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Growing pains are universal, and storytellers have spent decades trying to capture the complicated beauty of family dynamics.
Few succeed as timelessly as Edward Streeter’s 1949 novel “Father of the Bride,” a story cherished for its humor, relatability, and heart, according to a news release from the Wagon Wheel Center for the Arts.
Sponsored by Main Street Warsaw, Wagon Wheel Community Theatre brings this classic to life in a new production opening Friday. While many audiences may remember the 1991 film adaptation starring Steve Martin, Martin Short and Diane Keaton, Wagon Wheel’s staging offers its own retelling.
Set in the 1960s, the play explores growing up, family disagreements and the art of letting go. Tim Davis steps into the title role of Stanley Banks, joined by Ally Watkins as the feisty housekeeper, Delilah. Together with a talented ensemble, they promise a performance filled with laughter, nostalgia and heart.
“First and foremost, it’s a story about family,” said Watkins. “One of my favorite parts about it is how the core family unit is built of these incredibly natural characters. And then there are all of these outsiders coming into their lives one by one, upending everything and causing chaos as they try to plan this ginormous event.”
The Perfectly Dysfunctional Family
The cast agrees part of the play’s charm lies in its characters.
“Delilah is a gem,” said Watkins. “She is probably my favorite character that I’ve ever gotten to play as far as her personality is concerned. She is a woman of contradiction. She is a hopeless romantic and simultaneously 1,000% over men. She is emotional and also no nonsense. She’s hilarious."
“Honestly, in the end, my favorite thing about Stanley is that he loves his family,” said Davis. “He loves his daughter a lot. It really comes out in the writing.”
“It comes back to the idea of unity,” said Watkins. “With everything going on right now, we need to see a story about a family that loves each other at the end of the day, even when things get a little crazy. This is a happy story. We truly need that right now.”
The Community in Community Theatre
For both Davis and Watkins, community theatre has been more than just a creative outlet; it’s been transformative.
“I was a huge theatre kid in high school,” said Watkins. “But I hadn’t been on the stage since I graduated until Wagon Wheel Community Theatre’s production of Rumors last year. I decided to come back out. I’m super thrilled to be back.”
“I did a little bit of theatre in high school,” said Davis. “But I didn’t do anything on stage for quite some time after that. But I was back here, living in Warsaw, and I saw an ad on Facebook in 2019 about Community Theatre auditions for “Lend Me a Tenor.” I came to the basement of the United Methodist Church to audition and almost left. I was very close to leaving, but I ended up doing the audition and got the part.”
That decision changed everything for Davis.
“I found my friends here,” said Davis. “I’ve been around a long time and I finally got to be me and do the stuff that I really enjoy doing. The people that are here became my closest friends. I just can’t stay away. If you take my story as an example, Community Theatre became a real life-changer for me,” he said. “For the performers, this is a great discovery.”
Watkins agreed. “It’s a fantastic creative outlet for us. There is something amazing about watching someone make art. It’s even better when it’s something that you know and love that you’re watching make art. The fact that our friends and families can come and see people that they know is amazing. If you live in this community, there’s a very good chance you’re going to see at least one familiar face on the stage. There are some talented people in this community.”
Planning the Perfect Wedding: How Hard Can it Be?
As the play reminds audiences, weddings may change with the times, but the joys, and challenges, remain familiar.
“Weddings have been around for a long time, and they’re still around in various forms,” said Davis. “All sorts of people have been in this kind of situation. They get into the hard parts of leaving people out, seeing their children getting married off. There’s universal appeal.”
Drawing from their own experiences and six weeks in rehearsal for Father of the Bride, the performers offered tips for orchestrating the perfect wedding day.
“I will be married 10 years in October,” said Watkins. “When I planned my own wedding, I discovered the key was to stop listening to anything anyone else had to say and just do it my way. Did I have a classic literature themed ceremony and a Harry Potter-themed reception? Yes I did. And my husband and I had a great time.”
“At your wedding, surround yourself with the people you really want there,” said Davis. “And actually enjoy it. Don’t let all the planning, money and details take away from the day because you only have that one day. That’s all that really matters.”
Performance Dates and Tickets
Wagon Wheel Community Theatre’s “Father of the Bride” will be performed Friday and Saturday at 7 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Tickets are available online at wagonwheelcenter.org or by calling the Box Office at 574-267-8041.
