by Douglas E. Love
For The News Bulletin

GOODFIELD, IL – A wedding gone wrong can hardly be a laughing matter – for those involved.  However, to watch the comedic tomfoolery of a pre-nuptial mix-up can be quite amusing.

At its best Robin Hawdon’s Perfect Wedding has been called “a riotous fantasia of music, dance (and) physical comedy.”
At its worst, it could be called a cheeky spin-off of Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream.
Whatever you want to call it, its a sure fire hit.
From the author of The Mating Game and Don’t Dress for Dinner, Perfect Wedding humorously explores the fact that there is no such thing as a perfect wedding.
The story revolves around Bill: hapless Bill our bridegroom-to-be.  You see, Bill wakes up from his stag-party very hung over.  And, there’s a naked girl next to him, and she’s not his bride-to-be.  His fiancé shows up, and he tells her the woman is the chambermaid – and, just then, the chambermaid shows up. And, well, this is just the start of a funny, funny, show.
This tangled web of a farce will feature Bob Lane, Jr. and Mary Simon at Conklin’s Barn II Dinner Theatre in Goodfield, Illinois.  The show will run from November 6 to December 31, with 2 shows on New Year’s Eve.  Full buffet performances Thursday-Saturday evenings (doors open at 6pm, show starts at 8pm) and Sunday brunch (doors open noon, show 1:30p). Tickets are $30 and $34 respectively. For more information, please call Nick at the box office at 309-965-2545.
Conklin’s has just announced its 2009 season, called “A Cavalcade of Comedy.” 
The year will kick off with Funny Valentines, set to open on January 8; Cash on Delivery will open on March 5; and Squabbles, starring Mike Dentino and Mary Simon, on April 30.  June brings Forever Plaid; July premieres Unnecessary Force; in September comes Neil Simon’s Rumors; and the season wraps up with We Need a Little Christmas.
Around Town
If you’re looking for something a little more in the classical-style, you should see Aeschylus’s The Oresteia at Bradley University.  The Oresteia is a trilogy of Greek tragedies centered around the end of the curse on the House of Atreus.  King Atreus, of course, is the father of Agamemnon and Menelaus – and Menelaus later married Helen (Helen of Troy, the face that launched a thousand ships). There’s plenty of conniving, adultery, murder and intrigue.  The Oresteia will run Thursday through November 23 at 8 p.m.  Tickets are $14 per person.  The show will be in the Meyer Jacobs Theatre in the Hartmann Center for the Performing Arts.  For more information, call 309-677-2650.
On Saturday, Peoria Park District’s new Civil War Winter Quarters re-enactment will bring history to life.  Sommer Park with host this unique presentation.  Bring the family to see Civil War soldiers construct their winter quarters and prepare for their winter encampment.  Living Historians in authentic uniforms will use period tools and construction methods to build handmade wooden shelters to protect themselves from the approaching winter weather.  Activities also include mail call, drill and ceremonies, and daily camp life.  The event will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.  Tickets are only $5 per vehicle.