A romantic comedy starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore is not something I would go for on a Friday night, but RMHS Drama Club’s production of The Wedding Singer pleasantly surprised me. The story follows Robbie Hart, played by Travis Giragosian, who is a wedding singer, and has recently been left at the altar by his fiancé, Linda, played by Aimee Casavant. However, Robbie becomes friendly with a waitress named Julia Sullivan, who is played by Olivia Reardon. Within the first fifteen minutes of the show everyone in the audience already knows how the musical is going to end - with the wedding of Robbie and Julia- but that was okay. Of course, the soon to be couple have to deal with some slight obstacles as Julia is engaged to Glen Guglia, played by Matt Miller. The endearing and funny remarks made by all the lead roles made this production a true romantic comedy.
The performance started off on a poor note (literally) as the microphone was not working properly for the opening number, causing Robbie’s singing to be drowned out by the band. However, after this there were no further mishaps. The singing performed by Robbie, Linda, Julia, and her friend Holly, played by Grace Graham, was amazing. In particular, I enjoyed Linda’s singing of her rejection note to Robbie, Julia’s solo in the “Saturday Night in the City” scene, and, of course, (because there is somewhere deep inside me that enjoys a cheesy end), the duet “Grow Old With You” performed by Robbie and Julia.
Beyond the fantastic vocals that accompany an RMHS musical, the acting was particularly good. Both Giragosian and Reardon captured their characters flawlessly. Furthermore, the comedic remarks throughout the show delivered by Holly, Robbie’s grandma Rosie, played by Phoebe Singer, and Robbie’s bandmates Sammy and George, played by Kyle Mungenast and Philip Popken made this musical not only a “chick-flick,” but also a thoroughly enjoyable comedy. In fact, I felt that Holly was the equivalent, and perhaps better, of Elle’s best friend in RMHS Drama Club’s production of Legally Blonde in 2013. I laughed most at Roise and George’s duet “Move that Thang” in which Singer came across as not only as a very in-shape grandma, but a fantastic rapper, if you will. There were some explicit lines perhaps not appropriate for the younger audience members scattered through the show, but I thought that it only added to the comedy. When Rosie presented Robbie with a vibrating bed as a wedding present and then asked him if this would be his first time “with the sexual intercourse” everyone in the audience burst out laughing, whether in awkwardness or because it was just funny. Either way, the writing of this musical was superb and not only was the plot easy to follow for all viewers, but the comedy sprinkled throughout was genuine, a difficult feat not always achieved by the Drama Club.
As the adapted musical takes place during the eighties, one can imagine the fun the wardrobe department had making the costumes; and indeed their craft shined. The costumes, hair, and makeup all screamed eighties, for better or worse. In particular, I liked all four wedding dresses that appeared on stage whether they made me cringe or smile.
While the costumes captured the eighties vibe, the scenery could have been more compelling. The set up for the weddings appeared genuine, but I wish other scenes had more imaginative details. Also, the sides of the stage were decorated with posters that appeared to be a game of Tetris, which conveniently came out in 1984, however, besides the shared decade, I felt that this choice of scenery was somewhat out of place: perhaps a metaphor for how love is a game?
It seems to me that the RMHS Drama Club has kicked the year off to a superb start with the production of The Wedding Singer. As successful as the 2013 production of Legally Blonde, it is a crowd-pleaser for all ages due to the fortunate “risky” choice made by the Drama Club. Hopefully they keep up the great playwriting, singing, and comedy throughout this year.
