Words: Kiera Harper
Image: Holly Revell
4 Stars
Sad Bride, written and performed by Charlotte Merriam, is an unhinged, relatable exploration of the consequences of societal expectations of marriage and performative womanhood.
Told through a queer, dark comedic lens, Sad Bride follows Bride Thompson, who always dreamed of being a bride; it is her name after all. Yet while growing up, Bride grapples with the reality of her sexuality not lining up with the perfect bride she hoped to be. With skilful character comedy, Merriam becomes Bride in her identifiable white attire and uses quick costume changes to embody supporting characters in Bride’s life, including Julie Andrews’ Maria from The Sound of Music, who acts as an almost narrator of Bride’s story and physical representation of everything she aspired to be when she was young.
Using multimedia staging, the show explores Bride’s addiction to social media and how it enabled her cruelty and blind desire to follow the compulsory heterosexuality code that is getting married to a man. This show feels incredibly relevant today with the rise of social media’s influence on young girls and the promotion of women becoming tradwives. Through this show, we get a glimpse into the unglamorous, panicked reality of being a bride, which isn’t typically shown to the public, making audiences feel less alone in their own experiences of confusion surrounding the wedding industry and what’s meant to be the best day of their lives.
Sad Bride is a strange, profound and necessary show. Stories told of odd women’s life experiences are essential in revealing the reality of romanticised life events like marriage and remind audiences that they’re not weird for not living the idealised fantasy fed to them, which can’t be lived up to. This sentiment should hopefully comfort audiences and make them feel less isolated in their oddities.
Sad Bride
Bunker Two at Pleasance Courtyard
14:45
5th – 31st August (no performances on the 18th)