Back to the '80s • The Wedding Singer • The Musical

As one who grew up in the 1980s I have vivid memories of that now distant decade, which was an equally tumultuous and colorful time, ushered in by the Reagan Revolution and the Iran Contra Scandal and counter-balanced by a musical and cultural  revolution that included such ground-breaking artists as Prince, Michael Jackson, Madonna, The Clash, Talking Heads, and Van Halen, along with products such as New Coke, the Clapper, Jane Fonda Workouts, Flashdance, and the first bulky manifestation of the mobile phone.

The film "The Wedding Singer," which became a huge hit thanks largely to its romantic leads, Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, was also set in the mid-1980's and serves as the perfect vehicle for Pit & Balcony community theatre to launch their 93^rd season with a series of performances revisiting that passionate and campy time of mullets and skinny ties in the regional premiere  of The Wedding Singer • The Musical, which will run from September 27-29 to October 4-6^th.   

With music by Matthew Sklar, lyrics by Chad Beguelin, and a book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, the musical premiered on Broadway in 2006 and had several US tours starting in 2007. It was nominated for the 2006 Tony Award for Best Musical and  subsequently has had many international productions.

Based upon the 1998 film of the same name, the musical revolves around Robbie, who sings at weddings, his failed relationship with his former fiancée, and his romance with a new love, Julia.   A wannabe rock star making ends meet as a wedding singer in 1985 New Jersey, the narrative follows Robbie as he rapidly changes his tune when he is left at the altar by his own fiancée, only to discover help is on the way in the form of Julia, a waitress who works during his wedding gigs.

Under the direction of Hope Brown, when asked why she decided to tackle a production so familiar to audiences.  and because of that fact proportionally challenging, she references the power of nostalgia to lift us through difficult times.

“The narrative is very similar to the movie, but it adds several new songs at different moments throughout the production,  so while I think the nostalgia alone for such a fun era is going to drive in audiences, the strength of these new songs and additional material in the script colors different perspectives that in turn creates a different experience for the audience,” she reflects.

“The Wedding Singer was a huge movie when Adam Sandler put it out, and with the colorful costumes and music reflecting the spirit of the ‘80s, I wanted to direct something fun,” she continues. “Todd Thomas is our musical director and when we were rehearsing the music at one of our early rehearsals people were stopping by the windows to peer in and listen like it were a free concert or something, so this production is going to be not only engaging but an incredible amount of fun to develop.”

Considering the original film came out in 1998 with the original Broadway musical production debuting in 2006, is Hope attempting to update the production in any way?

“I want to create a production as accurate to the decade as possible so people who didn’t live in the ‘80s will have a real good taste of what it was like,” she states. “Every era has different things that trickle into play to define the decade, and there are references and themes that apply to my own personal life, so history repeats itself and is cyclical. Everything comes around again and I’ve always loved the ‘80s because it was such a fun, creative and emotional time with bright lights and colorful dress and artists like Prince and Boy George.”

Having won numerous awards for its musical numbers, Hope says the two big noticeable songs from the original film included in this musical version consist of Somebody Kill Me, which is the song Robbie sings after his break-up, and George’s Prayer, which sets the mood for the production; however as the play unfolds several new songs emerge as Robbie and his band perform at two weddings and a Bar mitzvah, pulling  the story along as we see how Robbie started out being in love,  follow him through his breakup, and experience how it affects his relationship with Julia.

“The song All About the Green, for instance, brings a different dimension into play as Robbie looks at how he can become the person his fiancé Linda wants him to be, when he decides he’s done with his band and finished being a wedding singer and is asking what’s the next step in his life”, notes Hope.

With an A-List cast consisting of Spencer Beyerlein in the lead role of Robbie, Elizabeth Reinhardt as Julia, Jordan Climie as Sammy, Matthew Howe as George, Meghan Campbell as Holly, and Terri Weitze in the role of Rosie, the production is rounded out with an ensemble cast consisting of Matthew Nagy, Amand Sollman, Lindsay McLaughlin, Christian Schawger, Madison Dekalaita, Amor Marrosa, Michelle Mersy and Delanae Melton.

“Elizabeth first debuted at Pit & Balcony in our production of Cinderella last year and Meghan performed the lead in Milk Milk Lemonade and is not only funny, but when she first opened her mouth had this incredible singing voice that I knew nothing about until she auditioned for this role.”

As a director Hope says the key elements she’s focusing upon is ‘believability.”

“My personal touch is making sure the relationships and motivation behind the story is understood by the audience because that way every moment of the show gets the respect it deserves.”

With so many contemporary films such as Back to the Future being converted into Broadway musicals, how does Hope feel The Wedding Singer compares or stands out?

“My personal opinion is that if you are going to revamp a production you should come up with a new idea or stick with what works and stay true to the era,” she reflects. “The Wedding Singer gives you that lane of nostalgia, and once you go down that lane you know what to expect, so I’m using bright colors and playing up the camp and the sass of that era.”

“If a scene calls for some cheesiness I’m cranking it up to ten.”

The regional premiere of ‘The Wedding Singer • The Musical’ runs from September 27-29 & October 4-5^th. Performance times are 7:30 pm with 3:00 pm Sunday matinees. Tickets are only $20.00 and available by phoning 989.754.6587 or visiting PitandBalconyTheatre.com. Pit & Balcony is located at 805 N. Hamilton St. in Old Town Saginaw.