After watching Fresno State’s production of “At the Wedding” at the Dennis and Cheryl Woods Theatre, I left my seat feeling charmed by the cast and crew’s intimacy and affinity for comedic delivery laid throughout every scene.

I attended the play on Thursday, Nov. 2, which was the show’s Queer Night performance.

What made the performance distinct was the post-show discussion moderated by Kat Fobear, an assistant professor of Women’s Studies and coordinator of the upcoming LGBTQ+ Studies minor. Following the discussion was a dessert reception which included a wedding cake and a photo booth for the cast, crew and audience members in attendance.

With only eight roles in the play, every cast member has a chance to shine and there isn’t one performance on the stage that ever failed to do so.

Written by Bryna Turner, and premiering at Lincoln Center Theatre in 2022, the original play has gone on to receive multiple awards and recognitions including a New York Times Critics’ Pick.

Director Kathleen McKinley said during the post-show discussion that she has enjoyed the opportunity at Fresno State to give voice to new plays and writers.

The direction by McKinley is notable in her attention to detail throughout many aspects of the performance as even the location of the play in a smaller box theater was intentional. She said that this was intended to bring the audience closer to the cast and give an intimate presence to the story.

After following the play’s witty protagonist Carlo, played by Alyssa Benitez, through an increasingly wild series of events taking place at her ex-girlfriend’s wedding, the audience witnesses the complicated set of emotions that can be felt when dealing with a broken heart.

Set as a rom-com, these emotions are explored throughout the play’s 80-minute runtime in a variety of different character interactions.

There are plenty of surprises as viewers learn more about each character in attendance at the wedding from their demeanor and descriptions of who they’re in attendance with, eventually leading to a shocking revelation.

After drinking and conversing her way through the wedding, Carlo comes face-to-face with Eva, the wedding bride, played by Hannah Berry, where the two reconnect and Carlo asks if she is willing to run away with her.

This scene stands out as both Benitez and Berry play their respective roles as if they were truly experiencing the emotions first-hand.

Another standout element of the play was easily the comedy. Whether it was clever punchlines or random bursts of choreography on the stage, there were very few moments when laughs and chuckles weren’t heard throughout the audience.

The post-show discussion provided a unique perspective on the narrative of the play as Fobear highlighted a lesson taught in her classes in which she said that the role of queer and gender identity throughout art and entertainment has, in many instances, focused solely on the struggle of belonging.

This was not the case for “At the Wedding” Fobear said. Instead, the story allows the audience to laugh as the characters are who they are, and they’re not afraid to let anybody else know.

It was incredible to see the actors fill their roles with such a limited amount of time onstage as I felt that I knew each of the characters extremely well by the time they had bowed their heads at the end of the show.

The last performance of “At the Wedding” will be Saturday, Nov. 4 at 7:30 p.m. and tickets can be purchased at the University Theatre’s Website.