The Wedding Singer is from the book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy revived for the musical stage by Stuart James. Its 1985 in New Jersey, it is retro and audiences will be familiar with the film version.
It features the story of Robbie Joe McWilliam a wedding singer, and with his band he forms part of the ‘experience’ many couples look forward to, the happiest day of their life, their wedding. However, his own relationship is not that straight forward, his true love Linda Heather Daniel leaves him jilted at the altar. Robbie meets Julia Abbie Minnock a waitress who consoles him and supports him to get through his rejection and encourages him to overcome his struggles with love. Julia on the other hand is set to be married to Glen, Toby Chapman a hard talking Wall Street sales shark who is self-absorbed and clearly looks upon Julia more as a commodity than a loving wife she aims to be.
This is an unfolding love story, that Robbie and Julia navigate their way through; there is no shortage of cast members giving it gravitas to the feeling of as an audience member being at a wedding. The choreography is typical of the era and adds value to the storylines. The dance ensembles at times appeared to be clumsy and uncoordinated which was funny irrespective if this was how it was meant to be or not. The overall picture was you are at a wedding, in a bar or anywhere where the unpredictability of people will creep in, the foibles of people enjoying themselves in whichever way they felt.
There is a fusion of laughs, serious moments with sentimental feelings which is endearing albeit the storyline feels from act one predictable of what you are going to get in act two. It is sweet none the less.
The highlights were from the personal performances from Julia, and Holly played by Nurin Addul Aziz plus bandmate George Glen Jordan who brought humour within their own characters to add to the laughs, but more than that they were mesmerising in the physicality in their expressions and moves.
When the stars are aligned things happen and Julia and Robbie’s performance grabbed this opportunity. Really strong vocals and acting and they were the glue to this slapstick style rendition of the wedding singer. At times if felt this musical was too long to cram everything in, and the stage setting may have not been ideal as there was a lot going on with set changes which interfered with the overall ambiance of the musical which was distracting.
It was loud for a small venue and some tech issues with sound which was shame but overall it was good to see this story come together. “From cheesy 80’s tunes and dance moves to heartfelt ballads”. The wedding Singer is sure to deliver on a trip down memory lane. This musical might not suit everyone and knowing the film version maybe helpful. However The Wedding Singer will take you back to the 80’s and it is an enjoyable night out.
Reviewer: Michelle Knight
Reviewed: 24th July 2024
North West End UK Rating: