The Wedding Singer

This musical “The Wedding Singer” is a brilliant adaptation of a 1998 film of the same name. It was transferred to the stage in the USA in 2006 and made a short tour in the UK in 2008. It was then produced again in 2017 and been a popular choice for theatrical groups since then. This is the first time that I have seen the show (or the film) and was extremely delighted with the simple storyline - boy meets girl, instant attraction, a few problems and misunderstandings, marriage in final scene - and also the mainly rock music style throughout.  An excellent choice for this company of talented actors and singers.

The love interest in this production was between Robbie Hart (Stuart McAdams) and Julia Sullivan (Steph Jolly). These two worked so well together and and entertained us with their will they/won’t they moments until the very end. Robbie’s two musician friends, Sammy (David Upcraft) and George (Finlay Hilder) enacted the hard-up band colleagues who just wanted Robbie to sing with them to enhance their coffers. Julia’s philandering boyfriend and later fiancé, Glen Guglia (Nick Porter) portrayed a convincing sleazy, back-stabbing businessman. The part of Holly (Tegan Prior) was played compassionately as a warm-hearted, supportive friend to Linda through her doubts and worries of her choice between Glen and Robbie.  

I said the music was mainly rock style but there was also a short section of Jewish style and some beautiful solo/duet work. This was sung by the above cast but there were also two others who excelled in their roles as Rosie (Marie Ball) and Linda (Charlotte Grimes).Their comedic singing and dialogue enhanced the generally happiness of the story. The band of four plus musical director Daniel Paine made a wonderful sound for all these genres. The choreography by Penny Woodman was a joy to watch in view of the different types of dancing required by the aforementioned mixture of moods. There was a lot of ensemble singing and this was well executed and gave the songs an added boost to their overall sound.

The scenery and properties were kept simple but effective in that it is not a huge stage for a large cast to dance on. Scene changes were live in blackout and were slick. Lighting cues and sound control were  absolutely fine. All congratulations to Kelly Manchee and company, on stage and back stage for a evening of great entertainment.

It is unfortunate to report that the ten hours after this performance, the restaurant next door burnt down and because of some damage also to the theatre, the further four performances scheduled had to be cancelled. I understand that the production will go ahead again next year and I and my N.O.D.A. colleagues send our best wishes to the society after the disappointment of the week and for their efforts to continue at a later date. 

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