Hunters Hill Theatre’s latest production, the iconic Australian play Secret Bridesmaids’ Business, is a play you must see. I attended the opening night on Friday and highly recommend you join the bridal party for this brilliant conclusion to their 2022 season.
Elizabeth Coleman’s smash hit Secret Bridesmaids’ Business was first performed in April/May 1999 and has been an audience favourite ever since. Performed all over the country and adapted for the small screen into a 2002 telemovie and 2019 miniseries.
The tale takes place the night before/morning of Meg’s wedding, “the best day of any woman’s life”, and we witness all the little dramas as serious problems unfold. Secret Bridesmaids Business asks big questions about friendship, love and commitment, then perfectly illustrates that there are no correct answers.
Our mother of the bride, Coleen Bacon, expertly acted by Lois Marsh, opens the show and sets the scene. I had an immediate gut reaction as Marsh dragged us kicking and screaming into the depths of wedding drama hell, a performance so entertaining that I abhorred the character.
Anna Desjardins, plays our bride-to-be Meg. In the second act, Desjardins kicked me in the heart! She did Meg and countless women who have been in her shoes justice with her excellent performance.
Now for the namesakes of the play, the secretive bridesmaids themselves. Two sides of the same coin? Or maybe the same sides of different coins? Angela, Meg’s childhood best friend, was played by Kirsty McGowan, and Lucy, Meg’s best friend from university, was played by Laura Stead. The ending was thoroughly enjoyable, with credit due to Stead’s genuine and humorous acting in the show’s final moments.
Dan Ferris portrayed the groom, James, and if he wasn’t such a fantastic actor, I’d accuse Hunters Hill Theatre of favouritism. This is the second time I’ve had the pleasure of seeing Dan on stage at Club Ryde and the second time he’s snagged the best and most fun role in the show, in which he was superb.
Yet, in a show full of fantastic performances, I felt Chloe Horne stole the show with her portrayal of Naomi Bartlett. Her monologue delivered one of the best, most heartfelt performances I’ve seen on stage this year.
Also, a special shout-out to Carol Keeble, a fantastic hotel worker and an even better stage manager! I was particularly pleased to see that this play, written by a woman with a history of female directors, kept with tradition and was directed by Vivienne Wood.
Wendy Walker, as costume designer, found beautiful formal wear for the bridal party. Ross Alexander, Christopher Hamilton and Geoff Jones were in charge of the set, and I want to congratulate whoever was responsible for finding the perfect shade of ‘hotel room teal’; it’s the little things that really matter.
The Creative team put together a genuinely captivating show; believe it or not, Hunters Hill Theatre has entertained us for over 90 years.
Get yourself over to Club Ryde and support them and their outstanding work. Secret Bridesmaids Business is deliciously fun and is a production not to be missed. Upcoming show dates are:-
Nov 13, 2022 Sun @ 2:00pm
Nov 18, 2022 Fri @ 7:30pm
Nov 19, 2022 Sat @ 2:00pm
Nov 19, 2022 Sat @ 7:30pm
Nov 20, 2022 Sun @ 2:00pm
Nov 25, 2022 Fri @ 7:30pm
Nov 26, 2022 Sat @ 7:30pm
Nov 27, 2022 Sun @ 2:00pm
