Writer: Will Jackson
Director: Hannah Birkin
Will Jackson’s new one-man show begins with the audience invited to Helen’s hen do. We are given party bags and surprise the bride with party poppers. However, despite this early excitement, the story that follows is, unfortunately, a little dull.
Jackson is Felix, Helen’s best friend. He’s organised the hen night which really is a ‘sten’ night as the stags and hens have arranged to meet in a nightclub later on in the evening. It is here where he first spies Dan. For Felix, it’s practically love at first sight and he ditches his friends to spend a night of passion with Dan in a fancy hotel room. But in the morning over brunch, matters become more complicated when he discovers that Dan is the groom’s brother. They decide to keep the relationship on the down low, at least until after the wedding.
However, as Jackson counts down the days to the wedding, the story meanders and, over 80 minutes, drags. Jackson is a likeable and confident performer, full of energy and archness. His narrative contains lots of details but many of these observations have little to do with the story in hand. For instance, why does Helen have to be nine weeks pregnant? Asides about Helen’s aunty and Felix’s boss Katy certainly add colour, but do little to move the story forward.
Of course, there are plenty of laughs along the way as Jackson wheels his hostess trolley around Soho’s upstairs stage and the narrative is always crystal clear but ultimately there’s not much at stake here. Events planner Felix seems a nice enough chap, but we know too little about him to invest in him emotionally. Within all the comedy, there’s little space for character development.
It’s a shame as at the start we felt part of the party, but quite quickly we become passive bystanders who haven’t been invited to the wedding.
Runs until 15 July 2023
The Reviews Hub Score
Wedding Crashers
