"The Wedding Singer"

So, essentially, I'm attempting to see every non-jukebox musical that opens this season on Broadway (which leaves out Hot Feet, Jersey Boys, and Ring of Fire). The Pajama Game and Tarzan may also be missed, considering they're such hot tickets. Since NYU's Ticket Central had $34 orchestra seats for The Wedding Singer, I skeptically picked one up and last week. I haven't seen the movie, so I had no idea what I was getting myself into. The verdict: damn fun.

Anyway, the show was certainly not "high art" or written by one of the saviors of musical theatre (a la Adam Guettel, Jason Robert Brown, William Finn, Michael John LaChiusa), but it was pure 80s big hair, Mr. T fun. The show pretty much blasts a long train of faux 80s pop songs at you for 2 1/2 hours, and they're pretty much all enjoyable. Certainly, when the show's over, you can't quite pick out one melody to hum on the way out of the theatre, because they all kind of blend together into one Culture Club/Cyndi Lauper song, but it definitely makes for an entertaining night of theatre.

The acting was all first rate. Stephen Lynch was really charismatic as Robbie Hart, the Adam Sandler role in the film. In the Drew Barrymore role, Laura Benanti (who I saw in 2003's Nine with Antonio Banderas) was fun but slightly stiff. She certainly has the vocal chops, and her recurring tune, "Right on Time" is one of the most catchy, but (and this is mostly the fault of the writing), she is overshadowed by the moments given to the characters of Linda and Holly, who also compete for Robbie's attention, given splasy, showy numbers that can't really compete with the earnestness that Benanti exudes. Benanti is best in her number "Come Out of the Dumpster" with Stephen Lynch (pictured at left), which is quite cute. Considering the performance I saw was a preview, any or all of these things could improve with time, but those were my observations.

Rita Gardner as Rosie, Robbie's grandmother, and Kevin Cahoon as George (a character modeled after Boy George) provide excellent comic relief, particularly as George sings a Culture Club-style prayer at a bar mitzvah gig and as the two team up for a rap number at Rosie's 50th Anniversary bash.

Several moments proved to be slightly misguided. At the top of Act Two, the song "All About the Green" was just kind of dull. Surely a more interesting song could've been written about the importance of money in society. Another odd moment was where impersonators of Ronald Reagan, Cyndi Lauper, Billy Idol, and Mr. T team up to help Robbie get Julia.

The design elements of the show were colorful and fun, and I particularly liked the sets for rural New Jersey. They had a nice feel to them, and the sets were able to place the story in a sort of heightened realism. The costumes were pure 80s and fun, complemented by full-on 80s hairdos as well.

Overall, I think the musical proved successful. It was extremely comedic, and I enjoyed it more than Hairspray (a relatively comparable musical) simply for entertainent value. Despite my love of more thought-provoking shows, I was able to let myself go and have a fun night at The Wedding Singer.