Review: The Wedding Singer' at PPAC

Boy meets girl.  Boy loses girl.  Boy gets girl back. They get married and live happily ever after. Formulaic? Sure. But it is a formula that works.  Add some original songs and nostalgic choreography, some endearing supporting characters, set the story in Ridgefield, NJ and you have the basic structure for The Wedding Singer.

The touring production of The Wedding Singer that is playing at the Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC) through Sunday, February 24th stays true to the vision of the original Adam Sandler / Drew Barrymore romantic comedy of the same name.

The Wedding Singer is not a "Jukebox" musical.  The musical material is new and a few of the songs are keepers. 

In act one, leading man Robbie Hart (Merritt David Janes) gets his heart broken by Linda his vamp of a former fiancé. In his misery, he makes a fool of himself at while singing at a wedding gig.  After a drunken scuffle, the groomsmen toss him in a waste management container behind the wedding hall.  Julia (Erin Elizabeth Coors), a waitress at the reception coaxes him out of his despair by singing "Come Out of the Dumpster".  Robbie falls for the sweet song and the sweeter girl.  Julia, is, of course, already engaged and asks Robbie to help her with the wedding plans.  There is a dress to buy, gifts to register for, and partying to be done. Act one closes with the up-tempo "Saturday Night in the City".

Act two is all about the laughs.  Big production numbers, outlandish story lines.  As the story veers sharply into the absurd, it becomes much more fun.  Robbie has to convince Julia that he, and not her "Wall St. type" fiancé Glen (Mark Raumaker), is the man of her dreams. 

Many of the supporting characters get a chance to shine in act two. Providence native Justin Jurtas gets a star turn as band member Sammy, wooing his townie love interest, Holly (Sarah Peak). Penny Larsen plays Robbie's grandma Rosie.  As in the movie, Rosie steals the show. She and George (John Jacob Lee) have a great time performing an over-the-top rap number, "Move That Thang".

With the help of some new friends, Robbie has to stop Julia's wedding with Glen, which takes place at "The White House Wedding Chapel" in Las Vegas.  The scene is goofy as all hell, campy and engaging and leads us to the big finish, the finale, "It's Your Wedding Day".  The finale is big, loud, bright and pretty, as a finale should be.

The Wedding Singer plays at PPAC through February 24th.  Tickets range from $33.00 to $60.00 and can be purchased in person at the PPAC Box Office, 220 Weybosset St in Providence, RI,  on line at www.ppac.org or by calling (401) 421-ARTS.

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