Review: MY BEST FRIEND'S WEDDING at Ogunquit Playhouse

I have reviewed many a show at the Ogunquit Playhouse and they have been consistently great with an occasionally critiqued item or two. As for their current production of the world premiere of My Best Friend's Wedding, the production can only be described as Ogunquit Playhouse at its best. 

There is no doubt that a world premiere has an element of excitement to it, and this holds true in “My Best Friend's Wedding.” There’s the sold-out crowd on opening night, special guests in the audience including Dan Brown the author of the DaVinci Code who saw his work premiered on the Ogunquit stage and Kathleen Marshall, a nine-time Tony Award nominee and three-time award winner who directed and choreographed this premiere. (Marshall was the first woman to have directed a play, a musical, and choreographed a musical on Broadway. And here she is at the Ogunquit Playhouse.)

I had never seen the movie of the same title, but that doesn’t matter. This show is a delightful musical on its own.

The story is fun, the music exceptional (you can’t miss with every number written by Bert Bacharach and Hal David) and the talent filled with Broadway credits dominating the playbill.

The musical follows the story of Julianne Potter (Krystal Joy Brown, a gifted actor, vocalist and comic), a cynical food critic who finds her world turned upside down when her childhood friend, Michael (Matt Doyle, handsome looking like a young Patrick Dempsey, oozing with boy-next-door charm) announces his engagement to another woman, Kimmy (Lianah Sta. Ana)  Determined to win him back, Julianne embarks on a journey filled with deception, temptation, and playfulness that rocks the world for both Michael and his soon to be bride.

Brown’s portrayal is one for the Playhouse history books.  Her Julianne is both comedic and poignant, capturing the character's wit, vulnerability, and unwavering determination. Her vocals are noteworthy in numbers like "The Look of Love" and "Close to You” and the array of Bacharach and David hits. And besides all that, she is impishly delightful to watch as she plots and schemes her way to recapturing her lover. She simply charms the heck out of the Ogunguit audience. Please bring her back for more productions.

Doyle delivers an impressive performance as the charming and affable Michael. His chemistry with Julianne is amazingly delicious, making their on-stage scenes both funny and touching.  You believe that they were once very much in love and that the passage of time has changed things. But have they really? That is the burning question of the evening.

Sta. Ana is a gem as the sweet and innocent fiancée. The fun part of her role is that the character is not supposed to be able to sing well. In fact, she starts a karaoke night performance that is pure torture, (fingernails on a blackboard) but she finds her inner confidence and shows that she’s a powerhouse vocalist. Sta. Anna is a perfectly cast Kimmy.

Julianne’s best friend and gay roommate, George (Telly Leung) is a natural comic and explosive vocalist. His “Raindrops Keep Fallin’ On My Head” is performed in a quasi- “Singing in the Rain” parody played with elegance. His rendition of “What’s New Pussy Cat,” is like no other you have ever heard or seen. You will never experience the song in the same way after seeing Leung’s version. His scene where he fakes being Julianne’s fiancée is brilliant.

Kimmy’s parents are played by Soara-Joye Ross and Mark Lotito with great comic moments and vocals. Morgan Bryant and Zoe Jensen are the bridesmaids from hell with Austin Phillips as Micheal’s kid brother. The latter threesome performs the first number ever done on the Ogunquit stage with inhaled helium induced voices.

While the story is wrapped around the music of Burt Bacharach and Hal David, you might want to call the production a jukebox musical. But it really doesn’t play like one. The songs flow seamlessly with the plot and fit in remarkably well. The tunes, mostly written in the 60s and 70s, have a contemporary feel to them and never feel outdated. The Ogunquit orchestra, rarely seen on the stage, is in full view in a surprise move in the second act. It is a memorable moment.

The set design is among the most creative I’ve ever seen on the Ogunquit stage. Backdrops and panels were filled with the “LOVE” logo artwork that appeared on every poster in the 1970s, staged here with bordered lighting on the letters. With multiple color changes in the border lighting, each transition looks like an entirely different set.  

“My Best Friend's Wedding” is a delightful and entertaining musical, among the best I’ve seen at Ogunquit, which is sure to leave audiences smiling. And as a world premiere, you can be among the first ever to see it performed on the theater stage right here in Ogunquit.

Photos: Nile Scott Studios

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