Kenan Theatre Company puts on 'At the Wedding'

“At the Wedding,” a comically expressive and heartfelt production written by Bryna Turner, was performed by UNC’s Kenan Theatre Company this past week.

As attendees took their places and waited for the show to begin, they were met with table settings and name cards at their seats, which were strikingly similar to a real wedding reception, making audiences feel as if they were actually at the wedding where the plot unfolds. 

The play follows a woman named Carlo, who is attending the wedding of Eva, her previous partner who is now getting married to a man. In the play, the audience follows Carlo as she realizes that any chance of rehashing the romantic relationship with Eva is gone forever. Throughout the play she goes through feelings of uneasiness, denial and, finally, saddened acceptance of the situation. 

Director Allison Acuff said the show is funny and profoundly human. The cast members, described by Acuff as playful, driven and open-minded, all brought life to the story and interacted with each other in a way that flowed naturally. The plot also came with many twists and turns that kept audiences on the edge of their seats.

“There were a lot of shocking surprises, like who was in a relationship with who, there was a lot of history between different characters that was interesting, and you were just always surprised,” Carmel Hatami, a UNC sophomore who attended Sunday’s afternoon show, said.

For Addison Duncan, who played Eva’s character and is a first-year double majoring in dramatic arts and psychology, “At the Wedding” was her first major theater production at UNC. Before attending UNC, she studied acting at Interlochen Arts Academy in Michigan and did classic productions like "Hamlet." 

She said getting to know the cast and crew for this show highlighted the unique nature of UNC’s dramatic arts community, where students from diverse majors ranging from computer science to public relations come together through a shared passion for theater. 

Grace Wilkinson, who played the lead role of Carlo, grew up acting in her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio. She was witty and energetic on stage, making audiences both empathize with Carlo’s heartbreak and sympathize with her overly ambitious mission of trying to win back the bride. 

“There's the whole trope of the one that got away,” Wilkinson said. “And I think, or I would hope, that deep down, everyone feels like they have an abundance of love to give. And maybe you can tell yourself, ‘My love well has dried up for this person.’ But I think the show does a good job of holding a mirror up to someone and saying, ‘You can still feel love for someone, but you don't have to act on it, it just exists.’”

The script is bursting with valuable lessons around life and love. Toward the end of the dialogue, the character of Eli, played by Aryan Kale, who befriends Carlo at the wedding tells Carlo that sometimes people cannot discern miracles from monsters, even when they're right in front of them. 

Acuff said she hopes audience members reflect on this idea and question when their destructive behaviors and mistakes have led to lost opportunities and, conversely, when they have been a miracle to others.

The sentiment of monsters and miracles ties well into the closing scene, where Eva invites Carlo to dance with her as friends. When Eva eventually has to leave, Carlo is left to both mourn what could have been, as well as reflect on what’s to come. The play, taking on a bittersweet conclusion, encourages audiences to engage in self-forgiveness and make conscious efforts to change for the future, regardless of what happened in the past. 

“I hope that anyone who sees this show will see themselves in the characters, whether they feel more like Carlo or they feel more like an Eva or any of them,” Acuff said.

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