Secret Bridesmaids’ Business

When they choose ‘tried and true’ material Blackwood Players have the capacity to stage very watchable shows and they are on a winner with Elizabeth Coleman’s bittersweet Australian comedy, Secret Bridesmaids’ Business.

The play is described in the program as a story about friendship, fidelity and shoe fabrics. The night before her wedding Meg has booked a hotel suite for herself, her mother Colleen and her two bridesmaids, Angela and Lucy. At first, wedding difficulties are minor, with issues concerning shoe fabric, delivery of flowers and insufficient ribbons for the wedding venue being the only problems. However, when bridesmaid Lucy arrives with potentially show-stopping news about bridegroom James there’s only one wedding disaster that matters and it’s not going to be solved easily.

Director Kristin Telfer uses the expansive stage well and has brought out the best in each actor, including the relative newbies.

Peta Martin is perfect as the bride, Meg. With very little stage experience behind her, Martin is a natural actor and gives a very real performance indeed, drawing the audience into her pre-wedding excitement. Her wedding day tears and trials are portrayed poignantly. We feel for this bride and recognise her inner strength.  An excellent performance.

Tess O’Flaherty is hilariously funny as bridesmaid Lucy. Another natural actor, O’Flaherty’s experience shines through and she projects her voice well in the large Blackwood Memorial Hall, where the acoustics are poor.

Not many actors can perform drunkenness well, but Kerrie Klinsic as Matron of Honour Angela is very successful. She doesn’t go over the top with the portrayal and personifies a friend hiding a secret that consumes her, but who is determined she won’t allow anyone to spoil the bride’s day. A very funny and insightful performance.

Colleen is a typical uptight mother of the bride, full of taut energy and firmly focused on getting everything right on the day. Kathy Strauts is solid in the role but needs to project her voice much more, due to the size of the auditorium.

In her first theatre performance, Ellen Davies is terrific as friend of the bride, Naomi.

Benjamin Orchard, as bridegroom James, relaxes into the role as his presence on stage continues. He is particularly effective in his scene alone with the bride when he attempts to explain his past behaviours.

The actors are let down somewhat by elements out of their control. Venues can have an influence on audiences; sometimes good, occasionally bad. The Blackwood Memorial Hall’s size and poor acoustics result in a hollow, empty atmosphere that remains present even when audiences are of reasonable numbers, as was the case when I attended Secret Bridesmaids’ Business on the first Saturday. This sort of atmosphere discourages audience members from being the first to react, including with hearty laughter. In this instance the strong acting, together with a few drinks at interval, loosened up audience response in the second act, but the issue remains a perennial problem with the Players’ venue, even despite its recent commendable refurbishment. Perhaps a temporary ‘fourth wall’ barrier between the seating area and the remainder of the hall during performances might help.

Technically, Blackwood’s production of Secret Bridesmaids’ Business has one or two issues, particularly from a long-lasting sound that is intended to denote a shower running. I recommend the effect is discontinued as it instead comes across to the audience as unplanned intrusive speaker noise.

The overall production has good attention to detail, even down to dressing the tables in the cabaret-style audience seating as if in a wedding reception. It is refreshing to see the Players now venture more into set-building too, even though dressing the set needs more effort. Front-of house work on the night I attended was very welcoming.

Blackwood Players’ production of Secret Bridesmaid’s Business is a great night out and deserves good audiences. For audience members there’s another drawcard, too… delicious wedding cake at interval.

Lesley Reed

Disclaimer: Benjamin Orchard is a Stage Whispers reviewer.