Introduction
On Saturday 28th March, we said goodbye to The Wedding Day, our latest production written by our very own chairman, Lawrence Chandler, and what a fantastic run it was! Playing from Saturday 21st March to a full week of laughter-filled performances, this brilliantly witty comedy brought audiences together for an unforgettable celebration of love, family, and just the right amount of chaos.
A Wedding to Remember… for All the Right (and Wrong!) Reasons
The Wedding Day followed the coming together of the Baker and McDonald families as Louise and Pete prepared to tie the knot, but as you might expect, things didn’t exactly go to plan.
We opened in the bride’s family kitchen, where Louise (Emma Simpson) and her sister and Maid of Honour Tina (Lissy Rawlings) were recovering from a memorable hen do… complete with a naked butler! Meanwhile, chaos was already brewing elsewhere, as groom Pete (Ian Hanmer) and best man Noel (Andrew Roberts) burst in late from their stag do adventures, thanks to a booking mishap that landed them in North Wales and an unimpressed mother of the groom, Jenny (Maria Lowcock), who had to go and rescue them.
From there, the mayhem only escalated. Betty, Mother of the Bride (Wendy Church), tried to hold everything together, while Father of the Bride Joe (Peter Storr) looked on. But things truly took a turn with the arrival of Aunt Sylvia (Alison Hunter), who made a bold entrance in a white dress, much to Betty’s horror. What followed was a brilliantly sharp and hilarious exchange of insults between the sisters that had audiences in stitches.
Add in the unforgettable Uncle Ronnie (Josh Bowes) who shocked audience members as he heckled from the audience, the ever-entertaining Uncle Ray (Daniel Hall), and a host of family tensions, and the stage was set for a wedding no one would forget.
From Speeches to Scandal… and Cake!
After the interval, we joined the wedding breakfast and evening reception, where the surprises kept coming. Uncle Ray revealed his fabulous drag alter ego, Miss Ophelia Balls, describing himself as “flamboyantly straight”, to huge laughs from the audience.
Secrets were spilled, unexpected romances emerged, and tensions finally boiled over into a spectacular finale featuring a full-blown sisterly showdown… ending, of course, with faces firmly planted in the wedding cake!
A Cast That Brought the House Down
This production was brought to life by an incredible cast who embraced every moment of the comedy, delivering sharp timing, big characters, and heartfelt performances throughout. The energy on stage was matched only by the laughter coming from the audience night after night.
Audience Reactions
We were absolutely thrilled by the response from everyone who came along to see the show. Here are just a few of the lovely comments we received:
- “We absolutely loved it! Brought friends who have never visited the theatre despite living in Gainford over 30 years… They’ve said they will definitely come again!”
- “First time I have been to the theatre and it’s an amazing little theatre. Play was great and we had a fabulous afternoon.”
- “We’ve just watched it and it’s hilarious. Fabulous story… brilliantly acted. It had us laughing out loud! Well done all! Superb!”
- “We went last night and it was fantastic. Well acted, well written (Lawrence 👍🏻) and very funny.”
- “The four of us were talking on the way home about how much we love your little theatre. I’d rather come to see your plays than go to the Hippodrome. You all make it so friendly and intimate, thank you all so much. From the start of our discovery until now we haven’t missed one play, how’s that for support!”
Thank You
A huge thank you goes out to our wonderful cast, dedicated crew, and everyone working behind the scenes who made this production such a success. And of course, to our fantastic audiences, your laughter, support, and kind words mean everything to us.
What’s Next?
While we’re sad to see The Wedding Day come to an end, we’re already looking ahead to our next production this November: Baskerville: A Sherlock Holmes Mystery. We can’t wait to welcome you back for another brilliant show.
Final Curtain
From hen do mishaps to wedding day disasters, secret revelations to cake-covered chaos, The Wedding Day truly had it all. Thank you for celebrating it with us…and we’ll see you again very soon!