Bride to Be ⭐️⭐️

Bride To Be is a high-energy solo comedy about wedding planning, expectations and all the wonderfully ridiculous things that apparently come with saying "I do". Written and performed by Meg Millane, it aims at wedding culture, family expectations, and the pressure surrounding marriage, with characters, story, and plenty of theatrical energy along the way.

Meaghan McLeod's direction is okay. There are some nice choices within the staging, and the production keeps moving at a decent pace. However, I never felt that the direction completely elevated the material beyond what was already on the page. There is energy here, but I wanted a little more theatrical invention to really make it stand out.

The costume changes are one of the more successful elements. They keep the show visually interesting and help Meg move between the different characters and situations. For a solo show, there is always the danger of costume changes becoming a bit of a production in themselves, but here they generally sustain the momentum.

The lighting is similar. It does what it needs to do and supports the performance, although I wanted a little more from it. There are some nice moments, but there isn't quite enough variation to make the lighting feel like a major part of the storytelling.

The sound is okay and generally does its job without becoming distracting. There is plenty of music in the show, and it supports maintaining the exciting atmosphere. However, again, I wanted the sound design to feel better integrated into the storyline rather than simply supporting what was already happening.

The book by Meg Millane is where the production really struggles for me. The basic idea is good, and there is certainly a lot of potential in taking wedding culture, expectations and the whole bizarre institution of marriage and turning it into comedy. Unfortunately, the execution doesn't always land.

There are moments where some cheaper laughs have been thrown in because the show needs another joke, rather than because the joke genuinely belongs there. Some land, while others rather awkwardly fall into the theatrical equivalent of a tumbleweed. The biggest example for me was the repeated lip syncing. It initially gets a reaction from the room, but the more it happens, the less effective it becomes. What starts as a fun theatrical choice eventually becomes repetitive, and I found myself waiting for the show to move on rather than looking forward to the next one.

Meg Millane's performance is full of energy. She commits completely to the different characters and clearly knows how to work a room. The performance has real enthusiasm, and she is clearly determined to keep the audience entertained. However, I found that energy wasn't quite enough to get the whole crowd going. There were laughs, but the atmosphere never quite reached the level the performance seemed to be aiming for. Some of the bigger comic moments appeared like they were waiting for a reaction that didn't quite arrive.

Bride To Be has a bright premise, an energetic central performance and some genuinely funny moments. The costume changes keep the production visually interesting, while the music and lighting provide a solid framework for the performance. Unfortunately, the writing doesn't consistently deliver on the idea's potential. There is a good show here. I don't think this version has quite found it yet.

Bride To Be runs at Greenside @ Riddles Court, Thistle Theatre, at 7:40 pm, from 7 to 15 August, with a running time of 55 minutes.