Detailed Synopsis (Spoiler alert)
Prologue
A magician addresses a group of people and selects a boy and girl to come forward to play the roles of “Adam” and “Eve.” He asks if they are “ready to return to paradise,” and then instructs them to enter a cabinet. The magician recites a spell, explaining to the crowd that he is going to send the children “back to the beginning.” He spins the cabinet around. When he re-opens it, it’s empty—the children are gone.
ACT I
Following the wedding of Sherry and Jack Jr., family and friends mingle alongside Katrina, the harried wedding planner. There are evident tensions among the guests. Maddy, the mother of the bride, does not get along well with Jack Sr. and Margaret, the father and stepmother of the groom. Margaret, meanwhile, is resentful that Jack Sr. indiscreetly flirts with Alice, Jack Jr.’s best friend, whom Jack Sr. would have much preferred over Sherry as a wife for his son. Tony, Jack Sr.’s long-estranged identical twin brother, arrives late with his teenage son, Tiger. Tony has not yet interacted with Jack Sr., but he instantly hits it off with Maddy, whom he ended up chatting with over the phone when she invited him to the wedding. He complains that his luggage was lost by the airline, which is why he is conspicuously dressed in casual attire. Margaret—attempting to break the ice on behalf of her husband—offers to let Tony borrow some of Jack Sr.’s formalwear, confident that it will fit him. He accepts her offer, and leaves to change clothes. Maddy is upset that Jack Sr. did not put her down on the list to deliver a toast at dinner, even though she asked to give one. Tony re-enters, now wearing his brother’s suit. Murray, Jack Sr.’s lawyer, mistakes Tony for Jack Sr., and tells him that Jack Jr. refused to sign the pre-nuptial agreement that his father drew up. Tony initially tries to tell Murray that he’s not Jack, but when Murray doesn’t get it, he tells him that he’s fired. Alice, serving as emcee for the reception, begins the speeches as the First Act ends.
ACT II
Sherry’s grandmother, Edna, delivers a brief speech, and then Alice returns to the mic to introduce Jack Sr., who flirtatiously dances with Alice as he takes the stage. After his speech, Jack Sr. urges his brother to come up to the stage, but Tony declines. Tony chats more with Maddy, who is increasingly drunk and upset that Jack Sr. did not give her an opportunity to speak. There is chemistry and palpable attraction between Tony and Maddy. Margaret interrupts and kisses Tony. She claims that she forgot she had lent him Jack Sr.’s suit, and had simply mixed up the twin brothers. Maddy does not believe her, and tells Jack Sr. this. Later, when Jack Sr. confronts Margaret, she claims that she was just trying to persuade Tony to stay longer, to “lubricate the situation.” This leads to an argument, wherein Margaret makes it clear that she is well aware of how flirtatious Jack Sr. is toward Alice. Murray approaches Jack Sr. to apologize for the situation with the pre-nup. Jack Sr. is furious to learn that his son did not sign the agreement, and tells a confused Murray that he is fired (again). Jack Sr. then sneaks off and changes into the casual clothes that Tony was wearing earlier. Margaret sees him, and now actually mistaking him for Tony, confides in him about her frustration with Jack Sr. and their unhappy relationship. She says that she is “tempted to run away with” him (i.e. Tony). Meanwhile, Maddy takes the stage and vents about her own grievances with Jack Sr., announcing to everyone that Alice is in love with Jack Jr. Tony intervenes and tries to make a more graceful speech, wishing the newlyweds happiness. Suddenly, Katrina informs the guests that Jack Jr. and Sherry, about to share their first dance as a married couple, are nowhere to be found. Jack Sr. has a severe panic attack. He hallucinates that he is in the middle of a magic show—with Maddy about to saw him in half.
ACT III
As the third act opens, Maddy is slouched over a bucket vomiting, while Janice, Maddy’s other daughter, tries to help her mother. Janice tells Maddy she is pregnant. Jack Sr. returns from the hospital. He professes his love to Alice, but she tries to shut this down, insisting that “it’s a crazy night” and he “probably had some drugs at the hospital.” As Alice slips out, Margaret enters, and she and Jack Sr. continue to argue. Later, Jack Jr. finally speaks directly to Tony, who asks him what he is doing with his life. “Squandering all of it,” Jack replies sadly. He asks Tony if he is interested (as he appears to be) in Maddy, whom he calls “the Rasputin of alcohol.” This leads quickly to a tense, personal argument between the two brothers that devolves into a full-on fight.
Their skirmish is interrupted by the ‘bing’ sound of a text message. Everyone checks their phones, hoping that the message is from the missing bride and groom. The text is from Sherry; it reads, “Wait. We’ll be with you in a minute.” Katrina enters, and explains that Jack Jr. and Sherry wanted to elope—they did not want a big elaborate wedding—as the group continues to receive cryptic texts from the couple. The series of texts seems to be telling a vaguely familiar story: “Remember when we disappeared?” one reads, and then, “The first time.” They are referring to the two children playing “Adam” and “Eve” in the prologue: “The magician sent us back to the Beginning.” Jack Sr. and Sherry talk to one another inside the magician’s cabinet, and they decide to disappear together.
After this, Tony opts to stick around, and tells Maddy that he will see her in the morning. Maddy and Margaret eat some wedding cake together, as Tomas, Janice’s boyfriend, enters looking for Janice. He finds her, and tells her (in Spanish) that he has missed her very much. They dance a tango, and Maddy and Margaret join in dancing, as the play ends.