Who needs Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy and Maya Rudolph when we have Diona Doherty, Jayne Wisener and Kathryn Rutherford?
Bridesmaids of Northern Ireland, an original play by comedian Diona Doherty, is currently on tour across the country, packing in plenty of laughs and nostalgia for all those lucky enough to attend.
Bridesmaids of NI follows lifelong best friends Becky and Sarah as they prepare to get Sarah hitched. Becky’s status as Maid of Honour comes under attack as Sarah’s other best friend Tiffany throws her North Down money at the wedding at any opportunity she can get (don’t be fooled, she’s really from Coleraine!)
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Inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster, the three actors filled the main stage of The Grand Opera House with cheers and laughter as if there was a cast of 40 up there with them.
Bridesmaids was the perfect alternative girly night out and it was brilliant to see big groups of hen parties filling up the seats of the auditorium. I, who has never been a bride, Maid of Honour or bridesmaid, enjoyed every second of it so I can only imagine how much more relatable it was to those in the crowd who could relate to Becky, Sarah and Tiffany’s characters.
Saturated with classic one-liners, local references and our unique humour, the play had the audience captivated from the moment the lights went up on Diona Doherty flicking through her old CD collection.
The three actors bounced off each other as if they had known each other their entire lives and the relatability of their conversations almost made you feel as if you were a forgotten member of the bridal party getting to watch on as Becky and Tiffany unravel as Sarah’s wedding approaches.
Jayne Wisener as Tiffany was a perfect casting - everything about her screamed Helen’s Bay alongside her forced accent that almost had you rooting for Becky to give her a slap. We all know someone who moves away from their hometown and adopts it as a personality and Jayne captured this so brilliantly that it was hard not to be doubled over at all her quips and jabs at Becky.
Kathryn made the most blushing bride and amongst the ‘yeooo’ cheers, Maniac 2000 routines and hilariously choreographed wedding dress shopping routine, gave some truly heartwarming moments of vulnerability that I’m sure every bride faces as the pressure of their big day builds up. It was hard not to love her character because as elegant as she was in her big day celebrations - her rough and ready side always found a way to creep back in and have the audience grinning.
A big round of applause is needed for Diona Doherty as not only did she give a stellar performance as Becky, her writing had all the makings of a seriously enjoyable show. It’s not hard to see why she is one of the country’s top comedians because she didn’t miss a mark when loading the script with crowd-pleasing jokes like slagging Lurgan (it’s hard not to,) a “full-time mad b******” of a bridesmaid and a glorious hen party in sunny Marb - sorry I mean Millisle.
In a previous interview, Diona said that her experience as a bride, a Maid of Honour and a bridesmaid helped to shape and bring reality to these characters and this definitely translated into the production.
And if everything I said above didn’t have the crowd going wild, some serious dance moves to a number of absolutely belter tunes added to the comedic timing of the whole production.
Bridesmaids of NI still has performances left in Ballymena, Cookstown, Coleraine and Diona’s hometown of Derry - if you want something to leave you with a serious grin on your face and cheesy hits stuck in your head, get yourself down to see it.
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