Bill, a Brit, wakes up in an English country hotel bridal suite on the morning of his wedding with a hangover, a woman he doesn’t recognize in his bed, and a short time until his fiancée arrives with her mother to dress for the ceremony a few hours away. Also due is best man Tom -- whom Bill hopes will help him get out of his jam.
Of course, nothing goes right. The wrong people don’t get out in time. The right ones look to get in too soon. The “rights” suddenly aren’t right for each other anymore. As if these weren’t enough farcical set-ups, we get four doors to keep slamming and a hotel maid whose identity gets misplaced.
Over the top even for farce, Perfect Wedding nevertheless has “summer” audiences guffawing in the same way they do for Shear Madness. The director here co-created that piece, and it shows.
The only one with a consistent accent, Kate Siepert stands out as the at-first bewildered and then morally indignant but ultimately cooperative maid. If somewhat stiff Graham Stuart Allen isn’t entirely believable as Bill, he yet works into a sincerity.
Adept at the physical comedy required, Daryl Embry is also terrific as put-upon, harried but true friend Tom.
Pretty Jenny Strassburg’s mystery woman pulls off acting in a realistic style compared to the others. Lisa McMillan as the would-be bride’s emotional mother is as funny as ever but looks absolutely unrelated to Faith Sandberg as her daughter. Faith seems to be from another family and also has no chemistry with Bill in her few scenes with him.
Designs for the women’s costumes, except for Strassburg’s, call for extreme colors and combinations of them with or without patterns. The set is workable but decorated with an overabundance of kitschy props, especially photos of the royal family.
