In a return to the nostalgia of the 80s, The Wedding Singer combines lively music with witty lines and humour. What better way to distract yourself from the gloomy winter weather than a heartwarming musical. With an amusing storyline with a beautiful message to follow your heart and passions instead of a big pay cheque.
Based on the popular movie by the same name, The Wedding Singer follows Robbie Hart, a wannabe rock star in a wedding band trio, whose life suddenly takes a surprising turn. Left at the altar by his fiancée Linda, Robbie believes love is doomed until he develops feelings for a cheerful waitress… who happens to be engaged!
The leading protagonists Robbie (played by James Pead) and Julia (played by Emilia Lodge) gave stand out performances, winning the hearts of the audience with their excellent chemistry on stage and vocally impressive solos. The audience was rooting for their love story to develop over the course of the performance.
The stage had an electric atmosphere. The minimalist set design allowed space for big impressive dance numbers and it was clear that attention to detail was taken to each prop on stage. The most laughter was gained from an early wedding gift of a bed that shakes when 5 cents is put into the slot. You can only imagine the comical moment on stage when the characters start to shake their bodies to imitate the bed vibrating.
The costume design, especially in group numbers, was flashy and eye-catching. With energetic dance numbers performed in sync, the explosive passion the cast brought was undeniable. The cast sustained this electric energy throughout the show which kept the audience delightfully entertained. All the characters had demanding songs but displayed an impressive performance of vocal strength.
Even the characters with minor roles made their parts memorable from the beginning. Robbie’s ex-fiancée Linda features in only two songs in the entire show but her performances surprised the audience with her comical reenactment of a letter she writes to Robbie, essentially dumping him. Her ability to command sole focus on her character, with her engaging presence and vocal prowess on a stage already filled with the entire cast, was impressive and captivating. Additionally, Robbie’s grandma (played by Maddy Hicks), turned heads, with the hilariously shocking lines that made her character stand out. The crowd went wild when she started busting moves and rapping in a joint dance number.
Rocky relationships and weddings galore, The Wedding Singer proves true love can be found after all, when Robbie and Julia are reunited with each other in Vegas. Solos on stage were sometimes a bit hard to hear through the loud backing music. However, it’s clear this had little effect on the audience who were highly entertained throughout the two acts of the show.
Overall, the actors put on an amazing performance which made this a very enjoyable watch. You can always be certain that SUPAS performances will never cease to impress.
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
