RED BARN CELEBRATES WITH THE HEARTFELT AND HILARIOUS “AT THE WEDDING”
Cast of Red Barn’s Production AT THE WEDDING
Ah, weddings. Those wonderful celebrations of love and the commitment of two hearts to the sharing of a life together. We expect an evening of joy, laughter, too much good food and drink, and endless toasts to the happy couple.
And then there is the somewhat sideways reception for the nuptials depicted in Bryna Turner’s heartfelt and hilarious “At The Wedding,” the next mainstage presentation in the Red Barn Theatre’s 46th season. Running January 20 through February 14 at their 319 Duval Street facility, it is an invitation that you surely won’t want to miss.
It’s not that Turner’s very funny play doesn’t have all the trappings of a typical joy-filled wedding. They’re in there somewhere. But she has reimagined the classic wedding-genre story by lampooning the tropes of such stories and adding just enough off-the-wall spice to elevate the play into the rare air of great comedy that manages to deliver a poignant message.
The story centers around a gregarious wiseacre named Carlo who has crashed the wedding of her ex-girlfriend, Eva, a vivacious young woman that has left their gay relationship to marry a straight man. Carlo has several goals in attending: not to get drunk, not to make little kids cry, and to try to win back Eva. The play is fast-paced, sharp, funny, and emotional, blending its humor with poignant reflections on love, loneliness, and heartbreak.
Along the way, we meet a cornucopia of great characters: Carly, the bridesmaid and “frenemy” of Carlo; Eli, a high school English teacher who thinks all of life can be explained in The Rime of the Ancient Mariner; Leigh, an alluring guest who flirts with Carlo and tries to get her to ditch the wedding with her; Victor, a very charming waiter; and Maria, the classic mother of the bride. The brilliance of Turner’s play is how she uses the interactions of these characters to examine how societal institutions often fail to accommodate diverse human experiences. And she does it while making us laugh out loud.
The play features the talents of Jess Polak, Martha Hooten-Hattingh, Jody Orrigo, Rita Troxel, Susannah Wells, Jessica Miano-Kruel, and Jack McDonald. It is directed by Joy Hawkins.
“I loved the play instantly,” said director Hawkins, also the Red Barn’s artistic director. “She’s a total fresh voice. The play has a nuance and poignancy, and a very special sweetness. It’s very today. We get to take this journey with this woman who is so adorably lost, and we get a great romantic look at life and how hard it can be sometimes. It’s simply an adorable play.”
DC Theatre Arts called the show “…wickedly funny…with plot twists and laugh-a-minute dialogue…”. TheatreMania called it “…brutally hilarious…”. The New York Times says, “…spritely smart…so fresh…so funny…”.
Tickets for “At The Wedding” can be purchased at redbarntheatre.com or 305-296-9911. Curtains for all shows are at 7:30 pm. Be aware that there is no parking at the Red Barn Theatre.