Review: HAPPILY EVER AFTER: A WEDDING COMEDY at Ankeny Community Theatre-A Wedding Day to Remember

Weddings can be fun, or they can be full of drama. We all like watching the Bride walk down the aisle, and eating food at the reception. While it may not be the time of year for outdoor weddings, Ankeny Community Theatre is inviting us inside for "Happily Ever After: A Wedding Comedy," by Mark Dunn.

"Happily ever After" is a comedy that ask us what if we weren't able to get the bride to come down the aisle. At the start of the show, the bride Francie Renfro, played by Ali Kirwen, has decided that she can't go through wither wedding to Kyle Longacre, played by Michael Porche, because she is in love with a guy named Gert Fleers, played by Robert Craven, who happens to be in a coma.

This was my first time getting to see a production with Ankeny Community Theatre. One thing that impressed me is that the audience seemed to be part of the organization. I saw multiple audience members having conversations with the director before the show. Having the audience part of the community, I felt played into the humor in the show. While I didn't find the script to be humorous, the audience was eating it up.

Over all, the cast did a wonderful job bringing this script to life. The actors whose performance enhanced the show the most for me was Michael Porche as the fiancé Kyle Longacre. He made you feel for him as the wedding fell apart, and then could feel his joy when he found out there may be a chance to win his fiancé back. I felt he did a great job committing to the quirkiness of the character, especially in the final scene of the show.

For me, they did a great job using the tech that they had. While the show took place at a church, they we able to have it all work in one room at the church. The set dressing added in taking the audience to a church fellowship hall for a wedding reception. The only issue I found myself having with the set was the windows. From where I was sitting it looked like there was some kind of metallic paper behind the windows. I'm not sure if that was an intentional decision or not. While it didn't detract from the overall performance, It was distracting from time to time.

If you are looking for something fun to do this Valentine's Day take a trip down the aisle to Ankeny Community Theatre. "Happily Ever After" has performances February 14-16 at 7:30 with a matinee on February 17 at 2:00 PM. Tickets are $15 for adults, $12 for seniors, and $10 for students. For more information visit www.ankenycommunitytheatre.com

Photo by Amber and Greg Romans (A&G Romans Photo)

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