The Wedding Singer @ Upright Theatre Co.
—Jill Sweeney
Cards on the table: I’m not super familiar with Adam Sandler’s film catalogue. No shade; he’s just not always my comedy brand. So I went into Upright Theatre Company’s production of the musical based on Sandler’s 1998 comedy The Wedding Singer totally cold, a Wedding Singer virgin, if you will—never seen the movie, never seen the musical. And though the songs (by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin of Elf the Musical and The Prom) are a touch forgettable, Upright’s enthusiastic cast, flashy choreography, and a healthy heaping of 80s nostalgia adds up to a show that’s more than the sum of its parts.
The titular singer, Robbie Hart (Shaun Senter), is the king of the wedding scene way back in 1985 New Jersey, crooning love songs with his bandmates Sammy (Alex Trevino) and George (MattJohn West) and keeping drunken best men in line—the consummate emcee. What’s his secret? He’s a born romantic, and when we meet him he’s happily anticipating marrying the love of his life tomorrow, even as sparks fly with waitress Julia (Delaney Gebhart), a sweet klutz waiting (and waiting) for her Wall Street beau Glenn to propose. The two meet-cute, and Julia helps Robbie pen a sweet love song for his fiancée.
Too bad Robbie’s girl doesn’t show at the wedding, leaving him a heartbroken mess and, obviously, not in the best frame of mind to serenade happy couples. Meanwhile, Julia’s finally engaged, but things get confusing as she and Robbie (a wedding expert, of course) put heads together to plan her wedding—and start to fall for each other, just as Robbie’s wayward fiancée Linda (Leah Flores) returns determined to win him back. Will true love—80s style—prevail?
The math on this show’s starring role feels pretty basic: you need a guy with pipes to play “the wedding singer.” But even so, Shaun Senter far exceeded my expectations, pairing a lovely voice (putting me in mind of Broadway star Jeremy Jordan) and slightly baby-faced sweetness (beard and period-appropriate mullet notwithstanding) that really sold both the earlier confident version of Robbie as well as the later sad-sack edition. Gebhart—in the role Drew Barrymore played in the original film—manages to keep Julia’s awkwardness endearing, and she and Senter play nicely off one another under director Michael D’Andre Childs’ light hand.
The rest of the cast makes the most of the big, big characters they’ve been given. Ash Hood brings depth and a bit of pathos to her role as Holly, Julia’s Madonna-esque cousin, especially in Act II’s “Right In Front of Your Eyes.” West steals more than one scene as the band’s flamboyant keyboardist; their rendition of a sort of soft-Jazz Yiddish bar mitzvah blessing had the audience howling. Flores, giving off slutty Kelly Kapowski vibes (kudos to costume designed Megan A. Liles), felt like she’d walked onstage out of a Whitesnake video—perfection. And though it was deeply, deeply (intentionally) cringey, kudos to Barbara Catrett as Robbie’s grandmother for selling the hell out of her “rappin’ grandma” duet with West. (Noël Clark’s music direction feels strong throughout.)
Upright makes the most of the show-within-a-show aspect of the musical by placing the audiences at tables (like guests at a wedding reception) and letting the action expand beyond the stage. The cast moves—and dances—through the crowd (choreo by Whitney Morris), keeping things dynamic, though the lighting sometimes struggled to keep up on opening night (as did the cast’s mics, which were somewhat hit-or-miss; hopefully these were just “settling in” issues). The choreography (credited to Whitney Morris) is fun and full of era-appropriate flair; I especially liked the “Thriller” nods in Act I’s “Casualty of Love.” Liles’ costume design is surprisingly restrained given all the wild style options the 80s offers, but there were definitely some standouts, notably the various wedding and bridesmaids dresses (the bows! the lace!), and a blazer with neon cuffs and collar that strips away to reveal a slinky lingerie dress and gold bolero. Ah, the old days.
Upright’s production, though in need of a little technical tweaking, brings verve and heart to the stage, plus a singer with real chops in the lead role. So tease your hair, slap on your brightest blue eyeshadow, grab an Alabama Slammer (if you can find a bartender who knows how to make one)—and pull up to a high-top table for a light, funny show that’ll make even “greed is good” feel like a wave of warm nostalgia.
WHEN: Through February 26th
WHERE: 2501 N. Main Street, Euless, TX 76039
WEB: uprighttheatre.org
