Art owes a debt to humanity for the proliferation of the Wedding Industrial Complex.

My negative framing is obviously hyperbolic, because obviously some people — and maybe/probably even more than some — derive real joy from the craze.

Obviously.

Which is the exact reason such a majority experience can stand some scrutiny from the realm of art. 

For the uninitiated few, the Wedding Industrial Complex refers to the society-wide obsession with inherited wedding traditions that can feel like performative Mad Libs more than being an accurate reflection of the couple ostensibly being celebrated. 

Relationships have been brutalized on stage and screen for centuries…but when it comes to stories that focus primarily on weddings, the institutional troubles are played for entertaining hijinks and profound emotions, ultimately leading to a kumbaya appreciation for the #blessed festivities.  

Is there an apter medium for dissecting the questionably-meaningful artifice of a wedding’s staged rituals than the staged ritual of theater? 

Enter (down the proverbial aisle): Catherine Weingarten’s I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!, an absurdist satire about the all-too-prevalent absurdity of caring more about performing a beautiful wedding than actually living the beautiful relationship that the wedding is supposed to represent. 

As the ending of this new play suggests, The Game of Life is to living life what weddings are to relationships.

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I Wanttt a Unicorn Frappe!!!’s language draws a connection between inherited Internet slang (see: the title) and inherited wedding traditions.