Review: Denise Fennell Captivates Her Audiences with Joy and Sentimental Reflection in THE BRIDE: OR, DOES THIS DRESS MAKE ME LOOK MARRIED?

Walking into Stages for the first time, I was not sure what I was getting myself into. I came to Stages that night-- a theater known for its unique plays on the human experience-to view the new, original one-woman comedy play, THE BRIDE, OR: DOES THIS DRESS MAKE ME LOOK MARRIED, co-written and performed by Denise Fennell. I invited my boyfriend to accompany me to this show, but when I did, I made sure to mention to him that he could stay home since "it might not be of any interest to you." We took note of the large flower wall on the way into the theater (which seemed like a fabulous photo-op), but we did not think anything special as we took our spot within the small black box theater.

The audience chairs were organized on bleachers around three sides of the stage area, and all we could see on stage was an old, ornate desk; a door plastered with 80s-90s photos and magazine covers; a sofa chair; and a large chest. In the background, there was a digital screen with empty frames hung all over it, presumably for photos of future memories. Right before the performance, a stage manager asked my boyfriend and I if we wanted to move to the front row, and we agreed to it with no further thought; who doesn't want to get closer to the action? We had no idea what was in store for us.

All of a sudden, Denise Fennell sprinted onto the stage in a huge wedding dress and asked the big question present in the show's title: "Does this dress make me look married?" The wonderful rollercoaster of the show began in that moment as she started to discuss her experience of being a bride.

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I will be honest; I have only watched a one-woman show once before, and although it included a strong performer and an important lesson, I often found my mind wandering and focusing on aspects of the stage space that had no importance to the plot. Therefore, I certainly had my reservations before seeing this show. However, with Fennell's big personality, infective vigor, and charming stories to boot, my hesitations were soon gone. She seemed to easily and naturally fill the room with the energy that a cast of 30 would bring.

The show starts with Fennell counting down the minutes during the last two hours before her wedding. She shares her history with her fiancé, her relationship with her family members and friends (who are by her side on her big day), and the anxieties she had when planning for-what many women say is- the "biggest day of your life".

The show reminded me of a stand-up comedy routine, but it was brought even more to life with Fennell's energetic movement as well as the show's technical design. Fennell is just so joyous, and her ability to look her audience in the eyes, connect, and banter with them is unmatched by any other performer I have ever seen live. Fennell really savors the moments when she interacts with her audience members and riffs, and she bounces from audience member to audience member with ease.

I felt that I was one of her close friends when she met my eyes multiple times to talk about the ups and downs of her life. During the show, she even asked about what side of the bed my boyfriend and I sleep on, and the frank conversation of rituals within relationships certainly brought on some laughs.

I have to give my compliments to the costume designer, who designed an outfit for Fennell that she could play with. Her beginning outfit was a large wedding dress with a cropped jacket and lots of tulle. She also sported sparkly tennis shoes. The opening outfit is large and loud in personality, but layers were taken off throughout the show to punctuate certain moments. Fennell eventually revealed a simple, shiny, cream-colored A-line dress in the end, and she swapped her tennis shoes for heels. Fennell even plays with her grandfather's hat to help bring him to life when talking about the history of her family, and it is such a beautiful touch.

Some of my favorite parts of the show were the ones accented with silly sound effects and illustrations displayed on a large screen behind Fennell. For example, every character that she mentioned onstage was brought to life by her ability to perform their mannerisms and voices. However, these characters were further represented by simple outlines of the actual people behind her. At another point within the storytelling, Fennell recreates a PowerPoint presentation that she gave to her traditional Italian-Catholic mother to persuade her to make peace with her nontraditional wedding. Through the presentation, Fennell spoke of the history of marriage from the prehistoric to the present, speaking of dinosaurs, medieval times, Queen Victoria, and the horrors of social media while hilarious, flying images of historic pieces with her face on them were presented behind her.

Fennell also engaged with a playlist that included some of my favorite songs that are also classic wedding party tunes, such as some ABBA beats. The whole show was just so fun and upbeat, yet it included some sentimental moments of family, history, identity, and grief that brought both my boyfriend and I to tears. I would like to compliment co-writers Denise Fennell and her real-life husband, Rick Pasqualone, for this unique and special theatrical piece. As Irish Catholics who enjoy Italian lore and stories (such as The Sopranos), my boyfriend and I thoroughly related to and appreciated this show's content.

I found it really charming when Fennell offered audience members to write her wedding advice before the show. Near the end of the show, she read the pieces of advice people wrote to her, and we all laughed at them together. As someone who has not been married yet, it was such a joy hearing from couples of all ages and experiences share their thoughts on not just wedding plans but also how to curate a long and fruitful marriage.

The specific performance that I saw (on Friday, April 7th) was also the anniversary of Fennell's father's death, which Fennell shared after the production was over. To commemorate the moment, she asked if any audience members could stay to take a picture, and all of us did. I believe that the fact that everyone stayed for Fennell shows how impactful her work was. It was so enamoring to realize that we all related greatly to the themes of family, love, and grief that were within the show. Especially with COVID preventing many from being in physical contact with others for long periods of time, we clearly all felt that cherishing family members and our communities is extremely important, and this show brought us together with that theme.

Hats off to Kenn McLaughlin, the director of this production and the Artistic Director of Stages, as well as Fennell, Pasqualone, and all of the other artists involved with this work. I hope to see more intimate shows like THE BRIDE from Stages moving forward!

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Performances of THE BRIDE: OR, DOES THIS DRESS MAKE ME LOOK MARRIED? continue through May 14 at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays, 6:00 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and 2:30 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays at The Gordy (800 Rosine St, Houston, TX 77019). Tickets range from $30-$84. For more information, call (713) 527-0123 or visit stageshouston.com!

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