Seeing Stars: There's a moose on the loose!

Dina Morrone invited me to come see her new play, "Moose On The Loose," in Hollywood to write about it for Beverly Hills Times Magazine, one of my many freelance jobs, but it was so good, I'm writing about here too.

Morrone wrote and performed in the play along with some excellent actors, many of which you've seen on television and in films. I love L.A.!

Check my name, I get the humor around Italian immigrant characters and so does Morrone because she nails every line and cast the perfect actors for each member of the lively Tappino family as they come together over a moose on the loose.

The Tappinos originally came from Calabria, Italy and as fate would have it, land in the freezing town of Way Up Bay, in Canada. There's obvious humor about life in a freezing world and Italian accents trying to say Canadian names, but there's plenty of warmth between the characters.

There's a couple of scenes performed by the patriacrh of the family, Guiseppe, played by John Cygan that really choked me up. I really know personally what it's like to start over in a new place to follow my dreams and was surprised at my own reaction to his words.

The Tappino family remind me so much of my dear Calabrese friends, the Pannuttis, that lived a few blocks over. There were always three or four generations of beautiful chaos performing in the Pannuttith kitchen, where I spent so much of my youth. Thank you Dina for those fond memories!

The show is at Theater West- 3333 Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood 90068 and has been extended till the end of the month. Tickets are $11 (Veterans) -$25. For more information call 323-851-7977.

Cassandra M. Bellantoni is a Los Angeles freelance reporter, producer, video editor and featured front-page blogger on Huffington Post. She is also a former chef, restaurant owner and breast cancer survivor. Follow her on Twitter @StarShineSpeaks or email cassandra_bellantoni@yahoo.com