Updated 04/16/2010

Laughternoon, starring Adam London

By Chuck Rounds

Note: Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding is now playing at Bally's Las Vegas
"Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding" is playing upstairs at the V Theater inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood. The show starts with the wedding, and quickly moves onto the reception. It is an interactive theatrical experience that puts everything in your face. This show has been successfully running in Las Vegas for over seven years, and it doesn't look as if the success is going to wane anytime soon. If you love attending weddings, (and especially wedding receptions,) then this is an experience you'll enjoy. This show has the essence of every wedding that you've ever attended, and all the mishaps that you've ever heard of at a wedding. The cast ad-libs and improvises their way through the evening involving all the audience members.

There are some shows for which I wish that I could disqualify myself, but shirking my duties would be remiss, and the best that I can do is to tell you of my bias and allow you to make your own decision. The interactive dinner theatre concept works for a lot of people, but certainly does not work for everyone, and I am certainly in the latter group. In order to really enjoy this show, then you must want to get involved. You need to actively interact and become caught up in the excitement of the events happening around you---you must buy in to the production, suspend your disbelief, and have a good time. If you choose to sit back and simply watch the show, then you will quickly become the wallflower at the dance and miss all of the best parts of the production.

This is, in fact, just like attending a wedding and reception...but this is the wacky and fun wedding that you've always heard about. There is the heightened reality of the situation, along with the insanity, and while many aspects of the show slip into the stereotypical, it is mostly about making an ordinary event extraordinary.

The cast basically works from an outline; from which they fill in all of the blanks. There are a series of events that have to happen, but exactly how they happen will change on a nightly basis depending on the audience involvement. The cast is adept at bringing each of these characters to life and defining them in very specific terms.

No matter where you sit at this reception, you see a different show. All of the characters are interspersed throughout the space, and they each have their own dialogue, character and motivations. In a different area, you'll hear very different things.

The upstairs space at the V Theater is flat, long and narrow, and seeing the action is very difficult. You can hear pretty well, but you can't see much.

The dinner served at the reception was very disappointing. The production used to have an all- you-can-eat buffet with several choices. They have now gone to a set menu and pre-served plate of chicken parmesan and salad. It feels like a change to only save money and not serve the best interest of the show. The beverages are not included, and the wedding cake is very mediocre.

"Tony 'n' Tina's Wedding" is a fun production if you have a desire to experience the entertaining side of nuptials, and in general, love the interactive dinner theatre genre. The passive observer is not going to enjoy the evening very much. My problem is that I want to watch a show, and not be a part of a show. The best part of the show is the cast. They are the driving part of the production. They do a good job at creating their characters and interacting with the audience.

Official Web Site for Laughternoon, starring Adam London