Review: THE WEDDING SINGER at Dare To Defy Productions

Interested in taking a trip back to the 1980's and having some fun this weekend? All you need to do is grab a ticket to see the Tony nominated musical THE WEDDING SINGER presented by Dare to Defy productions this weekend only at The Victoria Theatre.

THE WEDDING SINGER, based on the 1998 film starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, tells the story of Robbie Hart, wedding singer and hopeless romantic, who has his heart broken but finds love again with his friend, Julia Sullivan, a waitress at the wedding venue where he works. There is, of course, plenty of angst and lots of surprises along the way. Fans of the movie will find some changes in the musical, with music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin and book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, but the same fun spirit of the movie remains.

Jeremy Aldridge, the titular wedding singer, Robbie Hart has such a dynamic stage presence and beautiful voice that you can't help but love Robbie. His stand out number, along with Kara Hancock's Julia, is the love duet, If I Told You, demonstrating some lovely harmonies and their seemingly hopeless pining for each other. Both demonstrate their comedy skills also with Robbie's Somebody Kill Me and Julia's Come Out of the Dumpster.

Phillip Drennan is outstanding as Julia's creep of a fiance, Glen Guglia. He leads the ensemble in their finest number, All About the Green, which opens Act II. Skyler McNeely (Sammy), Joshua Ladner (George) and Alaska Stoughton (Holly) work together well as the trio of sidekicks/best friends with excellent comic timing and strong voices that seemed to work well regardless of who they were paired with onstage. Each ensemble member gets their own moments to shine which makes for some enjoyable surprises.

The band, conducted by Music Director David McKibben, did a great job setting the tone for the show. The multilevel set by Ray Zupp established the appropriate 80's tone and made it easy for the action on stage to flow. The lighting by Richard Waldeck was perfect for the setting and at times, even seemed to become its own character onstage. Director Angie Thacker set the tone for the audience to sit back and enjoy the evening's entertainment.

You have three chances this weekend only to catch this show at the Victoria Theatre. Show times are Friday and Saturday at 8 PM and Saturday matinee at 2 PM. Tickets range from $23.50 to $53.50 and discounts are available for Seniors, Military and Students. Tickets are available at www.ticketcenterstage.com or by calling 937-228-3630.

Put on your legwarmers and grab a scrunchie for your hair and go have a good time with the cast of THE WEDDING SINGER.

Photo courtesy of Dare to Defy Productions

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