Five Women Wearing the Same Dress
Alan Ball
Coastal Rep Theatre
Five young women each wearing identical, bridesmaid dresses that one describes as “makes me look like a linebacker” along with little hats that “makes us look like the flying nun” find escape from the outdoor reception in the former bedroom of the bride whom all — including her younger sister — more or less now detest. As afternoon blends into evening, the five who clearly see themselves as having little in common begin to discover through champagne, gossip, revelations, and confessions that their bonds are much greater than they first thought.
Coastal Rep Theatre opens Alan Ball’s 1993-premiering Five Women Wearing the Same Dress in a production packed with sharp-edged jabs, brilliantly scripted one-liners, and physically comic performances often rivaling the likes of Lucille Ball or Carol Burnett. At the same time, Ball’s script does not shy away from tough, age-old issues faced by the women ranging from loveless marriages, the pressure to look like magazine models, AIDS, and sexual abuse.
Please continue to Talkin’Broadway for the rest of my review.
Rating: 4 E
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress</I> continues through February 16, 2025, in a two-hour (plus intermission) production by Coastal Rep Theatre, 1167 Main Street, Half Moon Bay, California. Tickets are available online at https://www.coastalrep.com.
Photo Credits: Hisa Naito
