Best Guest at the Wedding

***Best Guest at the Wedding*** is the two hundred and seventeenth episode of *Off Book: The Improvised Musical*. It features guest Sarah Claspell. Fun-loving Leslie quickly turns her night around when she starts the party at a wedding after being fired from her catering job there. Follow her foray into business, witness two absolute lovebirds, and see a man with a bit of an eccentric date.

## Episode Description

Zach and Jess are joined by Sarah Claspell (top tier wedding guest) in this episode that's a real party! *Best Guest at the Wedding* is a jam-filled story of love, passed appetizers, and angel investors. With songs like, *"Names That Start with Shel," "We Have so Much in Common,"* and *"Would You Like to Party?"* you'll be toasting to love and dancing along!

## Plot

### Act I

After the dance floor opens up at a wedding reception, a group of people wonder who will get the party going. A pair of partygoers convince Leslie, a caterer who was just fired for eating too much shrimp, to get on the dance floor. She dances the butterfly with the groom, motivating everyone else to dance ("Who's Gonna Start the Party?"). The guests who convinced Leslie to dance notice that nobody is mad about Leslie staying at the wedding after being fired, except for her grumbly former boss. Leslie asks the guests their names, and they laughingly introduce themselves as Shelby and Sheldon, twin cousins of the bride. They lament the weirdness of their names with Leslie ("Names That Start with Shel").

Cass and Darren, the extremely affectionate bride and groom, introduce themselves to Leslie and thank her for starting the dance. As thanks, they offer Leslie one of their wedding presents. Darren tells Leslie that his friends want Leslie to come to their weddings to get the dancing started. Cass calls one of them, Steven, over, and he corroborates this. Darren offers to be an angel investor if Leslie wants to turn her dance-starting talent into a business. Leslie says that she already has plans for a business, and lays them out. She asks for $100,000 in exchange for 2% ownership of the company. Though Darren and Cass find the 2% ownership low, they eventually agree that $100,000 is reasonable considering how many outfits Leslie will need to buy. They share that Darren has plenty of money, and that his full name is Darren Ruby Gates ("Leslie's Business Plan"). Leslie recognizes Darren as the inventor of pools that fit in pickup truck beds.

The newlyweds again ask Leslie to take one of their wedding gifts. She chooses a small orange box and prepares to open it, but the couple tells her to appreciate the possibilities of the unopened box (even though it probably contains socks), to Leslie's confusion. She muses that despite being a partier, she doesn't have a loving relationship like Cass and Darren. They encourage her to look for love, and tell her that they will fund her business if she finds love by the end of the night ("Don't Open the Present, Just Live in the Present").

### Act II

Flower girl Vanessa thanks her uncle, Peter, for dancing with her. Peter's partner Veronica confronts him as she is jealous and suspicious of Vanessa, despite Peter's reassurances that his bond with his niece is completely normal and not a threat to their relationship. As an only child who never talks to anyone besides Peter and who has a backstory that is too wild to get into, Veronica is shocked to learn that Peter regularly talks to other people. Peter encourages Veronica to talk to Vanessa, and after a rocky start the two bond over not getting to try the shrimp because of Leslie, along with their shared love of crackers, meats, cheese, and other foods. Though not thrilled with the conversation topic, Peter is glad they are getting along ("We Have so Much in Common").

Peter talks to his brother, Darren, about his relationship with Veronica. Peter expresses that he feels Veronica needs to do some growing on her own; Darren tries to offer advice without overstepping, saying that Peter deserves a partner who makes him feel like he does with Cass ("I Can't Really Say Much More"). Peter talks to Veronica and learns she now considers Vanessa to be here "love" just like Peter. Peter is relieved to learn that he and Veronica have different definitions of "love" and are simply friends.

Mr. Grumbles, the catering boss, awkwardly announces that the dessert bar is open. Leslie charismatically repeats the announcement, even though she is no longer a caterer, and sets up a limbo stick. Darren encourages Peter to go meet Leslie and get dessert. Peter introduces himself to Leslie and accidentally goes over the limbo stick. They get cheesecake together and Peter asks Leslie to dance, starting up the dance floor again. Veronica and Vanessa enjoy their new friendship, Darren and Cass continue to be lovey-dovey, and Leslie and Peter enjoy the potential of their new relationship. Everyone goes over the limbo stick, including Shelby and Sheldon, who admire the quirkiness of the activity. Darren and Cass tell Leslie to open the present, which unsurprisingly is full of socks — along with $100,000. More shrimp is served, and everyone celebrates ("Would You Like to Party? [Finale]").

**Show/Hide**

## Musical Cast

### Sarah Claspell

* Leslie, fired caterer
* Steven, one of the groom's "boys"
* Veronica, Peter's eccentric date

### Jessica McKenna

* Shelby, cousin of the bride
* Mr. Grumbles, catering boss
* Darren Ruby Gates, groom
* Vanessa, flower girl

### Zach Reino

* Sheldon, cousin of the bride
* Cass, bride
* Peter, brother of the groom

## Songs

* "Who's Gonna Start the Party?" (5:56)
* "Names That Start with Shel" (11:21)
* "Leslie's Business Plan" (18:19)
* "Don't Open the Present, Just Live in the Present" (24:09)
* "We Have so Much in Common" (33:33)
* "I Can't Really Say Much More" (38:39)
* "Would You Like to Party? (Finale)" (47:34)