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 “At The Wedding,” the next mainstage presentation in the Red Barn Theatre’s 46th season, running Jan. 20 through Feb. 14 at the theater, 319 Duval St.
Turner’s play has 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 to comedy with a message.
The story centers around a gregarious wiseacre woman named Carlo who has crashed the wedding of her ex-girlfriend, Eva, a vivacious young woman who 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, with 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 by “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 charming waiter; and Maria, the classic mother of the bride. Turner uses the interactions of these characters to examine how societal institutions often fail to accommodate diverse human experiences.
The play features 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 Hawkins, who is also the Red Barn’s artistic director. “She’s a totally 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.”Tickets for “At The Wedding” can be purchased at redbarntheatre.com or 305-296-9911. Curtains for all shows are at 7:30 p.m. There is no parking at the Red Barn Theatre.
