It’s 1985. Hair is huge, greed is good and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart (Jon Robyns, Avenue Q, Legally Blonde) is New Jersey's favourite wedding singer. When his own fiancée dumps him at the altar a seriously bummed out Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own.
Can sweet natured Julia, (Cassie Compton, Wicked, Les Miserables) and her best friend Holly lure Robbie out of the dumpster and back into the limelight? Or is he going to see her head off down the aisle with Wall Street bad boy Glenn (Ray Quinn, Grease, Dirty Dancing)? Only Grandma Rosie (Ruth Madoc, Hi-De-Hi!, Little Britain) seems to be able to see that Robbie and Julia are the couple that are meant to be.
The show is based on the 1998 hit film starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore and doesn't move too far away from the core story of the motion picture. First things first - this ain't Chekov. The story is a very straightforward, classic tale of will the guy get the girl and if I'm totally honest that did make me worry slightly. It certainly had an established brand to build on, but would the story translate well to the stage or would it become a throwaway musical to fill space in the Alex's Summer season?
To add to the trepidation, The Wedding Singer was never made to be a musical so this show has an almost entirely new score, borrowing just a song or two from the original soundtrack. However, safe to say that any misgivings I may have had were completely misplaced and that was evident from the moment the curtain went up.
The shows ensemble cast are truly a stunning collection of talent. Slick, polished and well rehearsed they're so much more than backing dancers, proving the value of a high quality supporting cast in any show of this scale. The musical score is also exquisite. Almost every song is infectious, with 'It's Your Wedding Day' topping the 'best song' list with ease.
However it's Robyns and Compton who are the stand out stars of this show.
Robyns has a pedigree which goes before him and is an absolute pair of safe hands to lead the cast. His triple threat status is wholly confirmed throughout the production with stunning vocals and sublime dancing alongside a performance which, in my opinion, eclipses Sandler's take on the lead role back in '98.
Compton has just the right amount of sass versus an equal measure of vulnerability. Her ability as an actress shines through alongside some beautiful vocals which harmonise and complement Robyns as though they've been performing this show for decades.
This isn't just a space filler, nor is it 'another film made into a musical'. The Wedding Singer is a credible, well rehearsed and beautifully performed show which deserves a West End run.
It plays at Birmingham's New Alexandra Theatre until Saturday 27th May.
