Next Act Theatre opens its 20th season with an irresistible love story, Mary's Wedding. As the title suggests, the play is set (briefly) on the eve of a wedding. Mary, the glowing, bride-to-be, is looking over some old letters she hid under a plank in an old barn. On the eve of her new life as a married woman, she has come to say goodbye to her past. This fact doesn't become apparent until well into the play, as we come to know and love the two characters, Mary and Charlie.
They make a most unlikely couple: she is a recent import from London who has just arrived in Canada. She meets a handsome but awkward farm boy, Charlie. Gradually, the attraction they sense at their first meeting grows stronger and stronger. Only war could separate them, and it does.
The play is set from 1916-1920. It is the eve of World War I. Charlie, patriotic to the core, immediately signs up for military duty. Mary fears for Charlie's life. She cherishes the letters he writes to her almost daily.
Part of what makes this tale so mesmerizing is its structure. It starts at the end and works its way backward, making the play a flashback. This is all explained in narration before the play begins. However, things aren't as linear as they first appear. The playwright does a masterful job playing with time. For instance, near the end of the play, Charlie (or perhaps the ghost of Charlie) wonders what happened to him during the war. Mary reads his letter back to him. As she speaks, Charlie re-enacts the scene, which adds poignancy to the heroism and horrors -- of war.
This may not sound like humorous material. But the genuine charm of the two characters encourages frequent smiles and laughter. Members of the audience can't help but recognize their own early attempts at romance. In the early years of the 20th century, Mary and Charlie's blossoming love seems so innocent, so fragile. And yet, these young lovers are thrown into the midst of a very harsh reality as Charlie goes to Europe to fight in a war.
The combination of these two actors and director Edward Morgan seem like a perfect trifecta. Georgina McKee, as Mary, looks and behaves as a shy, young girl. Dressed only in a summer nightgown, she reads poetry and eagerly embraces life on the Canadian prairie. Charlie, ruggedly built and plain-spoken, desperately wants to impress her. His tongue-tied attempts to do so are sweet and funny. McKee must also step in and out of another role. She becomes Charlie's commanding officer, Sgt. Flowers. Still shoeless and dressed in her nightgown, McKee uses her voice and body language to skillfully create the man who becomes Charlie's mentor and father figure. When the sergeant urges Charlie to admit that he sees Mary's face everywhere, it's easy for the audience to see why (since Mary is playing the part of the sergeant).
The character of Charlie is perfectly captured by Braden Moran. Whether he's juggling a china cup of tea at Mary's house or tossing feed sacks at the farm, Moran embodies Charlie's every move. In battle, he tries to act brave until the sergeant makes him confess that he's actually scared, lonely and tired. As Mary and Charlie, the two actors demonstrate a true chemistry between them.
Director Edward Morgan makes the ebb and flow of this poetic play appear seamless. The set, consisting of the ramshackle ruins of a barn, is nicely constructed. It is also cleverly rigged to become whatever is needed at the time, from a farm house to trenches in the battlefield. The elements of wind, water, earth and air are important parts of the play, putting an extra burden on the set, lighting and sound. All the production elements are excellent, contributing to a completely satisfying theatrical experience. Mary and Charlie are characters that audiences will remember long after the final curtain.
