Review: The Wedding Reception by Interactive Theatre International

There are so many plots and subplots in The Wedding Reception’s interactive comedy dining experience that it’s difficult not to be in awe of it for that alone. Interactive Theatre International are masters of this type of immersive theatre. Their show Faulty Towers the Dining Experience, has been performed in the UK and Australia, where the company started, for the last 21 years. 

For this evening we’re all guests at William and Stacey’s wedding reception. Four actors play several characters connected to the story that unfolds, in a major way, over the course of a meal. If you’re not swept into the fiction from the initial drinks gathering, it’d be difficult not to be drawn in by some of the extremely skilled improvisation that follows, and you'll be fully invested in the story, possibly even part of the plot, by the time you get to the main course.  

A good sign of successful immersion is that audience members feel comfortable speaking their minds. This only adds to the hilarity. As well as faultless acting from the company, the pacing of the evening is superb, and the planned audience involvement is always supportive without creating any pressure on individuals to perform.

Although the initial narrative twists are fresh and unpredictable, certain strands become clichéd in a way that the rest of the show, with great comedic quips and slapstick, avoids so wonderfully. But this is of little consequence; it’s a great evening of entertainment and immersive theatre at its finest.