BIDDEFORD — Have you eaten? Are you hungry? These are usually the first questions in Italian- American households upon visiting, replacing the ubiquitous “How are you?” in most situations. Even if you’re not hungry, a sandwich or a plate of ziti will usually find its way in front of you, despite your constant refusals.

Food is the driving force behind the Italian-American family dynamic. It’s also the driving force behind the play “Over the River and Through the Woods,” which opens Friday at Biddeford’s City Theater.

Written by Joe DiPietro and directed and produced by the theater’s own Linda Sturdivant, “Over the River” tells the story of Nick Cristano, a single, 29- year-old Italian-American marketing executive living in New York City.

Nick, played by Tommy Waltz, has been offered a promotion in faraway Seattle, an opportunity he can hardly refuse. But most of Nick’s family has moved away, and his four grandparents don’t want him to leave. So they devise a plan to keep him close: by marrying him off.

Hilarity ensues as Waltz engages in a constant bicker battle with his family for setting him up on a blind date during a regular Sunday dinner. In fact, most of the bickering in this play takes place in the presence of food .

Waltz is confident and charismatic, commanding the stage with both his bold personality and subtle nuances. Occasionally, he’ll smile toward the audience as he invites them into his grandparents’ home. In fact, Waltz does well what few actors are able to achieve, especially those in community theater – he’s dynamic.

In one scene, during which he experiences a panic attack, Waltz’s voice rises to the theater’s rafters as he reprimands his grandparents’ overbearing behavior. In another, he’s tender and gentle as he tells the lovely Caitlin O’Hare, played by Tara Golson, that he would love to take her on a date.

Golson is optimistic and gentle, but not afraid to speak her mind. After a tense dinner, she calls out Nick for being disrespectful to his family before rejecting his offer for a date. She displays a pleasant vulnerability in her relatively short time on stage, especially as she discusses her own damaging family experiences.

Also dynamic are the grandparents themselves: Frank and Aida Gianelli, played by Peter Salsbury and Gretchen G. Wood, and Nunzio and Emma Cristano, brought to life by Paul Burnham and Doni Tamblyn.

While each actor is able to stand on his or her own, the four work best in concert, playing off each other’s stubbornness and brash personalities. The cast constantly nails the mannerisms characteristic of Italian- American families – the constant use of hand gestures, repetition and snide commentary – and one can’t help but cringe when the five principal characters are allowed to partake in a game of Trivial Pursuit, complete with arguing and tangents abundant.

Their best scene together, however, is a musical number in which the characters reminisce about their first dates and dance to vintage music, evoking the romanticism of 1950s New York.

Tamblyn stands out in the crowd for her stage presence, strong Italian- American accent and feminist persona.

Wood, notable for constantly trying to feed everyone in the house, also deserves praise for her gentility in trying to convince Nick not to leave. Though her accent wavers at times, she’s believable when she says she wants Nick to stay so she can always help him, no matter how old he gets.

Wood is also responsible for bringing up one of the play’s key themes: we don’t always appreciate all we’ve been given. In fact, Wood’s dialogue with Nick can be viewed as a critique of modernity and the ambition of today’s young professionals.

“I think you expect too much. You spend so much time worrying about so much … we never expected the way you expect, Nicky,” Wood tells her on-stage grandson, referencing her more modest upbringing.

Is it true that we all just want too much in life these days? When was the last time we sat down with our families to talk – just talk, not bicker – and not worry about what comes next? When did we last sit at the dinner table, genuinely happy to be there?

Sturdivant’s production begs the audience to ask these questions. In fact, her show is a model display of the fragility of life, the quest for love and a nod to how easily family ties can unravel, either at the mention of marriage or at the drop of a cannoli.

But more than anything, the play humanizes the overbearing family. It’s perhaps an afterthought for most young adults burdened with family drama, but time and time again, it becomes obvious to the viewer: your family might be crazy, but they’re human, and they care about you.

“Over the River and Through the Woods” runs Friday through Oct. 23 at The City Theater, 205 Main St., Biddeford. Tickets are $20 for all seats, and can be purchased at the theater or at citytheater.org. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, and select Sunday matinees begin at 2 p.m.

— Staff Writer Alan Bennett can be contacted at 282-1535, ext. 329 or abennett@journaltribune.com.