RIDGEFIELD — The opening night of Alan Ball’s Five Women Wearing the Same Dress, celebrated last Friday night at Ridgefield Theatre Barn, was well received by a fully sated, sold out audience.  The cabaret style seating lent itself to the camaraderie and intimacy of the piece. We felt like flies on the wall of the bedroom set, so much so that audience members felt compelled to chime in.

The play itself is a hybrid: think Sex and the City crossed with Bridesmaids, and a smidge of The Women tossed in. The storyline is replete with comedic moments as well as darker, more dramatic themes.

Five bridesmaids, wearing identical, frothy lavender confections, engage in a narrative which encompasses a broad spectrum of subjects.  While the play may seem overreaching in the vast nature of political, moral, gender and religious ideology it attempts to cover, this approach gives each of the distinct characters an opportunity to reveal their individuality and history.

The action takes place in the bedroom of bridesmaid Meredith, played by Anya Caravella, the younger sister of the apparently perfect bride, Tracey. The bridal party convenes and reconvenes in this room to connect, disconnect, make snarky comments, and reveal painful truths.  This collection of women harbors no particular affection for Tracey. They come together to participate in her big day, however, if only to mock it.

Meredith is full of contempt for her sister, mother, and anything that reeks of convention.  Tracey’s erstwhile college friend Trisha is played by Rachel Dalton as an all knowing traveler on life’s more scenic route.

Young, innocent and adorably fresh face Kristin Gagliardi plays naïve cousin Frances. Kim Bova is Mindy, sister to the groom, a boisterous lesbian spitfire with huge energy and appetite.  The quintet is rounded out by Georgann (Paulette Layton), a continuously inebriated, smitten sad sack with a sharp wit.

The end of the play introduces the only male character, a debonair Tripp Davenport (Darren Palmer), one of the groom’s ushers.

As the story unfolds, it is revealed that each of these characters has an ax to grind against one man, aptly named Tommy Valentine, who has wronged each of them to varying degrees, some much more viciously than others. The sharing of these experiences exposes what is most endearing about the piece: the capacity for women to create a sisterhood under any circumstance and by any provocation.

This is a team of very talented actors who appear to have genuinely bonded in this process. All are very good and each brings something entirely unique to their character. They deserved the rousing applause they received.

Director Debbie Levin does an excellent of staging the action, using the space to further the atmosphere of both conflict and compassion.  The set itself, as designed by Richard Harrison, gives off the perfect vibe of a little girl inside a woman, who is challenged by the world around her and does not want to grow up.

Despite the title, and this review, this is not for women only. The performances and the humor are quality fare for adults of both sexes.

Performances continue Friday and Saturday evenings through December 6, with Sunday matinees scheduled for November 23 and 30.

Call 203-431-9850 or visit RidgefieldTheaterBarn.org for full performance, ticket and other details.