Getting married with a hitch
PERFECT WEDDING The Mill at Sonning Until November 18
IT’S meant to be the happiest day in your life, but for some people they wake up with the sudden realisation that till death us do part is not quite right for them.
And, to a degree, that’s what Perfect Wedding is all about.
It’s a comedy of errors that starts out as a ‘whoops, there goes my trousers’ marlarky but quickly turns into something more and ends up with a heart and a happily ever after that you won’t see coming, despite the bride being jilted before she gets to the altar.
The farce is set in the wedding suite of Rachel (Lucy Heath) and Bill (Rikki Lawton) and the action opens the morning after the night before.
Bill has had use of the suite as he stayed in the hotel ahead of his big day - Rachel is arriving later to get into her dress. He wakes up to find that he’s sharing the bed - not with his fiancée but with a mysterious - and naked - woman called Judy (Carla Freeman). In his hungover state, Bill is left with a host of questions …
How did she get there? Who is she? And how does he get her safely away before his bride-to-be arrives?
Of course, it’s bad luck to see your lover before the wedding day, so it should come as no surprise that Bill is soon battling against the odds. In a bid to keep his secret, Judy is soon stashed away in the bathroom.
Best man Tom (Joseph Timms) is left to help get the mysterious woman out of the suite. But with the help of chambermaid Julie (Flinty Williams), all is going to be alright.
Well, as long as no one would mistake Julie for Judy. No one would do that, would they?
And so kicks off the carefully choreographed farce. Witty, rumbustious and heartfelt, the laughs build and build as the situation becomes even more extreme.
But, like all good farces, there is pathos behind the smiles. Rachel and Bill are clearly not ready to go down the aisle with each other, no matter how much Rachel’s Mum Daphne (Elizabeth Elvin) wants the big day to go in style.
The small cast has a lot to do to ensure the farce moves fast: it’s hard to single out anyone of them as they all give their all.
Flinty Williams (Dame Judi’s daughter) pitched her worldweary, seen-it-all-before cleaner just right, acting as a voice of reason while being right in the centre of events.
Rikki Lawton gives Bill a somewhat selfish streak as he attempts to wriggle off the hook, yet also keeps him just vulnerable enough so that you forgive him, while Joseph Timms does well to stand firm amid all the chaos around him.
Carla Freeman as Judy manages to keep an air of mystery until the right moment, while Lucy Heath, as the glamorous and putupon bride shines.
And it’s always a pleasure to see Elizabeth Elvin in anything.
With an audience in stitches, and warm applause at the end, it’s clear that The Mill once again has a hit on its hands. Just don’t ask for room service.