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Wednesday, September 29, 1999 THE OAKVILLE BEAVER C1 Arts & Entertainment 1999 United Way of Oakville Campaign OUR GOAL $3.1 m illio n Editor: Carol Baldwin 845-3824 (Extension 254) Fax: 337-5567 United Way For more info: 845-5571 You are cordially invi Join the guests a t 'Joey and Gina's Comedy Wedding' where whatever can go wrong does Photo by Barrie Erskine Sal Figliomeni primps himself in front of the mirror preparing to get married for the first time this Friday at the Renaissance Convention Centre. But the Oakville actor plans to do it more than once. He will put himself through a wedding ceremony and reception every Fri­ as long as Joey and Gina's Comedy Wedding runs at the theatre space in Mississauga. By C arol B aldw in ENTERTAINMENT EDITOR How many times can you marry the same person? Sal Figliomeni plans to do it every Friday night at Mississauga's Renaissance Convention Centre (3045 Southcreek Dr.). The Oakville actor plays the groom in Joey and Gina's Comedy Wedding, which opens on Oct. 1st and continues every Friday evening until Dec. 10th. Dressed up in his tuxedo, cummerbund and bow tie, Figliomeni faithfully returns to repeat the rituals of the wedding ceremony and recep­ tion that most grooms prefer to avoid. And, unlike many newlyweds, he even works-out to make sure his wedding costume continues to fit him. • But Figliomeni wasn't always the groom in this particular wedding scene. "I've played everything in the wedding - Gino, the first usher; Vinnie, the best man; and now Joey, the groom," he says with an infectious smile, explaining that until now many of the perfor­ mances have been for private corporate show­ ings. Figliomeni's audition for Gino came about because he knew someone who was working on the show - the actor who plays the groom's ex- girlfriend in the production. 'T hey were short a G ino...They called me the day of (the production)," he recalls. "I had toured with Second City for two years. Improv is a strength of mine, and Gino is strictly improv. You just have to know the character and mingle with the audience... So, I just went in cold turkey and did Gino." His ultimate graduation to Joey took place as spontaneously as it did with Gino. The groom took sick, and once again Figliomeni came to the rescue, stepping into the part on eight hours notice. "I learned the songs because I have to sing to the godfather," he says, noting that he had had an advantage since that particular song That's Life, was a tune made famous by Sinatra and often sung by Figliomeni's father. "It was just a matter of getting in sync with the backup tracks. And I learned all the lines. So, I can basically say that I know the whole play now. If someone misses a line, I'll find a way to put it in." The Oakville actor says Joey and Gina's Comedy Wedding is as much fun to be in as it is to watch. The actors do have a script to follow, however, they often improvise, taking their cues from the audience. And the audience members also play parts. They are the wedding guests, enjoying the wedding ceremony first, then mov­ ing on to the reception complete with a five- course meal, traditional "speeches," the typical chick­ en dance and macarena, and a few not-so typical activities. "It's exactly like a wed­ ding. You want people to think they're actually at a wedding, so they can have fun, share in the mishaps that go on and the joys that hap­ pen. But the mishaps are more fun," says Figliomeni. "It's weird going to a wed­ ding now because I almost know exactly what's coming up. That's how close we are," he adds. "When I do get married, I'll just substi­ tute my wife, get a real priest and make some money off my wedding. I hope I can be serious and not let automatic pilot kick in." The 25-year-old was raised with his seven brothers and sisters in small town Northern Ontario. But dad, Cosmo Filane, was his inspi­ ration. Along with owning a restaurant, gas sta­ tion, and hotel, Filane is also a recording artist. "I grew up watching him sing...watching him perform. He's got four albums out. He's a middle-of-the-road kind of Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin type of 'lounge lizard.' It's good singing," explains his proud son. "My father has always been an entrepreneur and a businessman as well as a performer." But it was the "good singing" that motivated Figliomeni to participate in school plays and ultimately to participate in a telethon for Cystic Fibrosis in his home town of Schreiber. Howev­ er, when he was accepted into Sheridan Col­ lege's theatre program in 1992, the young singer/actor thought he'd done it all. "I thought I was a star - I'd done televi­ sion...Then I asked myself, 'Am I up for this?" ' he recalls, laughing at his naivete. But, he adds, working with the talented staff and students at Sheridan soon altered his atti­ tude, and now he is a star - a star of a wedding that never ends. But he continues to participate in the Schreiber telethon with his dad. And he's even written a song about a young girl with Cystic Fibrosis, which he has sung during the telethon and has been used to pro­ mote the annual event. After Sheridan, Figliomeni joined the Charlottetown Young Company for awhile before returning to Ontario where he toured schools with a children's the­ atre company. Then it was on to Second City. "I was actually a chef at Second City, cook­ ing upstairs in the restaurant before I got into the show. Everyone got to know me and found out that I was an actor. So, I got an audition and I auditioned," he says, explaining that he didn't follow regular protocol but joined the Second City training program after being accepted into the company rather than before. However, after two years with the comedy company, Figliomeni was ready to do more film and television, and it was commercials that piqued his interest. "I've been very lucky with commercials," he says, adding that he took time away from Second City to do a commercial with John Cleese. "I enjoy film and television. It's more appealing to me with the process of fine tuning it...You can really delve into it, and every­ thing's got to be perfect...I like the details." Figliomeni would like to move in that direc­ tion in the future. Sitting in his living room fac­ ing a large framed picture of Kramer from the Seinfeld show, he says his ultimate dream is to star in a sit-com. "I'm happy performing. It doesn't matter what it is. This is what I want to do with my life. So I will be happy anywhere," he says, adding that he is also working on completing a CD of mostly original music. And he already has three songs written for that particular pro­ ject. "I want to be well rounded. My father always said, 'I'll do whatever they need me to do.' You have to learn to be versatile." . So, like his dad before him, Figliomeni is also a businessman, selling spring water from, of course, Schreiber. "When I don't have audi­ tions, I can sell the water," he says, explaining that he finds little difference between promoting himself as an actor and selling water. "You have to convince people that you are a product that is going to do everything they need. It's like buying a cleaner. It has to clean the kitchen and the living room, rather than just clean the sink. If it does everything, you can get it to do all the jobs you need." Right now, his job is being the groom in Joey and Gina's Comedy Wedding. And despite his preference for film and television, Figliomeni says he's enjoying the spontaneity of the come­ dy production and the improvisational opportu­ nities it provides. For tickets to Joey and Gina's Comedy Wed­ ding call TicketMaster at (416) 870-8000. "/ had toured w ith Second C ity for tw o years. Improv is a strength o f m ine, and Gino is strictly improv. You ju s t have to know tiie character and m ingle w ith the audience...So, I ju s t w ent in cold turkey and d id Gino." ■ S h o w t i m e s : T h u r s d a y , S e p t e m b e r 3 0 a t 7 p m F r i d a y , O c t o b e r 1 a t 7 p m S a t u r d a y , O c t o b e r 2 at 1pm ■ F a s h i o n s h o w s w i l l t a k e p l a c e in C e n t r e C o u r t FOR MORE DETAILS CALL [90S] 279 SHOP [7467] * i i i Arts & Entertainment By Carol Baldwin ■ Showtimes: Thursday, September 30 at 7pm Friday, October 1 at 7pm Saturday, October 2 at 1pm ■ Fashion shows will take place in Centre Court FOR MORE DETAILS CALL [90S] 279 SHOP [7467]