Alan Ball’s funny and poignant 1993 play, “Five Women Wearing the Same Dress,” is about five women who are wearing the same dress and are thrown together as bridesmaids for a woman they don’t particularly care for.

The action takes place in Meredith’s bedroom where the bridesmaids have gathered to escape the wedding reception.

Meredith (the bride’s younger sister) is a lonely, unhappy woman with lots of issues.

The other bridesmaids are Frances, a fanatical religious cousin; Mindy, a lesbian who’s the groom’s sister; Georgeanna, the bride’s high school friend; and Tricia, who has her own backstory.

The women have only one thing in common -- their dislike for the bride.

The two-act play is filled with “girl talk” that seems a bit outdated from when it was first produced in the early 1900s.

The disparate women talk, laugh, cry, argue and occasionally find common ground, slowly becoming friends.

An usher who has a past with one of the women shows up in the last few minutes.

The young audience (and Joyce) related more to the characters than I did, as I missed some of the southern accents and the humor.

Although dated, relationship issues haven’t changed that much.

Programs weren’t available opening night, so I didn’t catch the actors’ names, but there were some familiar faces giving excellent performances.

You can catch the play the next two weekends by calling 484-0355 for reservations.