"A Wedding Story" by Bryony Lavery

West Bridgford Dramatic Society.

The Studio Theatre, West Bridgford.

This may be one of the most difficult reviews that I have to write. With plays that I have never seen before I do very little research about the storyline, so as to make the impact of the storyline as fresh as possible; that's the same with comedy plays, musicals or, as with this one, incredibly sad.

Taking her place in church, little does Sally know that she is about to find love herself with another wedding guest, Grace. Meanwhile, at home her parents, Evelyn and Peter, face the toughest challenge of their marriage, as the ageing process in the form of Alzheimer's takes its toll with devastating effect. The entire family, including Sally's sibling, Robin, is brought face to face with the meaning of true love and commitment.

Evelyn is played by Michelene Harris, who makes her return to the stage in a role that I am sure was not an easy role to play by any stretch of the imagination. Evelyn, who is a medical person, starts to forget the odd name, but it's when she fails to recognise her husband in their own home that you realise that there's something more serious afoot. Michelene plays the gradual onset of Alzheimer's with great sensitivity, and it's the pain and frustration that the character is obviously going through that really hits home and creates an emotional recognition from myself. I have a tendency to forget names and places and it makes you think, on a personal level, could that be me somewhere down the line? 

Any actor wants to know that the work that they have done on stage has affected their audience in the way that they and the Director intended the character to do, and to tell their story. It certainly had me welling up, especially seeing how the frustration was felt by the family and the things that they said and did. There's a scene where Evelyn has wet herself and the following scene just makes you want to scream inside. If Michelene never plays another role, which I really hope will not come true, I'll know that I have seen an actor who blew me away emotionally; an actor who made me feel useless and an actor who made me feel anger at their treatment by their loved ones. I can also only imagine that Michelene feels quite drained after every performance of Evelyn.

Peter is played by Malcolm Todd, an actor that I've had the pleasure of seeing on stage many times. This character is first seen returning from a wedding, slightly worse the wear for drink, and I must admit Malcolm plays tipsy very well. Believably tipsy. You see the love that Peter has for his wife that slips into frustration and then guilt. Another very emotional portrayal of a character who has to relearn how to cope with what is happening to his wife, as well as the effect the situation has on their family.

Sally, their daughter, is played by Emily Girton, who also acts as one of the main narrators. Sally makes a discovery while at the wedding that she had attended with Peter, and her story is also shown throughout the play. Sally's story though does have a happy ending as she revises her casual outlook on love, relationships and marriage.

Grace, the sexy woman who attracts Sally's attention at the wedding, is played by Margarita Papadopoulou. Grace is focused on what she wants going forward from the toilet cubicle fumble with Sally, but Sally is not 100% on board with the headstrong Grace. Margarita portrays a realistic and subtle sexy temptress without going over the top, and she makes you see that this couple could work out, especially with the commitment that Grace puts into chasing the relationship.

Robin, Evelyn and Peter's son, is played by Bertie Black in yet another change of character and acting skills from his last role as a pirate. I like Bertie in a more serious role, and while there's still comedy delivered by Bertie, as well as the other actors, he shows the whole gamut of emotions from the son. There's one scene where Robin starts to get emotional, and I wasn't sure if this was the character or the actor I was watching. 

Directed by Calum Sharp. I was not expecting the effect this play would have on me, and that is due, not just to the wonderfully written story, but to the way the play is directed and the way that Calum has steered the story and the honesty that he has extracted from his cast via the characters' love, anger and frustration. There were times when the story and acting could have strayed over the top, but not once did this happen; if it had, the story would not have had such a profound affect on me, and hopefully everyone else.

Set Designer is Jerome Foley. The design has a subtle wedding feel with the three "walls" of the set dressed in silk with three boxes, used for seats, also dressed in such a way to resemble large wedding presents, wrapped with a bow. A simple design that allowed the actors and story to shine without any distractions from a busy set. The set dressing was done by Charlie Willcox and the props and costumes  were thanks to Eleanor Roberts.

Sound design and operation is by Jeff Tullin, and the sound is possibly more important in this style of play as it sets the scenes with soundbites and music clips, and also moves the story on. There's a section that takes you back to the film soundtrack of "Casablanca" which is particularly poignant, especially to Evelyn.

Lighting design is by Annie Haley and operated by Jem Woolley. As with the music operation and design, this area of production also guided you to where the story wants you to go. The opening scene and the scene directly after Evelyn wets herself in particular highlights what I am getting at.

The projection design is also utilised well and cleverly acted like the chapters of a book, using part of the script from the end of one scene to introduce the story in the following scene, producing fluid continuity. 

"A Wedding Story" is beautifully sad and beautifully written by Bryony Lavery, combining a natural human ability to make humour of a fated future, with heartbreak and an inability to put the brakes on or take control of the inevitable. The script does include several profanities that may shock, but they are not used gratuitously. This play will give you plenty to think about and plenty to talk about.

"A Wedding Story" is at the Studio Theatre in West Bridgford until Saturday 7 February.