Review: AT THE WEDDING at Brookfield Theatre Of The Arts

What's worse than being at a wedding that you're clearly not welcome at to everyone but the bride? Being at a wedding that you're clearly not welcome at to everyone but the bride, who happens to be your ex that you are still madly in love with. That is the premise of At The Wedding, a contemporary play written by Bryna Turner and directed by Rae Janeil at the Brookfield Theatre of the Arts.

This fast-paced comedy brings modern solutions to timeless problems and kept the audience entertained while managing to pack a lot of therapy into a 90-min performance. Carlo, played by Amanda Friedman, is a pessimistic romantic who is just as confused as we are as to why she is putting herself through the wedding of the love of her life- a wedding in which Carlo is not involved. The answer becomes clear when she finally gets a chance to speak with Eva, played by Abigail Heydenburg. When Carlo is not trying to smooth things over with the newlywed, she spends the night drinking, catching up with old friends, making new ones, and saving the wedding from being blown up by an ill-timed proposal. Hardly ever leaving the stage, Friedman is the audience’s emotional tether to this entire affair and keeps our attention rapt from bringing to end as she takes us on her journey. Along the way, we meet Carly- a bridesmaid whose relationship with Carlo is frigid at best- played by Anya Nardole; Eli- the one who thought the above-mentioned proposal would’ve been a good idea- played by Liam McGrath; Maria- the mother of the bride and good friend to Carlo- played by Angie Joachim; Leigh- the sister of the groom who has her eyes set on making Carlo forget all her worries- played by Lulu Rothen; and Victor- the bartender- played by Andres Idrovo. Each one of these characters challenge Carlo as she comes to terms with fact that she’s too late to win Eva back and grapples with the thought that maybe this doesn’t have to be the end of the world.

Beyond the cast, the entire crew came together to keep this story exciting and, more importantly, moving: it is a wedding reception after all. From the dance lighting designed by Lou Okell, to the many plants & florals provided by Sara-Jo Banks, and the stunning cake from Patricia White, the entire production felt like a celebration, which was the perfect foil to Carlo’s sadness. If I weren’t so caught up in the drama, I would’ve been taking design notes for my own upcoming nuptials.

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