanted to be on Broadway, so move over, Patti LuPone!”

Raiola is the star of both Mob Wives and her subsequent spin-off series, Big Ang. She is the owner of the bar Drunken Monkey in Staten Island, New York. Her late uncle, Salvatore “Sally Dogs” Lombardi was the head of the Genovese crime family.

My Big Gay Italian Wedding originally premiered at the Actor’s Playhouse in 2003. A revised version of the show moved to St. Luke’s Theatre in 2010, featuring special appearances by The Real Housewives of New Jersey, Tabatha Coffey, Vincent Pastore, Dr. Joy Browne, Lance Bass and more. Recent guest appearances have included Mob Wives Ramona Rizzo and Karen Gravano. The comedy is a sendup of the controversy surrounding same-sex marriage while drawing on larger-than-life gay, Italian characters.

The cast of My Big Gay Italian Wedding includes Wilkinson as Anthony, Daniel Robinson as Andrew, Brett Douglas as Maurizio, Donna Castellano as Angela, Joe Scanio as Joseph, Meridith Cullen as Maria, Justin Flexen as Gregorio, Liz Gerecitano as Lucia, Meagan Robar as Connie, Drew Little as Mario, Michael Gellert as Frankie, Erik Ronsom as Rodney and Chad Kessler as Father Rosalia. Paul Moon and Leah Gerstel serve as ensemble members.