The world premiere of playwright Carey Crim’s “Emma’s Wedding(s)” is currently playing at Chelsea’s Purple Rose Theatre, delivering an exhilarating, laugh-out-loud comedy that never lets up. Under the direction of Kate Thomsen Savina, the hilarious production comes alive through energetic performances, dance, multimedia elements and rapid-fire pace, all anchored by an enduring celebration of friendship and the people who stand beside us through life’s biggest moments.
Opening before a packed house, the production quickly establishes itself as more than a comedy about another trip down the aisle. Instead, Emma’s Wedding(s) explores the complicated relationships that sustain us through decades of triumphs, disappointments, reinvention and unconditional support. While romance may provide the occasion, friendship ultimately becomes the emotional centerpiece.
We spoke with Crim about returning to these characters, the collaborative process behind the production, and the themes she hopes audiences will carry with them long after the curtain falls.
Crim, who grew up in Grosse Pointe before living in Ferndale and Royal Oak, said premiering another play in Michigan always feels meaningful.
“Michigan always feels like coming home,” she said.
Returning to familiar friends
Although Emma’s Wedding(s) reunites audiences with characters introduced in What Springs Forth, Crim intentionally avoided writing a traditional sequel. But you don’t need to have witnessed the former to enjoy the current production.
RELATED: What’s on Stage: July 2026
“I had such a good experience writing for these women in What Springs Forth two years ago,” she said. “I wanted to continue their journey. But I didn’t want to write a sequel because it was important to me that people who didn’t see the first one to be able to enjoy the second. So, this is a stand-alone companion piece. There are a few fun Easter Eggs if you saw What Springs Forth, but that’s it.”
That decision makes the play welcoming to both longtime Purple Rose patrons and newcomers alike.
At the center of the story is Emma, portrayed by Sarab Kamoo, who gathers her lifelong friends for their girls’ getaway before surprising them with unexpected news: she is getting married—for the fourth time. Emma is joined by Sallie Ben (Sonja Marquis) and Robyn (Dwandra Nickole), while Zach Fischer appears as Emma’s fiancé as well as several additional characters throughout the evening, providing a variety of comic turns that help propel the fast-moving story.
A Wedding that opens old wounds
The announcement of another wedding naturally invites celebration, but it also forces the women to revisit old disappointments, lingering frustrations and the realities of growing older together.
“Big life events bring out the best and worst in us,” Crim said. “Weddings, especially, tend to push our buttons. And this is a fourth wedding for Emma, so her friends are significantly less enthusiastic than she would like them to be.”
The wedding itself becomes less important than the conversations it inspires.
“It’s a buddy comedy,” Crim said. “But it’s also about the people who root for us to be our best selves and stick by us at our lowest moments. It’s also the ebbs and flows of friendship and how sometimes we have to find our way back to one another.”
That balance between humor and heartfelt reflection becomes one of the production’s greatest strengths. The audience is given plenty of reasons to laugh, but beneath the comedy is a story about forgiveness, resilience and the people who remain in our lives long after romance has faded or changed.
Technology serves the story
One of the production’s most distinctive features is its integration of multimedia technology. Digital projections, sound, lighting and visual storytelling are woven throughout the performance, adding texture without overwhelming the actors or the script.
Rather than functioning as spectacle for its own sake, the projections help illustrate memories, conversations and moments from the characters’ shared history. In one particularly memorable sequence, technology allows the audience to revisit Emma’s earlier weddings, visually reinforcing both the passage of time and the complicated emotions surrounding another walk down the aisle.
The production also benefits from the work of scenic and projections designer Sarah Pearline, lighting designer Noele Stollmack, sound designer Suzi Regan, and costume designer Suzanne Young. Young’s costumes subtly reflect the passage of time while Fischer’s frequent costume changes allow him to transform seamlessly between multiple characters, becoming an entertaining thread that runs throughout the production.
The technical elements never distract from the story. Instead, they enrich it, demonstrating how contemporary theater can embrace new technology while remaining deeply rooted in character and relationships.
Emma’s search for herself
Although the play revolves around a wedding, Crim said Emma’s journey is ultimately one of self-discovery.
“Emma is a seeker,” she said. “She loves life but also is trying to find her place. She spent a lot of years letting others define her and basing her sense of self on how others saw her or what others needed from her. So now, in middle age, she is finding her true self and voice. So, it’s a coming of age, in a way, but in later life. A second coming of age. Or, in her case, a fourth!”
Emma’s personal journey mirrors questions many audience members may recognize in their own lives, making the comedy surprisingly relatable regardless of age or relationship status.
Friendship is the real love story
While weddings traditionally celebrate romantic love, Crim intentionally places equal, if not greater, emphasis on friendship.
“It’s about the power and endurance of friendship,” she said. “Those girlfriends we have through the years can be some of the most important relationships in our lives. And nurturing those friendships takes work.”
The play also reflects on the changing ways people stay connected. “It’s also about how technology can seem to bring us together through video apps etc. but also keep us from doing the real face-to-face work of deeper relationship.”
That observation resonates throughout the production, where digital communication often exists alongside the irreplaceable value of simply sharing space with the people who know us best.
A collaboration from beginning to end
Crim credits the production’s success to the close collaboration between herself, director Kate Thomsen Savina, and the cast.
The collaboration began before the script was written. “We did a Zoom together before I even started writing to discuss where we might like to see these women go next. Then I came back with a first draft.”
The script continued evolving throughout rehearsals and previews. “They ran with the first draft, and I did all kinds of rewrites. We were doing small ones all the way through previews. We had some great feedback from the audience about a confusing moment at the top, so we were able to address that. Also the actors did some improvisation that made it in… Kate did so much with physicality and transitions… and the technology is gorgeous.”
That collaborative spirit is evident in the chemistry among the cast, whose performances feel natural and lived-in rather than overly polished. Their interactions capture the rhythms of friendships that have weathered years of shared memories, disagreements, laughter and forgiveness.
A selcoming introduction to purple rose
For theatergoers making their first visit to Purple Rose, Crim believes Emma’s Wedding(s) offers an inviting introduction.
“It’s a great journey,” she said. “These four actors are wonderful. People are having such a great time. It’s a buddy comedy that will make you think a little and also a dance down memory lane.”
Ultimately, Emma’s Wedding(s) succeeds because it never loses sight of its emotional core. The production delivers abundant laughter, inventive staging, and memorable performances, but beneath the comedy lies a thoughtful meditation on growing older, rediscovering oneself, and recognizing that the most enduring love stories are often the ones we share with lifelong friends.
As audiences leave the theater, Crim hopes they take those relationships with them.
“I hope they are thinking about their own besties. Their own pasts. That it’s never too late to find yourself… Gratitude for relationships in all the different ways that can show up. I don’t want to be prescriptive. I think I’m just so grateful that people take the time out to come spend 95 minutes with us, …that whatever they take away is perfect.”
Donna Marie Iadipaolo is a writer, journalist, and State of Michigan certified teacher, since 1990. She has written for national publications like The Village Voice, Ear Magazine of New Music, Insurance & Technology, and TheStreet.
She is now writing locally for many publications, including Current Magazine, Ann Arbor Family, and the Ann Arbor Independent. Her undergraduate degree is from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, where she graduated with an honors bachelor’s degree and three teacher certificate majors: mathematics, social sciences, English. She also earned three graduate degrees in Master of Science, Master of Arts, and Education Specialist Degree.
