Mary’s Wedding is a Touching Breath of Fresh Air

by Angie Toomsen

Riverside - Anything is possible in a dream, and anything is possible in theatre. In the beginning of Stephen Massciotte’s Mary Wedding, it is announced "tonight is just a dream . . . it begins at the end and ends at the beginning."

What follows is a fluid, free-associative journey from the night star-crossed loves meet in a barn during a thunderstorm in pre-WWI 1920’s Canada, to the eve of Mary’s wedding years later.

Mary (Kalen Harriman)—a wide-eyed, poetry-loving British transplant—meets Charlie (Martin Andrews), a farmer’s son. Mary is drawn to the skilled horseman, as is he to her. The literary imagery sets the stage for nascent true love as both seek shelter from a booming thunderstorm. In their first meeting, we learn that Charlie fears thunderstorms and Mary is deathly afraid of horses. We also learn that their respective strengths bolster each other’s vulnerabilities as Charlie coaxes Mary to ride, and as Mary pacifies Charlie’s thunderclap anxiety, leading him in recitation of Tennyson’s poem, “The Charge of the Light Brigade.”

As their fondness for one another develops through subsequent encounters, the dream skips around in time and space. Charlie has joined the Canadian Calvary and is ship-bound to Europe, where he is soon entrenched in real battle—a far cry from the poetic “Charge of the Light Brigade.” The violence Charlie faces in battle—and assuaging thoughts of Mary—are volleyed with scenes of an evolving pre-war courtship under the thumb of a class-conscious mother who does not immediately approve of the pairing.

The lines between these disparate places and times blur and overlap as Mary—who spends the entire play in a delicate white night dress—steps in and out of the role of Charlie’s superior officer, Sergeant Flowers, a friend and a comfort to Charlie.
Intersecting points on the timeline accelerate and, as they reach a final crescendo, the audience is reminded that this is, in fact, a dream. Mary’s dream. Not merely a dream in the sense that the a linear depiction of time can be disregarded, but that wishes can be fulfilled and moments re-imagined. The dream wakes Mary unto itself—like a waiting room to the reality of her waking life and pending nuptials—as a heartbreaking reality must be named.

Riverside Theatre’s current production, directed by Sean Christopher Lewis, is effectively executed in every respect.

The production is a tear-jerker, evidenced by the wet eyes, tissues and reassuring looks exchanged among theatre companions as the house lights came up at the end of this 90-minute piece in its opening weekend. Massciotte’s script blueprints the emotional journey, but it is the actors and Lewis’ economical direction that earn credit for the success of this production.

Martin Andrews is a gifted, sensitive professional who reveals a very genuine and believable picture of a young man touched by love and by the horrors of war. In a role that could seem overly sentimental or difficult for modern audiences to relate to if thinly interpreted, Andrews’ own commitment and generosity allow Charlie’s experiences to transcend the distance of era. Iowa City theatre goers are fortunate to have actors like Andrews in the area.

As Mary, Chicago actress Kalen Harriman is a walking angel. Simply delightful. Like a little girl as times, she captures Mary’s wonder and innocence in a way that makes it impossible for the audience not to fall in love with her. Her performance—skillful, specific, and marked with very clear navigation through abrupt transitions—is positively effortless. Harriman also effectively handles a British dialect in a way that is rare for American actors.

The play is staged on a beautiful set designed by Shawn Johnson. Lengthy gapped wood slats seem to reach on for days, creating the illusion of greater depth than the space affords on its own. There is just enough there for Lewis and the actors to play with—two gates, a long sturdy shelf/bench to create levels—and stacks of hay that become barricades in battle.

Courtney Schmitz Watson’s lighting design plays with the gaps in the boards in a way that makes the set seem other-worldly at times. The lighting, and Lewis’ sounds design, help transport the space from barn to battlefield with ease. Perfect ethereal touches, fitting for a dreamscape.

Mary’s Wedding plays through April 18th.


Angie Toomsen has an MA in journalism from the University of Iowa and a BA in theatre from UNI. She spent nearly a decade in New York City, seeing, participating in and studying theatre. She still enjoys writing, acting and directing as time permits.