Two rooms, four doors, six actors, ninety minutes of hilarious roller coaster is Circle Theater's Perfect Wedding

Have you ever wondered, “Should I get married?” A ticket to Perfect Wedding will hilariously answer that question. But don't look through the program for any clues before the curtain rises. The director chose to leave the plot away from your reading eyes and offer you instead the following scenario: lights down, places, meet Bill and some girl who is NOT his fiancée, in bed of the Honeymoon Suite, on the morning of his wedding. And that's all an audience will need to know, because from this point, the plot simply frolics up and down as people lie, tell the truth and eventually come up with a solution. But, like everything else in this piece, the story had more twists than the Amazon River, the final solution certainly being one of them.

A good farce actor will be able to briskly deliver the story, the jokes and the blocking. The speed of delivery was excellently paced throughout the piece this evening, something very necessary for proper farce comedy to keep our interest, but also very difficult. The actors of this production showed that they had built up their breathing and delivery stamina through committed rehearsal and they should be commended for that.

Jason DeJager especially fit well inside the suspenders of his character. His character of the best man/brother-in-law, Tom, had a brilliant ability of communicating wordplay and physical comedy. He was a joy to watch, even when his character was ruining everything around him.

The only criticism towards the delivery tonight was the volume maintenance in the actors' parts. There were a brief few moments in the opening scenes where I thought the shouting wouldn't stop. Although, like a robust red wine, or a properly performed Shakespeare play, it took me a good ten minutes to adjust to that “poetry,” per se.

As far as the stage magic in this piece, everything takes place in today's world, and the production elements comfortably conveyed that. Every costume seemed suited, even the vests and ties. The set was even balanced and beautiful, with proper wallpaper and accoutrements. We are offered two visible rooms of the Honeymoon Suite, plus a bathroom and service hall entrance. All were conducive for the ever-moving action of this piece.

Reviewer's final word

A good farce, at least from history, contains a couple of key elements. Namely: doors, rooms, beds, confusion and well-caffeinated actors. I was certainly given all these with this dramatic triste, and the wallpaper alone is enough reason to come see this show.

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Company and cast information:

For sixty years and counting, Circle Theatre has enriched, entertained and educated the community through exceptional theatrical arts in an intimate setting. Located in the Performing Arts Center on the campus of Aquinas College, Circle Theatre presents innovative and entertaining theatre while fostering an enthusiastic and hard-working corps of individuals who serve as staff, volunteers and board members. Through the Main Stage season, unique Summer Concert Series and Magic Circle family productions, Circle Theatre engages close to 30,000 people each season. Circle Theatre also values and creates effective collaborations with various community organizations in and around Grand Rapids.

The cast includes: Jason DeJager, Kendra Jones, Madeline Jones, Sandy Kirchinger, Nate Reynolds, and Meghan Voss.

For more information about Circle Theatre and their 2016 season, please visit their website at www.circletheatre.org.