Milan Style

Before I even arrived at the Lighthouse Festival Theatre opening night of “Perfect Wedding,” a friend told me I was going to be in for a real LFT theatrical treat. She saw the smart, comedic farce/love story the day before and said “it is hilarious and each of the cast members was so wonderfully good in their roles, and (she) especially enjoyed their English accents. This was the best one yet!”

So what can I say, but yes, “Perfect Wedding” was perfectly hilarious and the cast put on a seemingly perfectly flawless performance. The audience was kept in stitches from the opening moments throughout most of the two acts. And younger people in the audience, who could perhaps relate to wedding mishaps and mayhem even more than I after 41 years of marriage, were getting an extra kick out of the riotous muddle the groom found himself in.

Without a doubt, tickets will sell out fast for this play which is on the LFT stage until August 6.

Images: bridesmaid dress

To quote LFT Artistic Director, Derek Ritschel, “a good farce is a show that takes an absurd situation and makes it so real that it becomes incredibly funny. There’s just something hilarious about watching other people dig their own holes deeper and deeper. However, something equally rewarding is watching those same people find a clever way out.”

Bill, the groom in “Perfect Wedding,” wakes up the morning of his wedding to find himself in the honeymoon suite of the English Hotel that has been booked for his fiancée to get dressed in the morning of the wedding. He has a hangover and worse yet, there is an unknown beautiful blonde in bed with him.

He doesn’t know whether he was or was not faithful to his fiancée during the night and is in a sudden panic with the thought that he is ”going to be divorced before he even gets married.” And, he is cursing the fact he is unhinged and “doesn’t take alcohol well.”

Bill has barely hidden the stranger in the hotel bathroom when the maid, Julie, his Best Man, Tom (who arrives just in time to be dragged and implicated somewhat reluctantly into the hole Bill is trying to climb out of) and the bride, Rachel, arrives.

Needless to say, the situation worsens as the lies get complicated and the mother of the bride steps into the picture. The audience is treated to racy double entendres, a love story and comedic farce at its best.

All six in the ensemble, each playing their debut performance for LFT, did an outstanding job in their roles. The maid, groom and best man parts were especially entertaining, being performed with exaggerated comedic expressions and impeccable timing in Robin Hawdon’s smashingly well-constructed farce.

The playwright shares that “the challenge with a farce is first of all to find that electric opening situation, that initial dilemma, misunderstanding, or moment of human error, from which all the future confusions will spring…” He hit it right with “Perfect Wedding,” which has now played around the world.

Mairi Babb plays Julie, the brilliant maid. Her credits include “War Horse,” “The Gift of the Magi,” Rita in “Educating Rita”.

Ephraim Ellis is Tom, the beleaguered Best Man. He has played Jesus in “Jesus Christ Superstar,” Paddy Glynn in “Murdoch Mysteries” to name just two.

The over the top excited mother-in-law, Daphne, is performed by Sarah Machin Gale, who’s acting credits include “A Christmas Story,” “Calendar Girls,” “Romeo and Juliet.”

Cydney Penner, who is the perfect bride Rachel in this nightmare of a Perfect Wedding has performed role of Antigone in “Antigone,” Desdemona in “Goodnight Desdemona” and Erica in “Wash Up.”

The hapless groom, Bill, is played by Adrian Shepherd who has also been seen as Francis in “Suite Surrender,” Rob in “Leaving Wonderland,” Ferdinand in “Love’s Labours Lost,” plus more.

And Brianne Tucker, who plays Judy, Bill’s surprise bedmate and more (no spoiler alert here) has played Angelina in “Spirit Horse,” Noble Woman in “Reign,” Diana Morales in “A Chorus Line” and more.

The LFT stage was beautifully transformed into an elegant English honeymoon suite. Kudos to the creative team, production team and production sponsor Barber-Veri.

Related: http://www.sheindressau.com/backless-wedding-dresses