Wedding singer Wed. 2/15 review

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:10pm

I flew out to Seattle on Wednesday to catch The Wedding Singer, and let me say, I was VERY pleasantly surprised. Reading the reviews made me a little afraid of going all that way, but once I got there, the show really impressed me. It was really a fun time, and one of the funniest shows I have seen in a while. They did have merchandise there...shirts, hats, etc. Songs that really stood out to me were definitely Rosie's song "Eight Men," "A Note From Linda," "Pop," Come Out of the Dumpster," "Saturday Night in the City," "All About The Green," and "Let Me Come." The set was MUCH better than I expected. Some new things that I have never seen before I was really impressed by. I also thought the lighting was wonderful, as was the choreography. I won't go into too much detail, but I will give a review of the performers. First of all, the ensemble is top notch. They had amazing amounts of energy, and I could tell that they were having so much fun.

Sammy: Matthew Saldivar-Great comedic timing, and a wonderful presence on stage. He had some great moments, and I think he is definitely right for the role.

Glen Guglia: Richard H. Blake-Absolutely perfect in the role...not much else I can say!

George: Kevin Cahoon-Wonderful for the role, and he seemed to really enjoy himself, and the audience really enjoyed him.

Linda: Felicia Finley-THE STAR OF THE SHOW. Felicia is absolutely amazing. I have not laughed that hard in a long time. Very rare do many things make me laugh, but Felicia was AMAZING. She is the rock of this production, and they use her just enough to always want more.

Rosie: Christina Sivirich (understudy)-I don't know if this was CHristina's first time as Rosie, but she did an AMAZING job. I was so impressed...lots of talent here.

Holly: Amy Spanger-In a close second place with the title of star of the show in my book. Amy's voice far surpasses Laura's, and she really has the perfect look and personality for the role. She was wonderful.

Julia Sullivan: Laura Benanti-I was actually pleasantly surprised. I was expecting her to be pretty bad in the role considering all of the bad mouth about her being miscast. She was better than I thought, but I do have to agree she was miscast. She has no chemistry with Stephen, and they really did not make her look the part (i.e. a ratty hair look that doesn't look like the hair in the video). She does have a spark to her, but I wasn't impressed when she completely broke character at the end when someone else made her laugh and she couldn't stop. The actress who made her laugh had to run over and hug her so she would stop. Although it was funny and kind of entertaining, it's also a Broadway show, and things like this should never happen.

Robbie Hart: Stephen Lynch-PERFECT for the role. Wonderful voice, comedic timing and presence. I loved him!

That's about it, guys!

[Josh Freilich]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:17pm

"Eight Men" - It's that scene with Rosie telling Robbie about her intercourse! Hilarious! I like this already!

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:21pm

Yep. GREAT scene.

[RentBoy86]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:45pm

can you elaborate more on the set? what was so interesting about it, etc. thanks. great review.

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 3:49pm

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The way they had Julia and Glen flying on the airplane in the back with the air whizzing by them looked really cool, and the usage of the mini plan is really funny, too. The show had a lot of shifts, and they were the smoothest ones I have ever seen! I also loved the restaurant because they made it look like the restaurant was floating on the water almost, and each time a couple would get engaged in front of Julia...their dinner table and chairs would float across the stage so the actors could do their part, and then they would ride off...if that makes sense. I just thought all of the set pieces were really fun, and colorful. I also really liked the usage of Julia's room. She was in front of her window, and the whole piece rotated around to show her inside her room behind the window when Robbie was watching her.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 4:18pm

Eight Men has to be one of the worst musical theatre songs in recent memory. Uck. It's a much funnier scene in the film.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 4:40pm

I don't know. Maybe it's just me. Or my taste in musicals. But I watched the video highlight from "The Wedding Singer" and all that struck me was that every single song in the the show seemed to sound alike. It was all a blur. There was nothing, I guess I'd say, original to the music. Is it me? Cause it just doesn't sound all that original or even melodic (and I understand it's a period piece but still...). Those that have read any comments on this site by me before know I really, seriously support the industry (and the art) so it's hard for me to say this, but this stuff just leaves me cold.

What am I missing?

[jdixon69]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 4:45pm

Don't sweat it, AOML. "West Side Story" would look crummy when condensed into 5 minutes of "highlights", shown on a blurry 2 inch screen.

In fact, the reason I have hope for the "fabulous invalid" is that, unlike film and television, you can't experience theater on an iPod.

[jdixon69]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 4:47pm

oops, double post Updated On: 2/17/06 at 04:47 PM

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 5:13pm

I feel bad for the people who dont like it. But, when I saw the video before the show, it didn tlook good, but I really enjoyed myself. Oh well. I wish them all luck.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 5:15pm

Feel bad? I'm sure many people enjoy it, and are entitled to. But I can't imagine many musical theatre aficionados finding it enjoyable. I was able to bear both acts, but several friends left at intermission.

[MrBundles]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 5:40pm

I've been a musical theatre and theatr ehistory buff my whole life and I enjoyed it. Sure there are problems, but it is a good show. Nobody left at the performance I was at, and it got a standing ovation.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 5:40pm

Every musical at the 5th Avenue gets a standing ovation.

[BeHappyHo]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 5:57pm

god. sometimes i hate this site. Everyone is so bitchy. People can like what they want. Jesus.

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 6:06pm

And people can hate what they want too.

[Radford]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 7:03pm

So, is it safe to say that if you saw the video on this site, was pleasantly surpised and enjoyed it, you would probably enjoy the show as well?

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 7:04pm

Depends. Many are able to see past the paper thin book and some really odd choices, some aren't.

[Sassy2]

Posted: 2/17/06 at 7:32pm

I've seen it twice (once in previews, and again at opening) and think the video here is pretty, well... its just not good. Not a good depiction of what to expect in the theatre.

If you liked the video, that's awesome - and I think it is very safe to say that you would enjoy the show. The show is very enjoyable, and if you can see that through this video, then odds are good you will enjoy it live.

[allofmylife]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 2:23am

Sorry if I'm a downer. What I meant was the music doesn't sound very melodic. It's all the same . Like elevator music (which must be devastating to the composer. Again I'm sorry, but that's just what I'm hearing.) I suppose 5 minutes of Rent would be about the same but 5 minutes of Dreamgirls highlights would be pretty damn amazing. Hell, even a medely from Avenue Q or Putman would have more than one rythm and have some hummable tunes. Okay even Rent had a few humable tunes.

Do those of you that went to see the show often find yourself humming the tunes from the show?

[wally]

Posted: 2/18/06 at 2:01pm

Well I enjoyed the video, and realize it may not be the best representation of the show. I am so looking forward to this, it's on of my favorite movies. I couldn't think of anyone more perfect than Lynch or Kevin Cahoon for their roles. Still think Benanti mis-cast, but maybe I won't mind her too much...I'll just enjoy seeing Lynch, I've loved his comedy for years.

As for the music...I can't get Grow Old With You out of my head...but that's a Sandler tune so I don't know what that says about the rest of the score. I loved the song from the movie, it was just such a sweet scene.