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The
Wedding Singer
Presented
by:
Williamstown
Musical Theatre Company Inc.
Date Reviewed:
Saturday 17th May
2008
Reviewer:
Michelle Rogers
Venue:
Williamstown Mechanics Institute
My first thought on flicking through the program for ‘The Wedding
Singer’ was that Turanga Merito didn’t appear to fit the mould of
the main character, the lovable Robbie Hart. However, this worked in
his favour, as he was able to make the character his own, rather
than walking in the shadow of Adam Sandler, or for that matter,
Broadway’s Stephen Lynch.
The tiny theatre caterered to a full house of 182 patrons, with all
shows being sold out for this wacky step back to the 80s. An
intimate show is always a welcome novelty, but it was a concern that
the opening number, ‘It’s Your Wedding Day’ was marred by a couple
of dancers who seemed to be counting their steps and reining in
their dance moves in fear of knocking others off the small stage!
All the same, this number introduced Merito’s Hart, and his
bandmates, the gung-ho Sammy (perfectly cast with the charismatic
Nathan Gili) and Boy George look-alike George, (Mark Spencer) in a
suitably energetic, appealing manner.
Robbie Hart’s singing and highly effective facial expressions were
spot on, with him expressing both humour and sadness in a powerful
way. Alexandra Clover was cast well opposite him as the sweet Julia
Sullivan, but she seemed to take a couple of songs to warm up,
although it was evident she had a good voice underneath the initial
nerves.
The show really got going with the song ‘Casualty of Love’, where
Merito as Robbie was able to display his displeasure and cynical,
over-the-top antics as a now-depressed Wedding Singer after being
jilted by the skanky Linda (Bianca Giorgetti) at the altar.
Jewish-tinged numbers, ‘Today You are a Man’ and ‘George’s Prayer’,
performed by Robbie’s band at a bar mitzvah were also very
enjoyable, engaging the audience whole-heartedly.
Julia’s tarty cousin Holly (Ingrid Gray) was truly likeable,
possessing a fantastic chemistry with ex-boyfriend Sammy. The crowd
favourite, however, was undoubtedly Robbie Hart’s cheeky, groovy
Granny Rosie (A youthful Natalie Black). Her Shakin’ Bed and rappin’
antics had a few in tears of laughter.
The audio was generally effective, although Merito’s singing was too
quiet on a couple of occasions, while Alexandra Clover’s was
sometimes a little unkind on the ears when she hit the high notes.
Also, a few times, characters that were supposed to be the focus of
a particular scene, were let down by inadequate lighting.
Props were decidedly basic, with Set Designer David Parsons quoted
to say that he was a fan of KISS in the 80s, and adopted the KISS
theory to the set – ‘Keep it Simple, Stupid!’. This worked well for
the show, especially in the revolving restaurant scene where the
slimy Glen Guglia (a superbly cast Stuart Dodge) proposes to Julia –
the moving city scape was extremely basic, and added to the humour
and enjoyment of the scene.
Of course, the costumes were fun and colourful, as a show set in the
80s would demand. Robbie Hart’s parachute pants suit was absolutely
dreadful, therefore a great laugh! It was good to see that Julia
Sullivan sported more tasteless 80s fashion than Drew Barrymore was
game to wear in the movie of the same name.
The Best Costume Award of the night would have to go to Ezra Tepania,
the most exquisite Drag Queen Tina Turner I could imagine ever
encountering, complete with spiky hair, Thunderdome ensemble and
frenetic dance moves – the mental image of this large man dressed as
Tina is still ingrained in my memory!
Samantha Symons also looked amazing as a Las Vegas Cyndi Lauper.
The last couple of songs were so much fun I was tempted to get up
and dance, but was a bit chicken to lead the audience into such
action. The entire cast was involved in the final number, a reprise
of ‘It’s Your Wedding Day’ – their energy peaked at just the right
time, delivering a parting number that was highly exhilarating.
‘The Wedding Singer’ is a highly enjoyable evening of entertainment,
complete with plenty of cheesy jokes and catchy 80s tunes – a good
excuse to get out those parachute pants!
Michelle is a musical theatre lover, hooked on viewing and reviewing
musicals. She loves writing, grahic design and photography and
would like to make it onstage herself some day! Favourite musicals
include Sweeney Todd, Wicked (saw it on Broadway),
The Color Purple, Hairspray and Dreamgirls.
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