←Recommendations of Maria and Little Joey Have a Baby

A gripping, sardonic reinvention of the Nativity, replete with some genuinely enthralling action and great puns, often at the same time. Sapio deserves credit for retelling a story everyone knows without belaboring the point. And the script is just damn clever, what with three wise guys and the blink-and-you-missed-it reference to Bethlehem. Way fun.

A hilarious, high-octane alternate universe take on the birth of Christ, loaded with clever puns and wordplay! I have never seen so many corpses in a nativity story before, and after reading this Christmas comedy, I think that's a damned shame! The feminist subtext was a personal favorite addition, but stick around for the laugh-out-loud final image, which will stick with you long after the twelve days of Christmas have come and gone! It may be unorthodox, but this ridiculous little love story has two great roles, high stakes, and enough unexpected whimsy for everyone!

I had the great pleasure of producing this piece as an audio play for my podcast. This thrilling and tense encounter between the fleeing daughter of a mobster and the well-meaning young man he sent to find her works brilliantly as a piece of audio theatre and an alternative to your standard Christmas show! So, if you're looking for a fun back and forth with moments of tension that will have you leaning forward in your chair then this is the play for you!

That Maria's baby has no father can only mean one thing, right? Meanwhile, Maria has to get herself and her baby away from her father and the various goons on her tail. Enter Little Joey. Can Maria enlist his aid? Can she trust him? Is his love truly unrequited? There is wit and tension galore as this play builds to its very funny climax.

There have been many versions of the Nativity story, adaptations for different cultures and environments. This short play by George Sapio blends takes it on a path straight outta "The Godfather" with a twist of Damon Runyon to make this entertaining even with the requisite violence that adds to the tale. One thing that is not lost over the ages is that Maria is very much the strong and independent character we have seen in every telling. It's a story you can't refuse.

I loved reading this short mafia play inspired by the Nativity story! It's so creative, funny and action-packed. I haven't read many short one-acts with this much action and violence, and I was all in for it. The dialogue is so spot-on for a gangster play satire, and Maria is such a smart, independent young woman that I got the sense that "Daddy" is not going to get the best of her! The baby's final action is hysterical. I would love to see this performed, especially for a Christmas-themed festival.

This short play, where a mob daughter finds herself on the run and in the sights of those who hunt her, will absolutely delight audiences. This new approach to a holiday play is pure genius.

This one will shake up your next festival of short holiday plays. There are wonderful sly allusions to the traditional Christmas story (three "wise guys"--in the gangster sense--show up) and Christmas songs (there is an irritating drummer boy offstage)--but putting it into the milieu of a dangerous mafia family gives it a whole new life. It's a delightfully creative re-imagining with a strong female character.

This short play is fun! A mobster’s daughter runs away from home and has a baby - father unknown- while hiding out. Little Joey finds her and tries to convince her to go home. Engaging, tense, and mysterious (who’s the father??), “Maria and Little Joey Have a Baby” will keep you hooked from start to finish!

A wonderfully tense piece with two great distinctive characters. I also love the gangster terminology that's used. This piece will have an audience on the edge of their seat.