Marie Clark Musical Theatre. Arts Theatre. 22 May 2015
If the first night audience was any indication, The Wedding Singer is in for a honeymoon at the box office. The audience whooped and stood and cheered, having been loudly enthusiastic throughout the performance.
It was a youngish audience which could readily relate to the emotional roller coaster of the weddings world.
Then again, most everyone has had wedding experiences of the love/hate variety.
The Wedding Singer as a musical was based on the movie and adapted by its writer Tim Herlihy with Chad Beguelin and adorned by lots and lots of jolly Broadway-style music by Matthew Sklar. It has the same utterly corny love story as the movie. Having been stood up at the altar by a ghastly bride, the Wedding Singer Robbie Hart thereafter stumbles against the odds towards happiness with the nice waitress, Julia, who is betrothed to the sleazily successful Glen Guglia. Heaven forfend, it is only at the eleventh hour that she realises she would be stuck with the name Julia Guglia.
The Marie Clark Musical Theatre team has thrown extraordinary resources and energy into mounting an extravagant show with glossy production values. It is right up there at the big end of town with dazzling costumes and a really slick, high-tech, multimedia set.
The huge cast is largely ensemble - and a hard-working, well-drilled line-up it is. Choreographer Rachel Dow has well and truly earned her keep in training a very diverse group into fine co-ordination while at the same time, conveying the sense that it all comes naturally and they are having a wonderful time.
Musical director Ben Stefanoff, similarly, brings out the best among singers trained and untrained through a daunting array of about 30 musical numbers large and small. And, his 10-strong Wedding Singer Band in the semi-dark up there on the stage is fabulous.
The lighting plot is a very ambitious indeed. It was a bit hit and miss on opening night, but its design aligns with the generally upmarket approach that director Max Rayner has given the whole show. All the stops are out. Even the American accents are convincing.
As the Wedding Singer, Rohan Watts is very credible. He has an everyman look. He's appealing without oozing heartthrob glamor. His jilted plight quickly wins audience sympathy and, with seeming ease, he belts out song after song with and without his guitar. His backing band of musicians Sam and George are beautifully cast. Sebastian Cooper does have some of that Broadway glamor in the role of Sam while Damien Quick simply brings the house down with a bedazzling performance as the androgynous George. Diva-vine.
Tegan Gully plays sweet Julia, everyone's love interest. She's a glowing strength in the cast - a seasoned performer with a good musicals voice and she doesn't put a foot wrong.
Gavin Cianci absolutely shines as the ghastly Glen Guglia and is definitely a rising talent in the town. Meanwhile, Rachel da Graca Costa, Laura Villani, Sarah Wildy and Casey von Einem are quality support performers ahead of the powerful ensemble.
The only real weaknesses in the show are the cliched and grotesquely ageist portrayal of the granny (get another wig) and the fact that the whole thing is a couple of songs too long.
But, on these cold nights, this foot-tapping production is a sure-fire heart-warmer.
Samela Harris
When: 22 to 30 May
Where: Arts Theatre
Bookings: trybooking.com
