Bachelorette

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[avatar user=”Courtney Marie” size=”96″ align=”left” ] Courtney Marie, Critic[/avatar]This revival of Leslye Headland’s 2010 comedy Bachelorette, that was adapted for the 2012 film of the same name, is as caustic and outrageous as ever. While looking ahead to a wedding day is supposed to generate feelings of excitement and bliss as women band together to stand by their girlfriend as she prepares to say “I Do,” this is often times not the case with several different personalities in the same room. It can be a very stressful time as emotions heighten and feelings get hurt, and Bachelorette humorously and dramatically represents this experience as three girls meet up to celebrate the night before their friend’s wedding in a swanky hotel suite.

Under Hannah T. Wolff’s direction, gal pals and partners in crime, Katie and Gena, bounce in as the up-for-anything party girls with Erika Santosuosso’s Gena taking on the look of an Olsen twin with her dark shades, boots, hat, and cigarettes, and Kelsey Moore’s Katie who is as fiery as her red hair. Both girls are ready to raise some hell and won’t let anyone – not even the bride – outshine them.

Their stylish and sassy friend Regan, played by Darcy Wright, is a bit more polished and pristine as she schools the party girls on their lifestyles and tries to maintain some type of order amongst the group. Acting as the maid of honor, she struggles to fully let loose with the girls while making sure all of her duties to the bride are fulfilled. Truthfully, there’s no real way for her to win, one way or the other but she puts up a strong front.

The inclusion of a few male guests helps tear through the superficialities and reveals the girls for who they really are. The manipulative Jeff, played by James Hesse, sees through Regan’s little ‘Miss Perfect’ front and calls her out on the insecurities and wounds she is hiding underneath the surface. The calm and cool hipster Joe (Scott Friend) provides some lightheartedness and comic relief that comes as a welcome break from all of the tension.

In typical mean girls fashion, these women who gather in the hotel room, with two of them having not received a formal invitation, don’t hold back as they criticize Becky, the bride, for her weight and looks. They next complain that she gets to marry rich and live happily ever after, while these three girls are attempting to deal with their unstable lives characterized by noncommittal relationships, excessive partying, and constant judgments. These girls certainly are relentless and over-the-top with their behaviors and portrayals of just how cruel and fake girls can be even in their adult years.

It’s predictable and overdone, but a plot line that every girl who has been a bridesmaid or who has had a friend get married can relate to. By the time you met Emily Ota’s Becky, you feel so sorry that this girl has to endure her last night as a single gal with this group. The fact that Bachelorette is so exaggerated provides comfort to those of us who have dealt with wedding chaos and allows you to chuckle at the fact that your experience (hopefully) won’t ever be as bad.

The scenic design by Lucca Damilano is open and spacious, providing the ritzy feel of a suite with all amenities in the hottest of hotels. A nice touch is the many champagne bottles situated strategically throughout the suite that most certainly get the [bachelorette] party started. Allyson Steele provides the costume design and the attire matches the personality of each of the ladies – with Regan being dressed in a classic black dress and heels as the leader of the group and the carefree and wild spirit of Katie being brought out in a sexy black romper. Last but not least is the no-nonsense Gena who dons a short black shirtdress and knee-high boots, looking every bit the rock star.

Perfect for the bride-to-be in need of a serious break, Bachelorette provides an entertaining and fun night out and is proof that you’ll never need enemies with friends like these. 

Bachelorette (through September 17, 2016)

Walkerspace, 46 Walker Street, between Franklin and Canal Streets, in Manhattan

For tickets, call 212-941-8632 or visit http://www.bacheloretteplay.com

Running time: 90 minutes without an intermission