Greensburg Civic Theatre's 'Perfect Wedding' sets up energetic farce

Some bad situations are just hard to explain — like when a bridegroom wakes up the morning of his wedding day, finds a strange and attractive woman in his bed and hasn't a clue about how she got there.

That's the predicament Bill finds himself in this weekend in Greensburg Civic Theatre's production of British playwright Robin Hawdon's farce, "Perfect Wedding." Mike Crosby of Greensburg portrays the unfortunate guy who means well but is not really in control of his life.

"That's OK," Crosby says, "because his fiancée, Rachel, is more than happy to take that burden off his shoulders. She's a bridezilla of sorts, and is determined to have the perfect wedding."

To make matters worse for her betrothed, Rachel (played by Katrina Schwirian of Herminie) is on her way to Bill's room to get dressed for her nuptials.

"This is where the fun starts. Bill tries to recruit everyone to help him, from his best man to the hotel chambermaid. We quickly see that Bill is not equipped to handle this situation, and he keeps making everything worse," Crosby says.

For Schwirian, portraying the bride-to-be means balancing her character's good-natured disposition and her frustration at a wedding day that is only a few hours old and is already a disaster.

"Call it a woman's intuition, but she suspects that secrets are being kept, and in the process of trying to get at the truth, she spends the majority of her wedding morning in a state of perpetual confusion," she says.

Crosby admits he's a fan of a good farce and loves the dynamic of seemingly ordinary characters being thrown into impossible and improbable situations.

"The script is one of the funniest that I've read in a long time," he says. "It has all the classic trademarks of a farce: rapid-fire dialogue, mistaken identities, door slamming and chases. But this script also has a heart. There are many tender scenes, which is unusual for a farce, but makes for a very funny, heartwarming, and rewarding story."

Jonathan Wilson of Murrysville is making his directorial debut with Greensburg Civic Theatre in this production. He has directed, produced and performed in many shows at various theaters in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, and he recently directed and produced "The Gin Game" at Renovated Reality Theatre Company in Bedford, which he owns and operates.

Crosby says audiences will enjoy watching the chemistry that has developed among cast members and will share in the play's reaffirmation that love — even in the face of imminent disaster — can conquer all.

"What's better than spending a couple of hours on Valentine's weekend with a loved one in a warm theater when it's freezing outside, watching a comedy sprinkled with romance?" he says.

The cast includes Alicia DiPaolo of Irwin, Dan Shaffer ofJeannette, Katya Shaffer of Jeannette and Linda Stayer of Murrysville. Carissa Hardy of Greens-burg is stage manager; Rachel Painter of Greens-burg is production manager.

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