Taking a break from the approaching stress of senior week - a week of relaxing in the sun and traipsing around Boston - my friend and I checked out "Maria's Bachelorette Party" at the Tremont Playhouse, also known as the basement of the Tremont Playhouse Hotel in Boston. The "interactive" dinner show is the stepchild of the acclaimed "Joey and Maria's Comedy Wedding." But, the atmosphere and content of the bachelorette party do not provide the cute date that its ancestor may; instead, the room was filled with brides-to-be and each one's dozen closest friends. The meal included in the ticket price was an Italian buffet - good enough, but hardly spectacular - and did not offer many options for those who can't eat milk products. But, plates in hand, my friend and I sat down at our table. We sat next to other women who had come in pairs for whatever reason, and soon realized that this wasn't the event to come with just one other person. To enjoy it, you need to be in a large, celebratory group.

We did not know what we were getting into, so we were somewhat overdressed in skirts and light sweaters: A nice shirt and jeans would have been more appropriate. The 21-plus crowd could buy drinks, and almost everyone did. It is, after all, a bachelorette party, and why should men have all the fun?
The interactive show soon got very interactive.

Emceed by Megan O'Malley, Maria's party was supposed to be a surprise and the audience her hundred closest friends. Maria's fiance (Scott Conway as Joey) with the help of his friend, dressed in the most outrageous drag, played the part of the suspicious lover and tried to assimilate (as best as a man in a curly, bleach-blonde wig could) into the estrogen-filled room.

Exotic male dancers came and went, entertaining Maria (Monica Salipante) and the partygoers. For the most part, the strippers were unremarkable, the exception being the marine, played by "Tyler." At one point, the woman across the table pointed behind me; naively, I turned around, and one of the strippers was a little too close for comfort - but that's as close as I got to any of them that evening. Bachelorette parties should plan on bringing lots of singles, because the dancers are not shy.

In several instances, entire tables of women stood up and danced in the middle. The women seemed to be enjoying themselves (as I may have had I gone in a large group) and it felt like everybody was part of the party. The music started out mostly retro - some Billy Idol and Michael Jackson - then became mostly recent pop. It did not matter, though; it was all dance music.

Remarkably, the show was always tasteful for what it is supposed to be. I felt too young to be there, as I had been 21 for all of a month and most of the women were at least five years older than I was. I don't think, though, that I felt nearly as awkward as the 40-something pair next to us, who left halfway through the show. That isn't to say that your favorite aunt couldn't have a good time. Rather, several women in their '60s got close to the dancers. One even got a lap dance.
"Maria's Bachelorette Party" can be a nice evening out for upcoming brides and their friends, especially if a private party isn't in the works. You can choose to partake in the interactive experience, or you can watch as your friends do. If you can find the Tremont Playhouse and you're not shy around exotic dancers, the $40 ticket price is worth it, even if the Italian menu isn't.

"Maria's Bachelorette Party" will be playing again on Friday, June 14 at the Tremont Playhouse. Other Dillstar Productions include "The Soprano's Last Supper," "Joey and Maria's 25th Anniversary Party" and "The Wake of Matty O'Malley." Call (800) 733-JOEY for reservations or visit http://joeyandmariaswedding.com for more information.