11/08/14
Lothian Chambers, Edinburgh
One of the greatest delights of the Edinburgh Festival is chancing upon a small but innovative production that really confounds all expectations. A Wedding was essentially a two-hander, starring Susan Singfield as ‘The Bride’ and Philip Caveney as ‘The Groom’. Staged in the grandiose rococo surroundings of Lothian Chambers, there might have been a danger of the whole thing being upstaged, but luckily the two lead actors responded with such bright-eyed energy and enthusiasm that the overall effect was dazzling. The lead duo’s evident delight was aided and abetted by a stalwart performance by Thomas Berwick as ‘The Registrar.’ The play’s creators also had an intriguing ace up their sleeves. Two unsuspecting members of the public were picked from the frantic Edinburgh Festival crowd to play ‘The Witnesses.’ This could have gone horribly wrong, but luckily the chosen two – Graeme and Moira Simpson, rose to the task with great zeal and submitted wonderfully committed performances despite such short notice. Unusually for Edinburgh, this was a one-off, never-to-be-repeated performance, but one that emphasised both the absurdity and the beauty of contemporary marriage. If you missed this, you missed an absolute gem!
5 stars
Bouquets and Brickbats
