Five Women Wearing the Same Dress by playwright Alan Ball takes place in Meredith's (Tiffany Paster) bedroom, which overlooks the festivities of her sister's wedding reception. She and four others are the bridesmaids. Don't get the idea that this is a saccharine 50s romantic afternoon. It's 1993 in Knoxville, Tennessee. These are modern southern belles in atrocious dresses. They also speak their minds and their minds are full of contemporary language, blasphemous commentary, and the desire to have sexual satisfaction above all. Thus, they seem to enjoy the shock value of their language and their actions.
The playwright seems to revel in controversial material. Alan Ball's television works include scripts for "Six Feet Under" and "Grace Under Fire." And it is all in great fun.
Frances enters the room first, snoops into a jewelry box, and tries on a faux diamond bracelet. Alas, it won't come off. Poor Frances is a lovely Christian lady thrust into this maelstrom of verbal and sexual freedom. Meredith (Tiffany Paster) escapes the crowd downstairs, joining Frances. She is quickly followed by Trisha (Kelli Harless) whose sole concern is getting laid as soon as possible. A drunken Georgeanne (Miranda Porter) staggers in with her own personal bottle of champagne. Rounding out this unlikely group is Mindy (Karen Spafford) a very objective, snack-munching lesbian.
Meredith is a profane joint-toking women with a dark history. Paster gives a convincing performance of a woman with some deep-seated problems. Harless portrays Trisha with zeal, a character who keeps a chart of all the men she has bedded. She states in her bio that her sons will not see this play.
Spafford, who just came off The Crones of Cawdor at Theatrx, plays Mindy, who is relatively quiet compared to the others. She seems totally happy with herself and her relationships. Porter's Georgeanne, on the other hand, is unhappily married and bedding an old boyfriend. She did double duty with Teri Porter, creating the horrible costumes.
A story is not complete if one character doesn't have a significant change. In Ball's tale, a major change happens in Frances, the professed Christian saving herself for the one and only man in her life, when and if he comes along. She would also not let the taint of alcohol enter her body. The profanity of her fellow bridesmaids is totally offensive. By the end the day, two of the three no-noes has been abused by her.
Wes Jackson appears near the end. His Tripp gives the ladies a bit of balance as he delightfully calls Trisha's bluff. It is an amusing scene with just a bit of tenderness.
Five Women Wearing the Same Dress is an over-the-top amusement, testing the bounds of language and subject matter much the way "Six Feet Under" did. As much as I'd like to quote a line or two from the script, I just can't. It's like the men's locker room-conversation. If you are in the mood for a bit of raucous dialogue, truly ugly dresses, and five lovely ladies, you'll enjoy the show.
