The Wedding Singer

Popular Hollywood rom-com The Wedding Singer transitions happily into a cheerful musical comedy, mostly following the film, with odd nips and tucks to plot and characters.

The Hills Musical Society’s new home, after 40 years facing off the numerous challenges of a very basic multi-purpose community centre, presents the exciting new challenge of creating theatre in a showroom style RSL club auditorium primarily designed for rock bands and floor shows.

David Russell makes smart directorial choices for the new venue, placing Jeff Fisher’s small band central to the action, also apt for the reception venue setting of the show, filling much of the smallish stage. The retractable stage extension, typical to this sort of room, while it’s a little lower, provides a real acting and dancing sweet spot.

I’d be tempted to pull even more of the action forward of the proscenium and into this closer relationship with the audience.

Upstage a set of neutral, illuminated panels provides the simple, effective backdrop.

As a result, the emphasis is thrown back onto the vital (mostly) young cast, through their storytelling, singing, characterizations, dancing and costumes.

Alex Giles’ wittily depressive wedding singer Robbie Hart connects engagingly with Laura Sheldon’s sweet, vulnerable Julia Sullivan. Jackie Bramwell makes feisty fun of Julia’s friend Holly, sharing the honours for best rock vocals of the night with Cara Laing’s cheeky, sexy Linda (the fiancé who jilts Robbie). Andrew Drummond absolutely mines the camp fun of band-member George, while Dave Bleiber’s Sammy is an appropriately un-selfconscious yobbo. Veteran  Betty Tougher has some deliciously raunchy fun as Grandma Rosie. Jon Emmett’s Glen Guglia is a stereotypical corporate sleaze.

Lively, enthusiastic ensemble members support well as a group, in a variety of featured roles, and dancing their hearts out.

Colourful costumes generally evoke the 80s attractively.

Cast members and creatives have sworn me to secrecy on some magical moments, but a couple of showstopping treats delight with their ingenuity.

The production values are at their best when the literal is avoided, acknowledging the venue and its constraints, and minimal carry-on props are used. Specifically, Robbie’s basement apartment felt overbuilt and awkward to change, compared to the simplicity and fluidity of the overall style. An airline ticket counter seemed to trap its scene in an upstage corner, when a less literal approach might have allowed the scene to be played further forward to advantage.

I saw The Wedding Singer at a preview performance, where the technicals were still being refined, even between the first and second acts, but it felt like any issues seemed destined to be sorted by opening night.

The Wedding Singer is a new musical for me, but I’ll look forward to seeing this little charm show again. It’s an ideal choice for young companies, and ideally suited to this sort of minimalist production.

Neil Litchfield

Photographer: Mitchell Hunter.

More coverage