Marriages and Mishaps Galore: ‘Stag and Doe’
A wedding is widely regarded as the “happiest day of your life” but the stains of actually achieving that blissful status often turn the festivities sour. Bonnie (Emily Lukasik) and Brad (Henry Beasley) are throwing a stag and doe in preparation for their wedding. Unfortunately, after a terrible storm, Rob (Kyle Brown) and Mandy (Romi Shraiter) have had to relocate their wedding, and the only venue in town that can fit it happens to be hosting the stag and doe. Throw into the mix a maid of honour (Amelia Sargisson) still recovering from being left at the altar seven years ago and a chef (Sayer Roberts) whose entire catering staff has been arrested. It’s a good old fashion farce with some signature Canadian charm.
When seeking a comical script in Canada, there are few names as reliable as Mark Crawford, and this past weekend his play Stag and Doe, directed by Cherissa Richards, opened at Thousand Islands Playhouse in the Springer Theatre. As the play begins, Artistic Director Brett Christopher’s voice booms in over the speakers giving a preshow address in the context of an announcer for the party. He cleverly incorporates a promotion of the bar and 50/50 raffle into his speech, prompting a chuckle before the lights fade and “I Got A Feeling” by the Black Eyed Peas plays. This is the first of many familiar hit songs that sound whenever the lights dim throughout the evening as a part of Maddie Bautista’s sound design. The use of frequent pop music is extremely effective in keeping the energy moving in between scenes, and it does not feel sudden or out of place thanks to its diegetic uses like Mandy’s ringtone being Britney Spears’ “Toxic”.
The play begins with Bonnie and maid of honour Dee making drinks for the stag and doe—a seemingly inconsequential task just to create action as the story progresses, but Crawford knows his Russian playwriting principals and substitutes a gun for Chekhov’s jello shooters. One of the most wonderful things about this script is that every object included and every detail mentioned is likely to return in some regard later on. Sargisson’s Dee begins as an energetic comedic relief, warming the audience up for the events to follow. She is a definite highlight of the production, able to carry the comedy of a slower scene where the plot develops, later becoming the centre of the story and carrying her own share of tender moments.
Lukasik and Beasley’s characters are set up in this initial scene as though they will be the focus of the story, as they are holding the titular stag and doe and also have a conflict regarding the wedding budget. Because of this dynamic, the pair suffer from being some of the less entertaining characters, not having as many opportunities for over the top physical humour. However, both manage to find their moments to shine in the script. Beasley in particular was able to provoke many laughs with his exasperated fatigue of Bonnie’s self-centric focus on the wedding finances. The relationship the two create is obviously strained, but they exhibit enough love for one another that the audience is still invested in whether or not they will survive the night’s tensions.
For all of the likable characters, there have to be a few not-so-likable ones, and Brown and Shraiter’s portrayals fill the requirement nicely. Shraiter’s bridezilla is entirely believable, barking commands at her husband-to-be and guzzling drinks when things go wrong. Her physical humour is on point with an excellent sense of byplay, always fully committed to the moment’s context. Brown begins the show as an almost pitiable creature but by the end of the night managed to evoke enough distaste that there were mumbles in the audience cautioning other characters away from him. In the context of the theatre—where audiences seem to be trained that engagement means to sit quietly—I consider the urge to express distaste toward the character’s actions quite the credit to Brown’s performance.
Roberts as wedding chef Jay is the last to be introduced, but left the greatest impression on me. I must admit a personal bias, having been an events worker for four years and dealing with my fair share of weddings in that time, but Roberts’ performance is charming, relatable, and by far the most grounded. He acts as an anchor to reality, reminding the audience that although the situation seems impossible, it is merely improbable and this poor man is just trying to do his job amidst the chaos.
All this commotion takes place in a realistic kitchen (set design by Joe Pagnan) with the rake of the roof hanging suspended above the action. This gap between the top of kitchen and the roof allows for more creativity from Lighting Designer Michelle Ramsay: while the entire action is set in a kitchen with some standard fluorescent lights, the colourful strobes of the party beyond the doors are visible in that upper area, reminding us that so much more is happening just outside the kitchen. The requirements of the set for Stag and Doe are rather specific to make the logistics of the comedy work, but the small pieces of the set dressing bring an additional dimension of charm to the production. Some missing floor tiles reveal the squiggle of failed adhesive, and above the sink sit health and safety signs. The script seems as though it would be restricting to designers, but they manage to innovate nonetheless.
With no new shows opening until September and the sun already beginning to shy away, Stag and Doe closes off the warmer months at Thousand Islands Playhouse, and it is a great production to do so. It is one of those scripts where you can grab a drink, grab a friend, and just laugh the night away at the theatre, leaving with a warm optimistic feeling.
‘Stag and Doe’ is presented by Thousand Islands Playhouse, and will be playing at the Springer Theatre until September 14, 2025. Tickets and more information can be found here.
