Berkshire on Stage

In At the Wedding, playwright Bryna Turner threads heartache through hilarity with surgical precision, crafting a one-act triumph that dances between raw vulnerability and razor-sharp wit. The latest staging of this bittersweet gem, coproduced by Harbinger Theatre and the Sand Lake Center for the Arts, is a production brimming with emotional clarity and comic verve. At the Wedding delivers a gripping exploration of queer identity, fractured relationships, and the rituals of moving on.

Anchored by a luminous lead performance, the production thrives in its bold interpretation of Carlo (Maghen Ryan-Adair), the scorned and spiraling wedding guest who spends the evening orbiting her ex’s nuptials like a tragicomic comet. Rarely does heartbreak feel so sharply drawn yet so genuinely hilarious. Maghen delivers a tour de force performance: neurotic, charming, wounded, and whip-smart all at once. Whether cracking one-liners to deflect from emotional free-fall or silently absorbing the impact of seeing her ex marry someone else, her presence never falters. She makes Carlo’s pain palpable but never pitiful, offering a deeply human portrayal of someone caught in the messy act of healing in real time.

Much of the play’s success stems from Turner’s brilliant script full of barbed jokes and emotional landmines. This production mines it for gold with impressive finesse. Director Chris Foster orchestrates the evening like a piece of chamber music, finding rhythm in each entrance and exit, each pivot from punchline to pathos. The pacing is tight but unhurried, letting the emotional stakes breathe while keeping the laughs percolating throughout.

Staging-wise, the design choices elevate rather than distract. The set designed by Chuck Kuhtic is elegantly minimal: just enough to evoke a posh wedding venue but its simplicity allows the characters’ emotional states to take center stage. The choice to keep the action flowing in and around this space (with characters entering as if from other parts of the wedding reception) reinforces the sense that Carlo is both in the middle of things and completely alone. It’s a haunting metaphor for her emotional reality.

The supporting cast rotates in like different courses at a chaotic wedding banquet, each scene a fresh dish, full of new flavors and unexpected spices. From the sharply dressed old flame with unresolved tension (Alexia Halsey), to the mother of the bride armed with blunt-force emotional wisdom (Amy Hausknecht), each supporting character offers a new angle on Carlo’s situation and a new opportunity for gut-busting comedy or heart-wrenching truth.

Particularly notable is the scene between Carlo and the bride herself. Their encounter is full of delicate contradictions: love and regret, closure and confusion, longing and acceptance. The chemistry between the actors here is electric, but muted. The moment is staged with aching restraint, allowing subtext to simmer just below the surface, and it’s a highlight of the production.

Lisa Morgan’s costume choices are pitch-perfect, especially Carlo’s look, which visually sets her apart from the wedding-goers while reinforcing her role as the night’s reluctant narrator and outsider-in-chief.

It’s also worth noting how refreshing it is to see queer relationships presented without explanation, justification, or tokenism. This is not a “coming out” story or a morality tale, it’s just a story, queer in its bones but universal in its ache. That casual authenticity is part of what makes At the Wedding so powerful, and this production leans into that strength without overplaying it.

In short, this At the Wedding is the kind of show you’ll want to RSVP “yes” to again and again. Full of heart, humor, and heartbreak, it’s a poignant portrait of the ways we haunt the people we’ve loved and the grace it takes to finally let them go.

Harbinger Theatre and the Sand Lake Center for the Arts present “At the Wedding” by Bryna Turner, directed by Chris Foster, at the Sand Lake Center for the Arts. CAST: Maghen Ryan-Adair as Carlo, Alexia Halsey as Eva, Ben Amey as Eli, Amy Hausknecht as Maria, Jennifer Schnurr as Carly, Adam Sauter as Victor, and Rachel Stewart will as Leigh. CREATIVE TEAM: Set design Chuck Kuhtic, lighting design David S. Caso, sound design and board operator Stephen Wilson, costume design Lisa Morgan, hair and make-up design Stacy Schafer, stage manager Betsy Wilcox, producer Lisa Byrk.

Shows will be held on June 6 – 7 and June 13 -14 at 7:30 p.m. as well as June 8 and June 15 at 2:30 p.m. at SLCA located at 2880 NY-43 Averill Park, NY 12018. Tickets can be purchased on SLCA’s website. Student tickets are $12 and adult tickets are $22.