Meet larger-than-life wedding planners 'Uncle' Frank and Gary, who run their business aptly named 'Happily Ever After'. The wedding industry contributes approximately £10bn per year to the UK economy, making it one of the most competitive industries to operate in. With references to the pandemic mentioned in the script, our planning duo star in their own reality show style mockumentary, capturing the lengths they take to compete and thrive. In this 'episode', we meet Jasmin ('like the Princess') as she plans to wed elusive Wayne.
We all know how many twists and turns reality TV producers can plot in order to keep their audiences tuning in every week, and frankly this show is no different. Jokes are crude, insults are everywhere, and no-one knows where the groom is. The dialogue – written by James Coare, who also stars as Frank – is full of style and humour. Nowhere is really off-limits and I'm sure if we were in a physical theatre the room would be in stitches!
In terms of themes outside of love and wedding planning, it was a shame to see Jasmin's character become a bit too predictable; as a wife set to be married to dedicate all of her time fully for her husband. Due to this and some scenes feeling slightly too rehearsed, the piece didn't entirely hit the mark, despite the vibrancy of its two leading planners. The character of the office assistant Amanda was helpful in creating many comedic moments, however her role in the full play remained unclear and slightly superfluous. Or, was her character arc also skiving away in the shadows? Who knows, but with further development, it would be exciting to see what our characters could become.
Overall, the piece wasn't exactly a dreamy paradisal honeymoon in the Maldives – but with greater development and expansion, it sure could be heading that way. I'm sure Channel 4 will be calling to make the next series.
Season 2 of Online@TheSpace is jam-packed with over fifty pieces from the realms of: stage, screen, music, comedy and more. All pieces were conceived and created in lockdown and can be viewed until the 31st January 2021 from the comfort of your own living room.
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