April's Shower

REVIEW
April’s Shower is a very funny, stylish romantic comedy of heterosexual marriages, lesbian passions and true love. April (Maria Cina) is getting married and has asked Alex (Trish Doolan), a chef and her former roommate, to host her bridal shower. But why is Alex sobbing a bit too wildly as she chops the onions? And when the guests start to arrive--the nosy make-up artist, Vicky; the flaming queen, Jake; Martha-Stewart-lite, Rita; April’s menopausal mother, Fran; and a host of other screwballs and oddballs--it becomes obvious that April is not the average bride-to-be. When April’s Latina friend Sophie arrives while in the midst of a fight with her lesbian artist lover Sasha, and the pizza delivery man decides to stay and chat with Jake and Alex’s brother, the party begins to unravel in earnest. The wine and food are flowing and a host of secrets, each more startling than the next, are revealed. In Trish Doolan’s well-scripted, well-acted Altman-esque tour de force, the laughs keep coming as do the gasps. The fun and frolicsome April’s Shower never ceases to surprise. --Victoria A. Brownworth