The Wedding Singer

This was my second visit to Johnstone Phoenix in the last week covering for Craig who was directing the show. As always, when I visit Johnstone Phoenix, I received a very warm welcome from front of house. The Wedding Singer is a great feel-good show that takes us back to the 1980s. Based around the story of Robbie Hart whose job is that of a Wedding Singer, we follow his story of a failed relationship and how he finds his new love. Opening with the lively “It’s Your Wedding Day” we were introduced to the company who took us on a journey of this fun story. Struggling with his relationship with his fiancé, Robbie, played by Daniel Inglis-McDonald gave a solid performance in all aspects of the role including vocals, drama and dance, and he was a very likeable character from the very start. Julia played by Kathryn Johnstone, gave a strong performance as the waitress and there was a lot of excellent timing and light and shade in her performance. The chemistry between Robbie and Julia was good in particular during the “Come Out Of The Dumpster” number. The supporting band roles of George played by Raymond Caffney and Sammy played by Jamie Ponten were strong in their performances and we saw the real difference in their roles and personalities which shone through. Grandma Rosie was played by Carol McLaughlan and her performance was tip top throughput the production bringing great humour to the role in all the right places. Holly, played by Jennifer Scott gave a solid performance, and Linda played by Claire Walsh and Glen Guglia played by Alan McLean, brought the more unlikeable characterisations to the storyline with good acting and vocals. Along with Angie, played by Christine MacKenzie they all gave solid performances. The set was effective with scenes running smoothly. The lighting was good and enhanced the set well. The costumes were in keeping with the era of the show and the wedding band really did look like a wedding band in the 1980s with their blue sparkled jackets. The choreography was also in keeping with the era of the show and was well executed, and while a choice was made to use performance orchestral tracks instead of a band, this worked well. With excellent direction from Craig the show was funny, emotional and told the story bringing all the different characters to life. The entire company worked well together to create this great show. It’s not always easy working in restricted spaces, but this company along with the stage manager and crew ensured that as always everything ran smoothly and to a high standard. Well done Johnstone Phoenix.

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