Dina Thomas and Jamie Smithson. Photo by Margot Schulman.

Weddings (as the reception wears on and the alcohol flows) tend to be drama-filled, emotionally-charged events that can, with the mere flip of a switch, devolve into overly confessional hotbeds of next-day regret and self-loathing. Bryna Turner’s “At The Wedding” proves just that—you instinctively know that more than one character in this play is ultimately headed for some sort of walk-of-shame status.

The setup for this particular wedding is intriguing inasmuch as it skews the traditional love triangle parameters. Carlo (Dina Thomas), a lesbian, attends the wedding of her ex, Eva (Yesenia Iglesias)—apparently a one-time lesbian—who is now marrying a man. We never do get to meet the groom, and the tension is served well by the unseen, albeit pervasive, presence of the male half of the newly united hetero couple. Carlo is able to hate ‘out loud’ to quite the comedic effect.

The central relationship, or rather former relationship, between Carlo and Eva is not necessarily front and center here. Rather, it is the other people Carlo encounters at the wedding, the trouble she considers stirring, and the copious amounts of alcohol that guests go through that occupy the better part of the play.

…magic…whimsically edgy direction…a cast that absolutely hits it out of the park…a powerful show that is also a very sharply defined comedy…

There’s the story of Eli (Jamie Smithson), a Coleridge quoting English teacher, who wants to propose to his long-term partner, Leigh (Cameron Silliman), an individual who incidentally spends the lion’s share of the night hitting on Carlo. There’s Maria (Holly Twyford), Mother of the Bride, fighting the urge to confront her ex-husband who’s shown up with a date half his age. Carly (Emily Kester), one of the bridesmaids, stews over not getting to be maid of honor, while Victor (Jonathan Atkinson), the amiable dancing and singing waiter, just wants to bring some crab cakes home to his better half.

It is all the hijinks you expect at a wedding reception, complete with the obligatory “Macarena” and “YMCA.” What makes this event stage-worthy is the magic that happens when Bryna Turner’s one-two-punch dialogue meets Tom Story’s whimsically edgy direction with a cast that absolutely hits it out of the park. Studio Theatre’s production transcends the bounds of the dance floor and brings audiences into the love, humor and, on occasion, depression that can overcome people when one too many gin rickeys spurs an entirely new understanding of Seal’s “Kiss from a Rose.”

Story does an incredible job implementing a wedding soundtrack-inspired timing that keeps the pace lively and upbeat with space enough for inebriated pontificating—a la Eli’s musings on “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner” or Carlo’s lecture to a group of increasingly terrified young children about how love really does suck. As Carlo, Thomas wraps herself fully in the dialogue as one might a big, fleecy blanket. She embodies the words and the words, in turn, allow her character to take flight in that quirky, eminently entertaining, “look out we’re about to crash” sort of way. Holly Twyford’s Mother of the Groom is a brilliant portrayal of champagne-soaked self-pity that isn’t afraid to laugh at itself. While as Leigh, the obvious lothario here, Silliman flawlessly “vamps it up,” turning the gendered tables on the meanings of both vamp and lothario. It is perhaps Atkinson’s waiter, who line dances in and out of scenes with the outlandish sensibility of a Disney character, that proves the most fun to watch.

Luciana Stecconi’s set design is subtle with large barn doors through which we get occasional glimpses of a wall of flowers, and in front, just a bare stage, save for the occasional wedding set piece. This provides the perfect backdrop for a show in which the characters and their words fill every inch of unoccupied space. Mary Louise Geiger’s lighting design, along with sound design by Jane Shaw, add the “backbeat” necessary for any good party, while costumes by Danielle Preston are just a lot of fun.

Studio Theatre has put together a powerful show that is also a very sharply defined comedy. This can be a bit tricky, as comedies often tend to fall victim to tamer descriptions like “funny,” “lighthearted” and “romp.” “At The Wedding” dissects the human heart revealing the vulnerabilities, the fears, and the darker thoughts people sometimes have, launching this comedy into its own distinctive orbit.

Running Time: One hour an 15 minutes with no intermission. 

“At The Wedding” runs through April 21, 2024 at Studio Theatre, 1501 14th St NW, Washington, DC 20005. For more information or to purchase tickets, go online.