"The Wedding Singer"

[PatrickDC]

Spending the day catching on some old recordings I haven't listened to in a while, including The Wedding Singer. Never saw the movie or the musical, but I really enjoy the recording. 

It played less than a year on Broadway. Any thoughts and memories? Or is this best left forgotten? I love the energy of the score. 

[bwayphreak234]

Definitely one of my guilty pleasure favorites. The score, and the show itself, are so much fun!

[Alex Kulak2]

I really like this show. Chad Begulin's lyrics are a lot of fun, the show is campy without being overly self-indulgent, and the orchestrations really take advantage of the synth-heavy 80's setting. It's a shame you don't see more high schools and amateur theatres doing this one. With a huge cast and marketable property, it's really a great show for those types of groups.

[darquegk]

For as eighties as it is, it’s the only really true example in musical form of the quintessential nineties style romantic comedy. It plays really well if done with energy and not much mockery of the time period.

[Scarlet Leigh]

Is it a masterpiece? Oh god no. Is it one of the most fun, campy, so bad it's almost brilliant musicals that I paid to see three times? Heck yeah it was!

The movie captures the camp and the comedy of the 80s in the 90s so well and the musical captures the movie just as well. It was a musical that really should not have worked. It was a recipe really for a disaster but by god one of the best times I have ever had in a theatre.

[BroadwayMan5]

It's a guilty pleasure for me - great music & funny (though thin) script. It's a great choice for colleges and, depending on the community, community theatre

[darquegk]

I suppose I should mention that as a collector of keyboards, particularly wacky 80s synths and keytars, I've never performed IN the show, but I've been in the pit for it about six times.

[raddersons]

BroadwayMan5 said: "It's a guilty pleasure for me - great music & funny (though thin) script. It's a great choice for colleges and, depending on the community, community theatre"

This really nails it for me. Phenomenal choice for schools -- there's a lot of ensemble stuff going on, letting lots of individuals shine through and get a laugh. Is it a piece of art? No. Is it a blast to be in? Yes. 

[Wayman_Wong]

I LOVE ''The Wedding Singer'' and saw it many times. What a blast!

Chad Beguelin and Matthew Sklar's score is so fun and infectious, and Stephen Lynch was incredibly charismatic and funny in the title role. Too bad this Tony nominee hasn't returned to Broadway. ''It's Your Wedding Day,'' which they did on the Tonys, is a knockout of an opening number, energetically choreographed by Rob Ashford. One of the very best screen-to-stage adaptations!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yHXy_FIWmK8

[darquegk]

Lynch gave a fantastic performance, and I wish he'd do more onstage or even onscreen, but he's indicated that he doesn't much like being an actor and following script and blocking- he's an improvisor by nature, and enjoys the give-and-take of audience interaction and flexibility of setlists.

[Wayman_Wong]

I once interviewed Stephen Lynch for my ''Leading Men'' column at Playbill.com, and he talked about making his Broadway debut in ''The Wedding Singer''; how he proposed to his wife, and the night Adam Sandler surprised him by showing up after a show.

http://www.playbill.com/article/the-leading-men-the-ring-and-i-com-132381

 

[Hest88]

I never saw it on stage, either, but it's definitely my guilty pleasure cast album. The songs are infectious, clever, and original. They especially stand out compared to many of the current lighter Broadway shows, where the music all sounds derivative. 

[JennH]

It was for sure one of the "it'll do better in regional and educational theaters" type of shows, but I will admit it's  a fun one and downright hysterical if done right! It knows what kind of show it is, and I think deserves to exist. I appreciate it more than most shows of it's kind because the powers that be could have easily made it a jukebox musical, but didn't. They took the harder route and decided to go "original music" with the exception of obviously needing to keep "Somebody Kill Me Please" which is still one of the most hysterical songs ever. I also love the movie because it's Sandler comedy gold, and frankly the only good thing he's ever done. It was also one of the screen to stage adaptations that I saw the musical first strangely enough, and saw the movie in a 5 dollar bin at Wal-Mart and bought it right then and loved it.