Sylvia and Marek are tying the knot, and everything seems picture-perfect: bridesmaids scrambling between hair and makeup, last-minute dress fixes, and cheeky pre-ceremony drinks. But underneath all the sparkle and celebration, tensions are brewing.
Sylvia, the bright, ever-hopeful bride, is joined by her sisters, Hazel and Maggie. As they gather, there's more in the air than excitement-there's the weight of everything left unsaid. With a mother who's missing in action and a father, Tony, still nursing old wounds, this reunion carries a bittersweet edge.
Playwright Beth Steel crafts a story that hits hard and fast, unfolding over the course of a single wild day. It's bold, emotional, and laced with the raw energy of a classic tragedy. The set is simple but striking-a stretch of astroturf designed by Samal Blak, with Paule Constable's lighting turning even a glitter ball into something magical. It's a setting that lets the drama shine as personal pain and political scars from a working-class mining town bubble to the surface.
The cast is electric. Lorraine Ashbourne brings fierce charisma as Aunty Carol, while Lucy Black's fiery Hazel and Lisa McGrillis' grounded Maggie deliver performances full of heart and tension. Marc Wootton, as Marek, quietly unpacks themes of identity and belonging, offering a moving take on what it means to forgive-or not.
And then comes the gut-punch: one final scene with the three sisters, stripped of pretense, raw and real. It's the kind of moment that grabs your heart and doesn't let go. Steel doesn't just give us a wedding-she gives us a reckoning, where every character faces who they really are and who they've been to each other.
This play isn't just something to watch-it's something to feel. With humor, heartbreak, and a stinging dose of truth, it reminds us that behind every celebration lies a story waiting to be told.
