It’s finally happened! Millennials have reached the pinnacle–they have lived long enough to grow up, fall in love, and experience the heartbreak that dissolves your world into elements that you’ve never seen, after lifting you up higher and more rarified than the summit of Mount Everest. “At the Wedding,” Bryna Turner’s latest play helmed by Jenna Worsham, at the Claire Tow Theater at Lincoln Center, gives us the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in one swell foop. Yes, it’s swell and Boom Cyclone Carlo (Mary Wiseman) is the eye of the storm.
Carlo has (sorta) crashed Eva’s wedding. Eva (Rebecca S’manga Frank) is the statuesque Ex, the once and future. And in that way of queer relationships, we always want to stay friends, so Eva invited Carlo to her wedding. To. A. Man. Carlo has not RSVP’d, but no one is surprised at her arrival. And when the kids’ table, where Carlo has ended up as the fate of last-minute attendees, flees as a flock of gaybies, then the fun begins.
Mary Wiseman is aptly named–her Carlo is nattily dressed for the nuptials. The tailored suit, white shirt, and hipster high waters, to show off the killer kicks, is complimented with an Oscar Wilde tie that tips her as the witty dyke who’s going to flay the day and get her pound of flesh. Carlo is funny, smart, and a heavy drinker. Open bar, wedding, do the math. And the way Carlo is mixing, I would just sleep with Alka Seltzer and a gallon of water by the bed. But that’s a long way away.
From the jump, when Carlo locks horns with Bridesmaid Number Three, Carly (Keren Lugo), we see the long history of competition. Carly is one of the besties and she and Carlo have never quite gotten along. Carlo then coaches Eli (Will Rogers), after reading him like a graphic novel. She gives him insight on an important event, and he takes this life advice from a total stranger in stride. When Carlo goes for some fresh air, there’s Leigh (Han Van Sciver), a handsome devil with winsome energy in a perfect balance of yin and yang, who invites Carlo to leave the party! Carlo stays, perhaps needing more penitential self-mortification. And booze. We meet Maria (Carolyn McCormick), Eva’s mother who loves Carlo, and Victor (Jorge Donoso), the cater-waiter, who has a passel of his own challenges for work and life, yet in his own ballet keeps everything reception-related on track and on time. It’s an exercise in quantum influence. Everything touches everything else. It’s a Fibonacci sequence of Life.
The play is sharp, deft, and sometimes you won’t know you’re cut until you see the blood. There were Boomers in front of me, Gen Jones, Gen X, and Millennials all around, each barking unbidden laughter at different moments. And at times, an intake of air when someone has an epiphany. Clever sets by Maruti Evans complemented by Oona Curley’s lighting, and Oana Botez’s costumes shine. The Fan Zhang’s sound is like a thought–it is so subtle, music is artful and, with a penultimate moment using Talking Heads, it is a multi-generational experience. It's perhaps a perfect wedding, but there’s no Chicken Dance. And afterward, a finale that sends us out into the balmy vernal evening with a feeling of satisfaction and not, and a sense of wanting to see the play again. It’s a lot of oomph in a small space and it’s here and queer, so get your tickets before they sell out. It’s a gift you do need to register for, that will continue to give.
“At the Wedding” is at the Claire Tow Theatre only until April 17, so get out there now! Tickets are available at https://www.telecharge.com.