Indy Theatre Habit

Last Thursday night, my friend Christine and I drove over to the Pike Performing Arts Center to see the Actors Theatre of Indiana production of “Perfect Wedding.”  It was written by Robin Hawdon and directed by Judy Fitzgerald.

We laughed a LOT.  Christine said she thought her husband would have enjoyed it, too.

A sweetly lovable and well-intentioned man, Bill (Don Farrell), wakes up hung over on the morning of his wedding day.  He is horrified to discover that not only is he prematurely in the honeymoon suite that is reserved for him and his bride to make love in that night, but there is a sexy Woman (Christa Shoot) he’s never seen before in bed with him!

To make matters worse, his lovely and confident bride-to-be, Rachel (Jamison Kay Garrison), is on her way in to use the suite to get dressed for their nuptials!

Bill begs his Best Man, the dependable Tom (Bradley Reynolds), to help him get the mystery woman out of the hotel without his future wife knowing about her.  The Woman locks herself in the bathroom, however.  The two men draft dutiful Julie the Chambermaid (Cynthia Collins) to help them in their subterfuge, which becomes even more difficult when Daphne, the managerial Mother-of-the-Bride (Julie Dixon), arrives.  Late in the play, even the suave but harried Hotel Manager, Monsieur Dupont (Tobin Strader), becomes involved.

The wacky miscommunications are both physically and verbally funny.  I overheard a man sitting behind us say that the style of the show reminded him of the sketch comedy of Carol Burnett and company on her TV show.  I agree!

Each of the actors is funny in his or her own way.  I admired Don Farrell’s speed-of-light finger-pointing monologue and his flips, for example.  I also admired Christa Shoot’s nimble bed antics.  Cynthia Collins made me howl with her portrayal of working class Judy’s attempt to impersonate Tom’s glamorous girlfriend.  I did not see the two twists involving Bradley Reynold’s character coming at all, which made them all the more enjoyable when revealed.  Jamison Kay Garrison’s innocent delivery made a perfectly understated, and funny, foil to all of the broad comedy going on “behind” her.  Julie Dixon provided another quirky layer of texture to the group dynamics.  And Tobin Strader’s character was so much fun that I found myself wishing he had appeared earlier in the show.

There are several especially clever ensemble moments, too.  At one point, for example, four of the actors are all in a close line. They respond unexpectedly to a bit of dialogue with the perfect rhythm of a row of dominos falling over.  It is a hoot!

I loved that a man sitting in front of us, while we were all standing up during intermission, put his hand on his hip and said in response to a question from his friends, “You may well ask!” (a recurring, and funny, refrain from the show.)

The bifurcated set, designed by Don Farrell and lit by Erin Meyer with assistance from Eryn Brookes, is beautiful.   Looking at it before the show opened (while listening to delightfully appropriate pre-show music) I thought it was like something out of “The Odd Couple.”  One side is neat as a pin and the other is a mess of tangled bed linens and rumpled clothing strewn everywhere.    However, one side is the bedroom and the other side is the living room of the suite, with a cut-away wall and a door in between.  People run back and forth between the two rooms and through other doors in each.

Don Farrell is the production manager.  James W. Carringer is the production stage manager and sound engineer.  Eryn Brookes is the master electrician.  Don McGuire and Laura Perlman of McGuire Scenic, Inc. oversaw construction of the set (if I understand the program correctly.)  Doug Shockley was the scenic shop foreman.  Don Farrell was the master carpenter and scenic painter.  Other painters included Eryn Brookes, James W. Carringer, Cynthia Collins, and Michael Long.  Collins and Long were also carpenters for this production.

ATI’s technical director was Don Farrell.  Pike PAC’s manager/technical director was Kyle Bredehoeft.  Jeff Maess is the Pike PAC facilities manager and executive director.  Laura Neidig is the Pike PAC box office manager, with assistance from Jared Duymovic. 

Cynthia Collins created the props and is the master of properties, which include a toilet brush weapon, among other hilarious items.  Terry Woods is the costume designer.  I loved everyone’s gorgeous wedding clothes.  I don’t know if Judy’s eyeglasses count as a costume item or a prop, but Collin’s judicious use of them provided a lot of laughs.

Driving home, Christine and I discovered that we each had had a small quibble with the show:  sometimes the people who were on the “quiet” side of the set at any given moment didn’t behave in ways that made sense.  For example, when the Mother of the Bride is supposedly hemming the bridal gown, she just picks at the shoulders of the seated woman wearing it.  We would have expected the gown-wearer to stand up on a chair and the Mother to be putting pins in the hem.  But maybe the director thought that such a tall visual would be too distracting. 

Anyway, as I say, it was only a small quibble.  We enjoyed the show very much, as a whole.

We also got to talking about what makes a play a farce.  The next day, Christine emailed me a definition she had found:  “A light dramatic work in which highly improbable plot situations, exaggerated characters, and often slapstick elements are used for humorous effect.” 

That is certainly this show!

“Perfect Wedding” closed on Sunday, September 21, 2008, but Actors’ Theatre of Indiana is having “An Evening to Remember” on November 22, 2008 at the Oak Hill Mansion in Carmel as its annual fundraiser.  For more information and to buy tickets for this musical nostalgia event celebrating the stars of old-time radio, please call 317-669-7983 or visit the ATI website.

Hope Baugh – www.IndyTheatreHabit.com