Review: FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS at Burbage Theatre Company

For those who have ever been in a wedding party, you know the drill. Who the hell are these bridesmaids or groomsmen that we are weirdly matched up with? Do we even know them, or, more importantly, how much do we really know the bride or the groom (or both) at all?

This is the crux of Alan Ball's 110-minute play FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS. Ball is best known for his 1990 best original screenplay for AMERICAN BEAUTY and creating HBO's cutting-edge SIX FEET UNDER. Written and staged in 1992, FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS takes place in an upstairs bedroom where all five of the bridesmaids run to escape the wedding reception and the people in it, for many reasons past, present or future.

Meredith, played by Steph Rodger, is the wise-cracking, joint-smoking sister of the bride, hiding a terrible secret through a stone-wall personality; Trisha, played by Gabrielle McCauley, is the promiscuous one in the group who seems to be everyone's friend but suffers from immense loneliness; Georgeanne, performed by Daria Montaquila, grapples with her own past and current failed marriage, not sure whether to look back or ahead in life; Frances, played by Mary Mulane, is the naïve one of the group who says no to drugs or alcohol because "I am a Christian" but longs to be touched and loved: and Mindy, played by Amie Lytle, the honest-to-a-fault groom's lesbian sister who seems the odd one out at times and then, somehow, a perfect match. Rounding out the cast is Tripp, the only male, who comes in at the end as Trisha's potentially last love interest, played by Andrew Medeiros.

Past critiques of the show note how the writing clearly comes from a man and that everything about the five bridesmaids' lives and conversations, except for Mindy, perhaps, revolves around men. Do women really talk like this when they are alone? Does all of their lives revolve around men? My wife quickly noted this issue minutes after the play was over but don't let that take away from the witty and sometimes heart-breaking dialogue regarding abuse, lost love, why friendships disintegrate and more. What makes Ball a master of his craft is the way he breaks down his characters, many of them so flawed and living on the edge in so many ways, and how they work themselves out of their life-altering problems if they ever do at all. If anything, FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS makes you think about your own life, your own friends and family, and how you can do a better job of knowing them and understanding their issues.

FIVE WOMEN WEARING THE SAME DRESS will captivate you with its superior dialogue and incredible acting. All five bridesmaids are phenomenal in their own special ways, where you will be trying to compare them constantly with people in your own lives. If anything, it made me think of why we play the avoidance game at all instead of confronting things straight on. Is it just to take the easy way out? If there's anything made clear from this play, you'll have to deal with these issues one way or another or you will never be rid of them.

Patrons must show proof of full vaccination including booster or show proof of a negative COVID-19 test. Masks must be worn in the theatre at all times despite vaccination status.

Five Women Wearing The Same Dress Runs Through April 3rd. For Tickets Go To www.burbagetheatre.org

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