As Barbra's Wedding begins, a wife prepares an elaborate pie for her husband, who could not possibly care less. It's playwright Daniel Stern's way of letting us know this marriage is in trouble. But it also illustrates the play's flaws. The scene goes on endlessly, as neither the character nor the author knows when to change gears. And the husband never makes an effort to sample his wife's creation, let alone show his appreciation for her effort, thereby losing a chance to reveal shades of gray in his persona and thus losing audience sympathy for his character.
This is a fledgling effort by Stern, best known as a film actor, who actually lives next door to the home where Barbra Streisand married James Brolin. He uses that media-covered ceremony as a backdrop for his two-character domestic comedy. While helicopters buzz overhead and an unseen Dan Rather tramples our couple's lawn, the husband, who once co-starred in a TV sitcom, obsesses about his career and drives his wife to desperation. The most interesting part of Stern's explores the angst of an out-of-work actor who is close to celebrity status but not quite there. The biggest problem is the character's myopic focus. The wedding next door is under-developed, and we miss an opportunity to compare marital expectations. Instead we see multiple variations on narcissism, frustration and rage.
John Pankow is valiant as the husband, and he delivers a good number of one-line zingers. Julie White earns our sympathy as the long-suffering wife. Towards the end, she tries to force her husband to face reality, give up some of his delusions and accept her love. It's a bit too pat, though till then, many of the tensions between husband and wife ring true. Stern reveals how love can exist even while partners are fighting.
David Warren's direction is smooth and obviously included strenuous physicality omitted on opening night because the actress injured herself in rehearsal earlier that day.
