Artist:
The Wedding Singer
Genre: Broadway
Background:
The Wedding Singer is a 1998 movie starring Drew Barrymore and Adam Sandler. New Line Cinema, the studio behind the romantic comedy has teamed up with Tony award winning producer of “Hairspray,” Margo Lion to launch a musical stage version of The Wedding Singer. The adaptation will have music by Matthew Sklar, book by Tim Herlihy & Chad Beguelin, and lyrics by Chad Beguelin.
The stage production will hold its world premiere at Seattle's 5th Avenue Theater on Jan. 31, 2006. After a three-week warm-up run, the show will begin previews on Broadway in March 2006 followed by an April opening. It is directed by John Rando and choreographed by Rob Ashford. The design team consists of Scott Pask (sets), David Brian Brown (hair), Joe Delude (make-up), Gregory Gale (costumes), Brian MacDevitt (lighting) and Peter Hyslenski (sound).
The Wedding Singer tells the story of Robbie Hart who is New Jersey's most popular wedding singer. His life takes a U turn when his fiancée leaves him at the altar. Heartbroken and depressed, Robbie makes a vow to ruin every wedding he plays in. That is when he meets Julia, a waitress who wins his heart. The only problem is that Julia is engaged to be married to a Wall Street broker and unless Robbie can pull off the performance of his lifetime, he will loose the girl of his dreams forever!
Singer and comedian Stephen Lynch will play the title role of Robbie Hart, opposite him will be two-time Tony Award nominee Laura Benanti as Julia. The rest of the cast includes Matthew Saldivar, Richard Blake, Rita Gardner, Kevin Cahoon, Felicia Finley and Amy Spanger. The stage version will feature a new score. Music will be composed by Matthew Sklar. According to the New York Times, Sandler and Herlihy will contribute two songs to the score.
The original movie was a mega hit and grossed over $120 million worldwide. The producers of the adaptation hope that the musical has a similar fate. The Wedding Singer looks to follow the success of such recent movie to musicals adaptations like Hairspray, The Producers and the new Monty Python-inspired Spamalot. Broadway producers are using hit Hollywood flicks because of the perception that known properties will attract bigger crowds.
Come and enjoy this great adaptation. With a great cast and a potentially hit musical score, what more could you ask for. There is a lot of excitement buzzing around this production so you want to get your tickets before hand. Don't wait..contact your on line ticket vendor and get the tickets quick!
