Wedding Secrets is about a couple who secretly married in Las Vegas after only knowing each other for a few weeks. Instead of breaking the good news to their families, the couple plans an engagement party to help everyone get to know each other. But we soon find out that members of the bride and groom's families have secrets of their own.
The Paw Paw Village Players will put on the production starting October 17th. Award-winning playwright Joe Starzykwill be there to answer questions about the play. The play runs until October 25th.
Everyone Has Their Secrets
The bride's parents are in the middle of a divorce, but haven't yet told their kids. The groom's parents are facing some intimacy issues. The bride's bratty sister starts dating the somewhat dim boy next door. And there are a host of other relatives to contend with. Starzyk says each family member is hiding something.
A Family Production
Starzyk says he wrote the play to spend some time with his youngest daughter, who was then 15. Starzyk says she was interested in theatre at the time and wanted to do a project. Starzyk wrote parts for his daughter, himself, and his daughter's friend Jake. Starzyk's wife directed the play.
Eventually they performed it as a fundraiser for their local ARC, where Starzyk says they managed to raise about $12,000 in a single weekend. Since 2008, the piece has won several awards, including a 2014 Perry Award (a New Jersey community theater award) for Best Original Production.
The Takeaway
Starzyk says the show is mostly just a fun comedy built to make you laugh. But if there's any message to the play, it's for wedding-goers to take a step back and remember what the day is about.
