BWW Reviews: MTW's THE WEDDING SINGER Revisits the '80's

Armed with just my own pop culture-overstuffed brain, I only know passable bits and pieces of the original 1998 film that inspired the Broadway musical reincarnation of THE WEDDING SINGER. Admittedly, I have never seen the film in its entirety—save for a few accidental mid-movie landings on cable—primarily due to my slight aversion to most of the Adam Sandler oeuvre. I was, however, somewhat familiar with the peppy original Broadway cast album—I'm a fan of the original cast's lead actor Stephen Lynch—and, so, I at least knew going in that the show was set in the ripe-for-mockery 80's and that some of the songs were lyrically hysterical. Thus, I came into seeing Musical Theatre West's current revival with virtually an open-minded semi-blank slate.

Well, thank goodness! One of the funniest, most genuinely entertaining shows MTW has ever mounted in recent seasons, THE WEDDING SINGER was such a pleasant, laugh-filled surprise. This professional regional premiere of the five-time Tony-nominated Broadway musical—now playing through Sunday, July 24 at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach—is as bubbly and adorable as it is cheeky and giddy.

Buoyed mostly by a charmingly droll book penned by Chad Beguelin and the film's original screenwriter Tim Herlihy (a frequent Sandler collaborator), THE WEDDING SINGER isn't just a celebratory collection of 80's era sight gags—though it's chockfull of them. Rather, the musical is also quite an enjoyable, safely silly romp that's spiked with the kind of witty snarkiness and unexpected sweetness that fits snuggly alongside today's funniest sitcoms and rom-com movies. The fact that this wacky musical comedy is punctuated by some awesome singing and dancing is just pure, sugar-laced icing on a multi-tiered wedding cake. Granted, this isn't genius-level theater here—it doesn't quite transcend its cult status, thus explaining its short-lived tenancy on Broadway—but, man, is it ever just uproariously fun to sit through! It's got plenty of laughs, and it easily earns every single one of them.

Plot-wise, the stage version is still closely-hewn to its cinematic source material, focusing on the circa 1985 tale of Robbie Hart (the fantastic Ciarán McCarthy), a New Jersey-born-and-bred singer who fronts a band that mostly performs at weddings (and unlike Sandler's version of the character in the film, this stage musical's Robbie actually sounds good when singing). While performing another wedding gig with his bandmates Sammy (wingman-ready Nick Bernardi) and George (audience favorite Matthew J. Vargo), Robbie joyfully announces to the fashionable crowd that his own wedding is about to take place the follow day. Of course, such an important impending event calls for him to have a fate-destined meet-cute with banquet hall waitress Julia (the effervescent Renée Brna) at this very gig.

The two become fast friends and Julia even helps Robbie pen a musical ode to his future wife in the back alley of the restaurant. Later that evening, Julia's own boyfriend, slick Wall Street hotshot Glen (Derek Keeling) matter-of-factly pops the question to Julia also. Oh, this can't go well...

The next day, however, Robbie's wildly vivacious fiancée Linda (the always scene-stealing Kelli Provart) decides to spontaneously ditch him at the altar, leaving only an insulting note to say goodbye—set to a monster-rock beat, natch. Angry, dejected and utterly humiliated, Robbie secludes himself in his basement bedroom inside the house he shares with his spunky, hip-for-her-age grandmother Rosie (Mary Jo Catlett from TV's Diff'rent Strokes).

He tries to drown his sorrows into a musical composition ("Somebody Kill Me," one of two memorable songs resuscitated from the movie), but, alas, remains angry at his life's stilted situation—despite the unconditional support of his bandmates and grandmother. As expected, the band's next wedding gig turns into a disaster, thanks to Robbie's inability to filter his now jaded thoughts about the institution of love and marriage. In order to avoid any repeated mishaps, the band decides to book only non-wedding reception gigs from then on—like bar mitzvahs!

Meanwhile, girl-crazy Sammy tries to rekindle a burning flame for Julia's fiery cousin—and banquet hall co-worker—Holly (the amaze-balls Jenna Coker-Jones). But she isn't having any of it... or is she? With Glen too busy to help his new fiancée with wedding plans, newly-engaged Julia recruits down-in-the-dumps (literally) Robbie to help her. As they interact and harmlessly trade winsome glances, their electric chemistry becomes quite palpable to the audience. Soon, Robbie realizes this too—that he's falling in love with Julia. Reinforced by witnessing Glen cheat on Julia, Robbie sets out to win her over. But it dawns on Robbie: is Julia marrying Glen not because of her love for him, but because of the kind of security his wealth can provide her? What can a lowly wedding singer possibly do to compete with those kind of monetary credentials?

Filled with a barrage of hilarious one-liners and pop culture references that will have 80's aficionados squealing in glee, THE WEDDING SINGER certainly delights in its era-specific trappings without having to completely rely on it solely as its only redeeming quality. As a stage show, THE WEDDING SINGER does a, like, totally righteous job of meshing heart with hilarity, finding a nice balance between absurdity and emotional authenticity. Though it lacks the extended edge and rebellious outlandishness of another 80's-set musical ROCK OF AGES, it makes up for it by being a kind of antidote to that hard-rocking musical: THE WEDDING SINGER is actually more... endearing!

Perhaps dictated by the fact that this stage translation of the film is forced to eschew its initial identity as another showcase for Sandler's brand of man-child buffoonery, this stage version—free of those contractual constraints—enhances periphery characters and amps the quotient for big dance-heavy production numbers. Suddenly, as a nice side-effect, the show creates a larger cavalcade of lovable characters from the androgynously-beguiling George, the spitfire that is Holly, and the grandmother we all wish we had.

Under the purposeful direction of Larry Raben (with musical direction by David LaMoureux), MTW's production is about as good as—if not better than—any national tour could have ever presented this very show. Spirited and full of life, the Broadway-caliber production zips from one vignette to the next without missing one (comedic) beat, allowing each of the main cast members to shine in their own standout moments.

In between funny exchanges and longing glances of love and loss, the show inserts some of the most incredible ensemble dancing this side of HAIRSPRAY. With the recruitment of Original Broadway Cast member Spencer Liff (who also moonlights as a resident choreographer on TV's So You Think You Can Dance and was recently seen dancing side-by-side with Neil Patrick Harris during last May's Tony Awards telecast) to do the show's sensational choreography, MTW's revival is an even more enhanced mélange of top-notch singing and dancing performances—something this regional theater really knows how to assemble.  The show's original songs, written by Matthew Sklar, are lyrically bold but aren't as musically-memorable as I wish them to be (save for "It's Your Wedding Day," the peppy anthem which bookends the show), but in the grand scheme of things, they still add greatly to the enjoyment of this thoroughly entertaining show.

And, of course, it also helps to have a cast of really great actors to make it all come together so seamlessly. As a collective ensemble, the company gels really well, especially in the dance-heavy production numbers. As our story's central romantic hero, the adorkable McCarthy is a riveting lead playing the jilted, lovestruck wedding singer. Better still, not only does he earn the audience's sympathies, he also handily gains (as my friend who accompanied me can attest to) their lust. Add to that McCarthy's incredible skills behind the guitar (which he plays live, by the way), and you've got a real find. As his counterpart Julia, Brna displays equal amounts of sweetness and bravery. Her interaction with McCarthy's lovable loser is superbly believable, helping us all to root wholeheartedly for these crazy kids to fall in love.

Scene-stealer Coker-Jones wastes no time getting the audience to sit up and take notice of her inescapable talents, while Bernardi, who plays her would-be paramour, Sammy, deserves a tall, cold glass of Diet Shasta for his worthy take on the affable lunkhead. As the uniquely different but thoroughly lovable George, Vargo excels in making his character quietly funny yet instantly endearing. His only competition for the title of Most Beloved is perhaps the rather appealing Catlett, who plays Robbie's sprightly-stepped grandmother. Wait until you see Vargo and Catlett's "duet" in the second act... I will only say that it's the cutest thing I've witnessed in the theater in quite some time.

Last, and certainly not the least, is Robbie's runaway bride Linda—played by Ms. Provart. Not only can this bawdy broad belt a big song like nobody's business, she possesses this awesome, go-for-broke ferociousness unrivaled by anyone I've seen on any Southern California stage in a long time. She really knows how to draw you in, making it (happily) difficult to focus on anything else around her whenever she appears on stage. I have been seeing a lot of this gutsy, impressive actress lately in local regional musicals (MTW's CATS and recently in 3D Theatricals' ALL SHOOK UP) and I genuinely can't wait to see what part she tackles next. What a dynamic performer! I can't say enough good things about her.

Overall, this professional regional debut of THE WEDDING SINGER is a welcome break from MTW's slate of polished, well-crafted traditional musicals, and is a fitting finalé to their 58th season. While it certainly plays up its 80's kitsch and rapid-fire references within inches of being too over-the-top, the show's sweetness and heart certainly brings it closer to Earth, making it one of the most assuredly fun shows to come out of MTW. With witty dialogue, clever songs, and loads of rigorous dance numbers, this pastel-hued production is miles above anything you'd expect from a real wedding reception.

This got me thinking... I may have to give the movie that inspired all this a shot... I think I may actually like it!

My sincerest apologies to the people around us during the opening night performance... my friend and I pretty much laughed throughout the entire show. But if they had as good a time as we did, I bet my parachute pants that the people around us laughed throughout, too!

Follow this reviewer on Twitter: @cre8ivemlq

All photos by Alysa Brennan/MTW. From top: Ciarán McCarthy (Robbie); Nick Bernardi (Sammy), McCarthy, & Matthew J. Vargo (George); Renée Brna (Julia) & Mary Jo Catlett (Grandma Rosie); McCarthy & Brna; Kelli Provart (Linda).

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Final remaining performances of Musical Theatre West's THE WEDDING SINGER continue through July 24 and are scheduled Thursday through Friday at 8 p.m., Saturday at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., and Sunday at 2 p.m. Tickets start at $30, with last-row seating available at an additional discount. There is a $3 service charge per ticket. Prices are subject to change without notice. Group rates are available for 15 or more.

Musical Theatre West performs at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center located at 6200 E. Atherton Street in Long Beach, CA.

For tickets or for more information, please call 562-856-1999 x4 or visit online at www.musical.org.

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