By Gary Wien
originally published: 12/22/2016
When a friend told Gino DiIorio that Jack Klugman was looking for a new project, the playwright came up with The Jag - a play loosely based upon his own father and his desire to fix up his classic Jaguar car. The play was written with Klugman in mind and sent to him. Gino says Klugman read it, liked it, but passed on the play. And he wasn’t alone.
Despite being a finalist in a pair of play competitions and winning the 2010 Firehouse Theatre’s Great American New Play Award, The Jag never got a full production. Chances are it’s because the play needs a car on stage and not just any car, it needs a Jaguar.
Flash forward to 2017 when New Jersey Repertory Company will give The Jag its long awaited full production - complete with a car on stage.
The play revolves around 70 year-old “Chick” Chicarella and his 1967 Jaguar that is in desperate need of repair. The suggestion is made that the two fix up the car and sell it off, but realizing they need help they hire Carla — someone who is an expert in Jaguars but utterly lacking in social skills. Together, the three learn some hard lessons about repairing cars and smoothing out life’s jagged edges.
“I can’t die, I’ve got to finish the Jag” was something Gino’s father would often say. “I always thought that was funny,” said Gino. “Because it was one of those projects that never seemed to end. And then we lost my mom and my father developed lung cancer and was starting to go. Out of nowhere he said, ‘maybe it’s time to sell this damn car.’ I thought in the back of my mind that it was kind of strange. You know how you hold on to things like holding on until your kid graduates school? It seemed like he wanted to hang on to finish the car and then he realized he wasn’t going to be able to see it.”
Gino says his father was a very good mechanic and a great craftsman who saw himself as an artist. They always had several junk cars in the yard that needed repairs, but as the cars came and went, the Jag always remained. It became a member of the family.
The play is a father/son story that has many funny moments. Gino describes it as a ‘sweet play without being too sentimental.’ The father and son have difficulties with one another and are ok with that. They actually give the project more of an effort than Gino and his father did.
“My father and I worked together for about two weeks,” Gino recalled. “He was a body shop man. I worked with him for a while and then he said, ‘Look, if you’re going to work with your hands, you’re going to starve. You need to do something else.’ And he was right, I was not very good at it at all.”
In real life there was no Carla, but the play not only benefits from her addition - she generally steals the show. Gino thinks that may be one reason Klugman passed on the play.
“The Jag is one of those plays that a lot of people read and said they loved, but ‘how the hell are we going to put a car on stage?’” said Gino. “I wrote to my friend. The next time I decide to write a play with a car on stage just shoot me! But they did it. NJ Rep put a freaking car on stage!”
The Jag runs January 12 through February 12 at NJ Rep in Long Branch, NJ. Directed by Brendan Burke, the cast includes Estelle Bajou, Dan Grimaldi, and Christopher Daftsios.
BEHIND THE SCENES:
Jessica Parks has designed an outstanding set for The Jag. Here we see technical director, Brian Snyder, and his team working on the set. In the top photo, we see playwright Gino Dilorio next to the car.
About the author:
Gary Wien has been covering the arts since 2001 and has had work published with Jersey Arts, Upstage Magazine, Elmore Magazine, Princeton Magazine, Backstreets and other publications. He is a three-time winner of the Asbury Music Award for Top Music Journalist and the author of
Beyond the Palace (the first book on the history of rock and roll in Asbury Park) and
Are You Listening? The Top 100 Albums of 2001-2010 by New Jersey Artists. In addition, he runs New Jersey Stage and the online radio station
The Penguin Rocks. His personal website is at
lightyscorner.com. He can be contacted at
[email protected].
George Street Playhouse Presents Vicki Lawrence & Mama: A Two-woman Show
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
New Brunswick Performing Arts Center (NBPAC)
11 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJWritten by and starring
Vicki Lawrence Two Performances Only
Vicki Lawrence, the legendary actress, comedian, and singer, brings her signature wit and charm to the stage in Vicki Lawrence and Mama: A Two-Woman Show. Best known for her iconic role as Thelma Harper, or "Mama," from The Carol Burnett Show and Mama’s Family, Lawrence delivers a hilarious and heartfelt performance that takes audiences on a journey through her extraordinary career. From her Emmy-winning years alongside Carol Burnett to her chart-topping hit, “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia,” she shares behind-the-scenes stories, comedy, and music—all with her trademark humor. Whether reminiscing about her Hollywood adventures or embodying the feisty Mama, Lawrence proves that laughter is timeless.
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 2:00pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
Lisa Lambert and Greg Morrison
Kean Department Of Theatre Presents "the Drowsy Chaperone"
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:30pm
Kean Stage - Bauer Boucher Theatre Center
1000 Morris Avenue, Union, NJMusic and lyrics by
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Princeton’s Famous Triangle Show: Roswell That Ends Well
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
McCarter Theatre Center (Matthews Theatre)
91 University Place, Princeton, NJIf you’re feeling all alone in the universe – or even if you’re not – Triangle’s newest musical comedy is for you! Join us as Triangle explores what it means to have friends in high – or should we say “sky”? – places. Extraterrestrial visitors, crazy conspiracy theories, and intergalactic shenanigans power this year’s annual laugh-fest of witty jokes, lavish production numbers, and, of course, Triangle’s famous kickline. Can interplanetary goodwill blossom in the dystopian desert of our current times? Get your Triangle tickets now and learn if
Roswell That Ends Well!
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 3:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide/when The Rainbow Is Enuf,
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 8:00pm
Middletown Arts Center
36 Church Street, Middletown, NJDunbar Repertory Company presents Ntozake Shange’s
FOR COLORED GIRLS Who have Considered Suicide/When the Rainbow is Enuf, the groundbreaking “choreopoem” – a spellbinding collection of vivid prose and free verse narratives about and performed by Black women. Directed by Darrell Lawrence Willis, SR.
Murder At The Palace
Saturday, November 14, 2026 @ 7:00pm
The Historic Palace Theatre
7 Ledgewood Avenue, Netcong, NJSave the date for an adults-only night out set in the Roaring ’20s, as the Historic Palace Theatre plays host to a Murder Mystery event that’s truly to die for!
EVENT PREVIEWS
The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace
(NETCONG, NJ) -- The Growing Stage presents Murder at the Palace - a roaring 20's murder mystery - on Saturday, November 14, 2026 from 7:00pm to 10:00pm. All proceeds benefit the artistic and educational programming of The Growing Stage.
SPQR Stage Co. presents "Pumpin' the Chihuahua"
(SOMERS POINT, NJ) -- SPQR Stage Co. presents Bill Sterritt's "Pumpin' the Chihuahua," an imaginative dark comedy running two weekends from November 14–22, 2026 at studio;space in Somers Point.
Moorestown Theater Company presents "9 to 5, the Musical"
(MOORESTOWN, NJ) -- Moorestown Theater Company presents 9 to 5, the Musical from November 18-22 at First Methodist Church. Three unlikely friends take control of their office and learn there is nothing they can't do, even in a man's world.
Raritan Valley Community College's Arts & Design department presents "The Laramie Project"
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(MOUNTAINSIDE, NJ) -- Offbook Productions presents The Women of Congress 1776 on Wednesday, November 18, 2026 at the Trailside Nature & Science Center in Mountainside. Showtime is 6:30pm.
Cape May Stage presents "Murder For Two - The Holiday Edition"
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Paper Mill Playhouse to open season with "Mary Poppins"
(MILLBURN, NJ) -- Paper Mill Playhouse presents Disney and Cameron Mackintosh’s Mary Poppins to open the company's 88th season. Performances begin Wednesday, November 18 ahead of a Sunday, November 22 opening night for a run that continues through Sunday, January 3, 2027. This is a spectacular musical filled with wonder, wit, and unforgettable songs.
Somerset County Vocational Technical High School Theater Arts Department presents "Come From Away"
(BRIDGEWATER, NJ) -- In a story about strangers becoming family and tragedy giving way to unexpected hope, one real-life couple's love story has given students at Somerset County Vocational Technical High School a personal connection to the musical they are bringing to the stage.
Centenary Stage Company to Close Out 2026 Fringe Festival with "Unseen"
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The Road Company presents "Solid Gold: A Show-Stopping Cabaret"
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