Fiona Gordon: When the foundations of the carefully constructed three-tier wedding cake are shaken, disaster is bound to loom…
Metres of lace and mounds of icing, flashing photographers and those all-important two little words… It’s the stuff that dreams are made of.
And then what?
And then everyone goes home and they all live happily after…
Maybe.
Wedding Dress Designer Iris Cardiff’s (Alicia McCormick) picture perfect wedding turns into a less-than-pretty-picture where burnt toast and a jet-setting husband Nick (played by a very competent Lloyd Kandlin) threaten to topple the illusion. But when a bizarre turn of events pulls that royal red carpet out from under their feet, and it emerges that things are not as they might have seemed, they are forced to stop and take stock.
Michele Maxwell plays Joanie, a larger-than-life celebrity client-turned-friend and unlikely voice of reason in the madness of misunderstanding that seems to otherwise pervade their life. What with interference from Nick’s blonde bombshell producer (Roxanne Prentice) and tabloid vulture brother (Rory Berry), uptight Iris and her increasingly famous TV naturalist husband need all the help they can get, as they battle through the challenges of their first year of ‘wedded bliss’.
The beauty of a theatre setting this intimate is that you really do get to see the actors ‘up close and personal’. But the proximity does mean that their ’spotlights’ are less forgiving of any flaws. No worries for McCormick in particular, who pulls off a performance which resonates truth and integrity; utterly believable in her portrayal of a spectrum of (very British) emotions.
Kandlin’s clever set opens and closes as pieces of furniture have multiple uses. Apart from the time taken to change the set between scenes, the production is tight, well worth time and money spent, and an exciting debut for the Hairy Quagga Production Company.
‘Many a truth is told in jest’, the old maxim goes… Here you will laugh. You will recognise some eternal truths perhaps, and ponder upon them if you wish. And you will surely leave – as I did – with the refrain of ‘Love and Marriage’ a soundtrack to your thoughts for days after.
And that is the beauty of theatre.
‘Hitched’ is written by Dr Barbara Whitfield and Paul Tosio, and directed by Tosio. Lighting Design is by Mathew Lewis. Fresh from a run in London, its South African premiere runs at the Kalk Bay Theatre with an all-South African cast, Wednesdays to Saturdays at 8:30pm until 26 February 2011. Doors open at 6pm, and patrons can enjoy a meal before the show. Tickets cost R120 – for bookings, contact 073 220 5430 or www.kbt.co.za
Fiona Gordon
fiona@artslink.co.za
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