If we could travel back to 1985 and tell David Gedge -the inspirational lead singer and songwriter of indie musical darlings The Wedding Present – that forty years later his songs would be used in a musical theatre production, he would have laughed in your face and maybe kicked you in the balls for good measure. Back then the worlds of musical theatre and guitar-based indie rock were so far apart musically as to be on different planets. Gedge freely admits to not even knowing whether he even liked the format when initially approached by Writer/Director Matt Aston. Thankfully his trademark curiosity won out and he engaged with the project, resulting in the World Premiere of ‘Reception – The Wedding Present musical’ at Slung Low Warehouse in the suitably gritty streets of Holbeck, Leeds, the spiritual home of the band. The result is a fresh, funny and fast-paced look at friendship and young love in all its complicated glory, subverting expectations and powered by the funny and melancholy lyricism of the man the late John Peel always called ‘The Boy Gedge.’
Full disclosure that I have been a massive ‘Weddoes’ fan ever since a giant poster for their debut album ‘George Best’ adorned my wall as a student in the mid-1980s. The combination of strong guitar and banging drums juxtaposed against the sarky northern lyricism was a perfect fit for this northern indie kid; they were gods to me, and to mates Stu and Nile with a sweaty gig at The Mayfair still the stuff of semi legend in our circle of friends. Each of their songs was a mini kitchen sink play in its own right, detailing unrequited love, breakups ups and heartache with pinpoint precision in a growling, rasping vocal. Writer Aston was always convinced he could knit these disparate ‘three-minute dramas’ into a coherent narrative, taking the format of a ‘jukebox musical’ and adding a punk sensibility, a conviction that is largely born out with ‘Reception’.
At the outset we are presented with a Wedding reception in Leeds in 1990, seven characters gathered to celebrate the wedding of Jane (Hannah Nuttall) and John (Richard Lounds), before we spool back to 1985 to witness the complicated lives and loves that have led us to this point.
Deep breath as it is fast paced and complex; Joe (Zachary Burns) loves Jane; John also loves Jane even though he is going out with Sally (Amara Latchford); Joe tries to kill himself after thinking Jane snogged Harry (Lawrence Hodgson-Mullings); Harry leaves Rachel (Zoe Allan) to go off to the USA; Estrella (Rebecca Levy) walks around being sarcastic and filming everybody.
Confused? The initial character development was muddy with too much exposition in a short period leading to a lack of clarity and differentiation of each individual took some time to establish. The various love triangles settled after a frenetic opening and a secondary plot line involving the Dad (Matthew Bugg) of Rachel and Joe seemed unnecessary at first but provided a devastating payoff immediately after the interval. Expectations were further subverted by writer Aston at the conclusion, which appeared to be meandering towards a safe and slightly soporific conclusion (think Friends), before subverting the plotline with a feisty feminist conclusion.
As a writer, Aston definitely succeeded, however, some of the directorial decisions were questionable, making parts of the production risk failure. Chief amongst these was the decision to place Cabaret seating between the stage and the main audience. Whilst I understand and applaud the idea to recreate a wedding reception vibe amongst the audience, it was not utilised at all by the cast or in any of the choreography, a wasted opportunity. More seriously, the decision resulted in the first six rows having their sight lines to the stage compromised, rendering parts of the action completely unseen or partially blocked by heads in front. Raising this seating slightly for the rest of the run would alleviate the issue, preventing the voluble complaints heard around me at the interval.
The performances were uniformly strong from the young cast with Burns and Nuttall providing the heart as Joe and Jane, their storyline feeling the warmest and authentic of the various couplings developed on stage. All the actors were multi-faceted in their skill sets, providing the music as ‘The Lost Pandas (a nod to Gedge’s first band) as well as performing onstage. This Actor/Muso combination is a truly astounding feat of versatility and all ten cast members succeeded in bringing the songs to life, the powerhouse drumming of Caitlin Lavagna to the fore alongside Jack Hardy on guitar whilst also providing a hilarious cameo appearance at the conclusion.
And what songs they had to play. Gedge had a back catalogue of over 300 published as both The Wedding Present and Cinerama to offer to Aston and the final choice of 20 is an eclectic mix, chosen to serve the story rather than provide a greatest hits compilation for the show. Some work better than others; ‘Brassneck’ denotes a relationship row perfectly; ‘My Favourite Dress’ reinvented as a stunning duet and ‘Marblehead’ as a funereal chant were all stunning in concept and execution. A couple felt a bit ‘on the nose’ – Airborne at a Manchester Airport farewell – whilst Gedge’s penchant for Ukrainian folk music was even allowed its moment during ‘Davni Chasy’. With a few lyrical changes, they both moved the story forward and provided wry commentary to the plot, even ‘Kennedy’ got a look in with a subtle change of ‘Ari’ to ‘Harry’ to conclude the evening in rocking style.
Musical Theatre and rock music have had successful recent collaborations in both the US and UK in recent years; Richard Hawley with ‘Standing at the Sky’s Edge’ and Bob Dylan’s ‘Girl from the North Country’ proving the ‘jukebox’ format can have weight and pathos as well as great tunes. With a few tweaks ‘Reception’ may just find an audience amongst the young cognoscenti of the 21st Century, for us ageing indie kids it was great fun and an absolute treat.
Reviewer: Paul Wilcox
Reviewed: 26th August 2025
North West End UK Rating:
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