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The Wedding Singer

Author: Zahna Hull

Information

Date
20th May 2022
Society
Brentwood Musical Theatre Society
Venue
Brentwood Theatre
Type of Production
Musical
Director
Owen Smith
Musical Director
Jamie Bell
Choreographer
Ellen Trim

As we entered the theatre there was a wedding party going on. A typical wedding set in the 80s, with colourful costumes, a huge cake and drunken speeches. The comedy aspect of the evening was immediately established. At the back of our ‘would-be’ hall is a stage where we meet the band. Robbie Hart is the wedding singer, played by Jamie Fudge and his fellow band members are Sammy, played by Allister Smith, and Georgie played by Bryony Colton. The swap from the typical male Boy George character worked well and it was amusing that the band members treated Georgie like ‘one of the boys.’

Jamie Fudge played the roller coaster of emotions felt by Robbie Hart well. Robbie moves from being the best wedding singer, on the eve of his own wedding to being a jilted, bitter bad wedding singer. He becomes friends with the beautiful and kind Julia (Emily Walker) who helps him mend his heart and his reputation. He also has the support of his eccentric Grandma Rosie (Lisa Harris) and he lives in her basement.

What could be a simple love story is complicated by Julia’s relationship with the Wall Street high-flyer Glen played brilliantly by Andrew Onwude and the return of Robbie’s sexy siren of a fiancée played by Catty Holden.

Julia’s cousin is Holly, played by Hannah Brent and she and Julia work as waitresses in the venues where the band plays. Holly was previously in a relationship with Sammy and he is trying hard to win her back. Holly is a dear friend to Julia (despite her trying to kiss Robbie). Hannah plays a fun-loving Holly, who gives good advice and cares dearly about Julia. The other caring influence is Julia’s mother, Angie, played by Amy Newland. Angie is a controlling mother and wants Julia to marry well and to get her man by any means. I enjoyed the relationship between Julia, her mum, and Holly; it was warm, familiar, and well observed.

All of the relationships in this show were well observed. Owen Smith’s direction not only led to great connections on stage but some excellent timing that accentuated both the comedy and the pathos of the piece.

The entire cast are extremely talented, with good strong voices, great characterisation and excellent diction. The musical direction by Jamie Bell helped the audience to pick out the 80s references and was on point, as was the choreography. Thriller, Flashdance and True to name but a few.

 The chorus not only added colour, depth and harmony but many had smaller roles to play and they all did a great job. The set was simple but clever, with part of the band’s stage pulled out to form Robbie’s vibrating bed in the basement set.

Robbie’s Grandma is hilarious; her costumes include a shell suit and she often made the audience roar with laughter. Her characterisation was good with lots of little details.

The scene when Robbie is stood up at the altar was well staged. As Linda performs her rock chick ‘Dear John’ letter, we see Robbie’s reaction on the opposite side of the stage. He mouths the words of her letter while Linda performs it.

It’s hard to pick out any one person that stood out as all the cast did so well. Emily Walker’s Julia had a fabulous American accent that she sustained throughout the show. There were so many songs that showed her talent and as an example of this is ‘Come out of the dumpster’ is when we see Robbie and Julia’s relationship develop. The song is funny but the timing and the acting of the two main characters endeared them to the audience. Having empathy for the characters is essential for a successful show. I liked the Sesame Street echoes of the Grouch when Robbie popped out of the bin.

‘Saturday Night in the City’ was a great showcase for the talents of Hannah Brent and the entire cast. Andrew Onwude showed he is a good all rounder in ‘All about the Green’. He is an attractive man, with a successful job and an eye for the ladies. He has no intention of staying faithful to Julia.

‘Single’ was one of my favourite parts of the show. The men are all drinking in a bar. Robbie is drowning his sorrows and is joined by his band members and several regulars in the bar. This was cleverly choreographed and ‘the bum’ was a funny addition to the song.

When it seems that Julia and Robbie might get together the two get mixed messages resulting in Julia and Glen flying off to Vegas to get married. With the help of the Georgie, Grandma and the newly reunited Sammy and Holly, Robbie follows the couple to try to stop the wedding with a song he has written. While in Vegas we meet several celebrity impersonators including fake Billy Idol, fake Ronald Regan and some fake Marylin Monroes.

The costumes, make-up and hair for the show fit with the period, and there were details like the references to Madonna in Holly’s costume and the band t-shirts worn by Robbie and Linda. The band’s show outfits were great and I liked the way that Georgie’s was cut differently fitting with her character. In many scenes there was a coordination of colour in the characters. Sound was good; all the words were easily heard and the music levels were perfect. I think lighting in this theatre is difficult but there were some carefully lit scenes and effects that were right for the period. The glitter ball was a good addition.

I thoroughly enjoyed my evening at Brentwood Operatic Society, there were so many little details that made the show special and each and every member of cast and crew should be proud of their achievement.

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