Table 17

When going to a family wedding you know the relatives to avoid and who is going to cause embarrassment. In Table 17, Phillip. A. Mayer has drawn on his experience as an MC and guest at many weddings to create a one act play featuring a stock cast of guests thrown together at the back table of a wedding. 

Enter the philandering boss of the groom and his bitter wife, playing out their crumbling relationship in public; the bride’s estranged feminist sister and her loud-mouthed opinionated aunt and timid husband; a cousin with dialogue consisting of awful pick-up lines, and a creepy try-hard uncle. The bride and groom make a brief appearance at the start then reappear toward the end and become embroiled as things move to the inevitable car crash climax.

This show has done the rounds of the regional one act play competitions so the cast were confident in their lines and movement.

Technically staging was very simple and a bit lost on the stage of the Lawler. A rectangular table set centre stage, with the cast sitting behind the table facing the audience for much of the performance.  A small side table with a floral display sat upstage in the dark.

Costuming was a mixed bag from formal to casual, reflecting the current trend of wearing whatever you like to a wedding. The bride and groom were in formal attire, the sister in a tie-dyed dress and special mention must be made of the over the top yellow ensemble worn by the aunt.

If you enjoy watching relationships fall apart and relatives behaving badly at family gatherings then you should be a guest at Table 17.

Shirley Jensen