Theater Reviews

Jan 16, 2010 - When Gertrude Stein said there was no there there about Oakland, California, she described "The Wedding Singer," the none musical musical, perfectly

By Jack Neal

The 1998 Adam Sandler-Drew Barrymore semi-hit movie, “The Wedding Singer,” has morphed into a Broadway musical. Unfortunately the show is more morph than musical. What opened last night in Reno (1/15/10) is only mildly amusing and woefully bereft of anything resembling a singable song – save, perhaps, “Grow Old With You,” and that is attributed to Adam Sandler and Tim Herlihy.

The show’s fresh new score by Matthew Sklar (music) and Chad Beguelin (lyrics), may be new but it certainly isn’t fresh. The score was a Tony Award nominee, which just goes to show how hard up for new musicals Broadway is in any given year.

Tim Herlihy wrote the movie and collaborates with Beguelin for the musical’s book, but the script is as apt as a James Cameron script (“Titanic” – a loser script all the way) and comes no where close to mining the humor from the weddings of social climbers. And there’s lots of humor to be mined from America’s penchant for questionable taste in weddings.

The cast of twenty-one is energized and willing to please, but casts do have to be given something to do that might interest an audience. Amy Marie McCleary’s choreography is mundane at best. The loud burst of sound by sound designer David Temby is close to ear shattering. The orchestrations are reasonably well-played by the seven-piece tour band but based on not very attractive music leave only pleasure to be desired. The cheap-looking sets are more super-market pushcart than bus and truck. Lighting designer Russell A. Thompson has done what he can to keep most of the visuals as dark as possible, including most costumes, so that having fun with tight pants, big hair might remain as illusory as possible. Imagination still works. Sadly, director M Seth Reines has not been able to make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear and for that he can be forgiven.

The best moments happen with supporting players and their exaggerated, superficial personalities. As an example, in the reception hall scene where the jilted main character, Robbie Hart (J. Michael Zygo), reads the letter from his now ex-fiancee, Linda (Eleni Kanalos), on what was supposed to be their wedding day, Kanalos appears singing her own note. Dressed in a skimpy wedding dress, she is funny and pretty much the only entertaining thing that happens in “The Wedding Singer’s” first thirty minutes.

Robbie’s friend and bandmate, Sammy (Adam Clough), is over-the-top in his tight leather pants and unisex haircut, but he has a certain over-the-hill charm that pleases. Robbie’s love interest, Julia (Jillian Zygo, Robbie’s wife in real life) is a great fit for one of the show’s romantic leads. In fact both work well as romantic leads. She has the requisite girl-next-door appearance and demeanor of someone just wanting to be happy. He has the poise and nonchalance to make Robbi worth watching.

Back to those all-important supporting roles: Debbie, Julia’s friend, has a habit of pulling off all her street clothes to reveal flashy outfits underneath adding nice touches of pizzazz. The Boy-George boy in the band (Brad Martin) brings considerable fun to several special moments on stage. The real stars of “The Wedding Singer” are its off-the-wall supporting characters who make this 1980s party what it is – a smooth and somewhat fun but not particularly great Broadway musical.

Broadway Comes to Reno presents “The Wedding Singer,” Friday, January 15, at 8 p.m. (the performance reviewed), Saturday January 16, at 2 and 8 p.m., and Sunday, January 17, at 2 and 7 p.m., at the Pioneer Center for the Performing Arts, 100 South Virginia Street, Reno, Nevada. For information call 775-686-6600.