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Patricia Kugler-Whitely, Jordan Peterson and Ilona Pinzke star in Madison Theatre Guild's "Over the River and Through the Woods," which runs through Nov. 29. - Marie Schulte photo

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I'm going to hazard a major statement here: "Over the River and Through the Woods" is the perfect holiday play.

Granted, it's set in June, around no particular holiday. But it's contemporary -- which might make it feel more relevant -- it's about family, and Joe DiPietro is a great comic writer. ("I Love You, You're Perfect, Now Change" is another beloved example.)

I haven't forgotten the old chestnuts -- "White Christmas," "A Christmas Carol" and "It's a Wonderful Life" all have their place. But none of them make me laugh and cry and miss my family like Madison Theatre Guild's production of "Over the River," running through Nov. 29 at the Bartell Theatre. By now I watch those annual specials as much out of habit and tradition than real affection.

That is how the lead of Joe DiPietro's 1999 comedy, 29-year-old Nicholas, feels about dinners in Hoboken: lovingly obligated. The only young member of the family still living in the northeast, Nick (Jordan Peterson) attends a lavish Italian meal in New Jersey with both sets of grandparents every Sunday with dutiful impatience.

When Nick receives a job promotion that would move him to Seattle, the grandparents launch a counterattack to keep him home in the form of Caitlyn O'Hare (the excellent Sara Albrecht-Chubrilo), an attractive young woman who appreciates Nick's family more than he does.

As Nick's maternal grandfather, Tom Haig is exceptional; at 87, he is a Madison treasure. His Frank, an immigrant at 14 now fighting to keep his car keys, is believable and funny. He ad-libs but never misses a beat, balancing well-timed sarcastic jabs with poignant soliloquies about what it means to "tengo famiglia."

Ilona Pinzke plays Frank's wife, Aida, an overwhelmingly maternal woman who lives by the mantra, "Who's hungry?" Pinzke has the willfully obstinate grandma down to each inflection and gently interfering gesture.

Patricia Kugler Whitely is Emma, an upbeat, church-going woman fond of bright colors and polka dots. Whitely is sweet and earnest and perfectly pitched, especially in her unspoken conversations with Nunzio, her husband.

For himself, "Nunz" (a fine Don McCoy) says he can't be quiet, he's "passionate," visually evident in priceless turquoise pants and loud, colorful shirts (designers Louise Dehar and Jean Mindel had fun here). Nunzio is dying of cancer, a fact he knows will keep Nick at home if he reveals it.

Peterson's performance as Nick is somewhat uneven. Peterson has many small, expressive moments (settling in for a story he's heard 18 times, patiently exasperated when his grandmother insists Chinese cuisine is not food). He is less convincing and a bit stilted launching into a tirade or trying to convince Caitlin to go out with him.

The play drags when sentimental soliloquies pop up more frequently. The play slows down as Frank reminisces or Nunzio struggles with Nick's departure, perhaps a reflection of a typical trip to see elderly family.

The set of "Over the River" is bursting with detail, some of it amassed from cast members: a plastic jug of pennies, tiny angel statues, muted landscapes on the walls, bowling trophies, hand-knitted afghans. It's almost eerie, like someone raided my grandmother's estate sale.

The specificity of the set (designed by Courtney Nelson) shows that director Scott D. Hurlbert is concerned as much about what goes in as what stays out, namely, accents. The four members of the Greatest Generation are all of Italian descent, but nobody attempts a hammed-up Jersey dialect. The play is better for it.

It is a testament to the play's honest power about family relationships that by the end, I wanted nothing more than to share it with my own mother. My grandmother was so like Aida, always feeding us, giving more than she could.

But of course, Mom lives three states away. It drives home the play's important, sometimes difficult truth that children leave, grandparents pass on, and the holidays are most precious because they're only temporary.

IF YOU GO

Madison Theatre Guild presents "Over the River and Through the Woods," a comedy by Joe DiPietro directed by Scott D. Hurlbert, through Nov. 29 at the Bartell Theatre. Tickets cost $15 and can be reserved at 238-9322. For more information, visit www.madisontheatreguild.org/over.html. During the run, the Madison Theatre Guild is collecting canned goods for the Second Harvest Foodbank of Southern Wisconsin.