Hi-de-Hi to some 1980s fun
Posted by Mark Smith on Thursday, August 31, 2017
Just before we hit the end of summer, a last chance
for a spot of end of summer fun is provided by a touring version of The Wedding Singer. A
musical version of the popular movie, it’s 1985
– the era of big hair, Culture
Club, the Thompson Twins and the Psychedelic Furs. Rock-star
wannabe Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s favourite wedding singer. But when
his fiancée dumps him at the altar, singing at weddings kind of loses its
appeal.
This 2006 musical – music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin (who also wrote the book with Tim Herlihy) – doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a fun night out. Some 18 additional songs have been added to the movie’s ‘Somebody Kill Me’ and ‘Grow old with you’. They are executed with verve and enthusiasm by a company who throw themselves around the stage in some frenetic dance numbers choreographed by the show’s director Nick Winston.
The show is blessed with two leading players who maintain a sense of reality about their characters despite the inevitable frothiness of the story. Jon Robyns is believable and lovable as the unlucky-in-love Robbie Hart, while Cassie Compton is the beautiful and dependable Julia Sullivan who tries to help Robbie in his plight. They’re made for one another, surely – but for the fact that Julia is already engaged to Wall Street bad boy Glenn. Ray Quinn makes the most of his baddie banker character Glen Gulia, sharing his business mantra in ‘It’s all about the green’.
As Robbie’s Grandma Rosie, the producers provide a piece of truly fun casting – and a genuine 1980s star – in Ruth Madoc. It’s fair to say that Madoc makes the most of her limited time on stage, beams her way through the evening and has a couple of great moments involving a guitar and some handstands – you’ll have to go to the show to see for yourself. Madoc also does a hilarious number with Samuel Holmes’ George – a Boy George lookalike – played with a delicious yet poignant irony.
The catchy title number of the show is reprised several times and there’s a big end of Act 1 number with stage smoke aplenty. Yes it’s a cheaply put together crowd pleaser, but if you can pick up one of the multiple ticket offers available online, it’s worth a look, especially if you’re a 1980s child.There’s a lot of ‘will they, won’t they’ moments in this show before the inevitable happens, and the plot could have been condensed in the final scenes, but it’s lots of fun along the way. Surprisingly, this musical didn’t get the audience up on their feet at the end, but the songs are full of fun and energy and have a certain catchiness about them.
This 2006 musical – music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin (who also wrote the book with Tim Herlihy) – doesn’t take itself too seriously and is a fun night out. Some 18 additional songs have been added to the movie’s ‘Somebody Kill Me’ and ‘Grow old with you’. They are executed with verve and enthusiasm by a company who throw themselves around the stage in some frenetic dance numbers choreographed by the show’s director Nick Winston.
The show is blessed with two leading players who maintain a sense of reality about their characters despite the inevitable frothiness of the story. Jon Robyns is believable and lovable as the unlucky-in-love Robbie Hart, while Cassie Compton is the beautiful and dependable Julia Sullivan who tries to help Robbie in his plight. They’re made for one another, surely – but for the fact that Julia is already engaged to Wall Street bad boy Glenn. Ray Quinn makes the most of his baddie banker character Glen Gulia, sharing his business mantra in ‘It’s all about the green’.
As Robbie’s Grandma Rosie, the producers provide a piece of truly fun casting – and a genuine 1980s star – in Ruth Madoc. It’s fair to say that Madoc makes the most of her limited time on stage, beams her way through the evening and has a couple of great moments involving a guitar and some handstands – you’ll have to go to the show to see for yourself. Madoc also does a hilarious number with Samuel Holmes’ George – a Boy George lookalike – played with a delicious yet poignant irony.
The catchy title number of the show is reprised several times and there’s a big end of Act 1 number with stage smoke aplenty. Yes it’s a cheaply put together crowd pleaser, but if you can pick up one of the multiple ticket offers available online, it’s worth a look, especially if you’re a 1980s child.There’s a lot of ‘will they, won’t they’ moments in this show before the inevitable happens, and the plot could have been condensed in the final scenes, but it’s lots of fun along the way. Surprisingly, this musical didn’t get the audience up on their feet at the end, but the songs are full of fun and energy and have a certain catchiness about them.
