THE WEDDING SINGER Enters Final Five Performances at Musical Theatre West

Musical Theatre West closes its 58th season with the final five performances of the professional regional premiere of THE WEDDING SINGER at the beautiful 1,070-seat Carpenter Performing Arts Center in Long Beach. THE WEDDING SINGER previewed July 8 and runs through July 24, 2011.

The Musical Theatre West cast of this production of THE WEDDING SINGER: CIARÁN McCARTHY (Broadway/Tour: THE WEDDING SINGER [1st National Tour], Regional: RENT, JESUS CHRIST SUPERSTAR, BABY, FOREVER PLAID, THE MOUSETRAP, BLOOD BROTHERS, THE FANTASTICKS, OUR TOWN, CINDERELLA w/ The Nashville Symphony [Ensemble/Dance Captain], and SALT-WATER MOON) as Robbie Hart; RENÉE BRNA (Broadway: LITTLE WOMEN, CORAM BOY. Regional: BARNUM, LUCKY DUCK, LES MISÉRABLES, A CHRISTMAS CAROL, LITTLE ME) as Julia; Derek Keeling (Broadway: GREASE; NAT'L TOURS: GREASE, AS YOU LIKE IT, WHEN PIGS FLY, STREET SCENE, THE ZOO STORY, LOST COLONY. Regional: Happy Days THE MUSICAL, LIFE COULD BE A DREAM. TV credits: NBC'S GREASE: YOU'RE THE ONE THAT I WANT) as Glen; Jenna Coker-Jones (Off-Broadway: EVIL DEAD, THE MUSICAL, FAME, ON 42ND STREET, 20 FINGERS, 20 TOES. National Tour: DOCTOR DOLITTLE, SEUSSICAL, THE MUSICAL, JEKYLL AND HYDE. Regional: LITTLE SHOP OF HORRORS, JOSEPH..., THE FULL MONTY) as Holly; Kelli Provart (Broadway: Original company of AIDA, National Tour: AIDA, ALL SHOOK UP, BEEHIVE, RING OF FIRE, JOSEPH..., SMOKEY JOE'S CAFE, JEKYLL AND HYDE, SINGIN' IN THE RAIN, GREASE and MY FAIR LADY; TV credits include: "That's Life," "Problem Child 3," "Secrets Revealed 2") as Linda; Nick Bernardi (Regional: 25TH ANNUAL...SPELLING BEE, ANNIE, BEAUTY & THE BEAST) as Sammy; and Matthew J. Vargo (Broadway: A CHRISTMAS CAROL [Original Cast], and CATS [Longest Running Show and Final Cast.] Nat'l Tour: YOUNG FRANKENSTEIN, THE PRODUCERS, KISS ME KATE) as George.

Mary Jo Catlett, plays Rosie in THE WEDDING SINGER. Mary Jo may be best remembered as Pearl, the maid on the popular '80s sitcom, Diff'rent Strokes, and her remarkable career has spanned from Broadway (the original cast of Hello, Dolly!) to film (Serial Mom) to current television classics (Mrs. Carlisle on GLEE, the voice of Mrs. Puff on SpongeBob SquarePants). Musical Theatre West is pleased to welcome her back to the Carpenter Center stage after her turn as Jeanette in the runaway hit, THE FULL MONTY, in 2007. Ms. Catlett's other credits include: Television: GENERAL HOSPITAL as Mary Finnigan (Emmy nomination), THAT'S SO RAVEN (Mrs. Applebaum) and as a guest star on COLD CASE, DAYS OF OUR LIVES, M*A*S*H*, MURDER, SHE WROTE, MR. BELVEDERE, MATLOCK, KOJAK and SAVED BY THE BELL. Film: SERIAL MOM, THE CHAMP, THE BEST LITTLE WHOREHOUSE IN TEXAS, BEETHOVEN'S FIFTH, BENCHWARMERS and SEMI-TOUGH. Broadway: Ernestina in HELLO, DOLLY! (original cast), Mabel in THE PAJAMA GAME, CANTERBURY TALES, LYSISTRATA with Melina Mercouri, FASHION, DIFFERENT TIMES, PLAY ME A COUNTRY SONG and 70, GIRLS, 70 (Encores). First National Co.: BEAUTY AND THE BEAST (Mdme. de la Grande Bouche). Regional theatre: Momma Rose in GYPSY, Mother Superior in NUNSENSE and Lotte in LETTUCE AND LOVAGE (Pasadena Playhouse), COME BACK, LITTLE SHEBA (LA Drama Critics Award) and PHILADELPHIA HEAR I COME (LA Drama Critics Award) and Tennessee Williams' 27 WAGONS FULL OF COTTON (Washington DC Critic's Award).
It's 1985 and Robbie Hart is New Jersey's favorite wedding singer and is engaged to the platinum blonde, leather-clad Linda who stands Robbie up at the altar of his own wedding day. Bitter and broken, Robbie begins to make every wedding as disastrous as his own until a warm-hearted waitress named Julia intervenes. Though heartbroken over his fiancée, Robbie is forced to reexamine the meaning of love and marriage with the help of Julia; only trouble is, Julia's about to be married! Can Robbie pull off the performance of the decade and win the girl of his dreams? Can you still fit into your powder blue tuxedo? This new musical comedy is based on the 1998 movie of the same name which starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore as a singer and a waitress engaged to be married to the wrong people.

THE WEDDING SINGER opened in 2006 on Broadway and had 285 performances at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre. Music by Matthew Sklar and lyrics by Chad Beguelin, THE WEDDING SINGER marks their Broadway musical debut and they have put together a truly clever and often hilarious score. Songs include: "It's Your Wedding Day," "Saturday Night in the City" and "Grow Old With You."

THE WEDDING SINGER will have its professionAl Western regional premiere at Musical Theatre West in Long Beach, CA on July 8-24, 2011. This production will be directed by Larry Raben (Original Cast: FOREVER PLAID, Regional: MTW's THE ANDREWS BROTHERS West Coast Premiere], THE PRODUCERS, Forbidden Broadway, Broadway: THE PRODUCERS, MTW Directing Credits: NEVER GONNA DANCE, THE THING ABOUT MEN and I LOVE YOU, YOU'RE PERFECT, NOW CHANGE). THE WEDDING SINGER's musical director is David Lamoureux, choreography by Spencer Liff (Broadway: THE WEDDING SINGER [Original Cast], CRY BABY, EQUUS [Revival with Daniel Radcliffe], 9 to 5, BIG; TV: Choreographer on SO YOU THINK YOU CAN DANCE).

The performance schedule for THE WEDDING SINGER is Thursdays and through Fridays at 8 p.m., Saturdays at 2 p.m. and 8 p.m., Sundays at 2 p.m., with a 7 p.m. performance added on July 17th. Tickets start at $30, with last-row seating available at an additional discount. There is a $3 service charge per ticket. Prices are subject to change without notice. Group rates are available for 15 or more. Musical Theatre West performs at the Carpenter Performing Arts Center located at 6200 E. Atherton Street, Long Beach, CA 90815.

Tickets for THE WEDDING SINGER are on sale now and may be purchased online at www.musical.org or by phone at 562-856-1999 x4. Tickets may also be purchased in person at the Musical Theatre West Box Office located at 4350 E. 7th Street, Long Beach, CA 90804 from noon to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday.

THE WEDDING SINGER is the forth show of Musical Theatre West's 2010-2011 Season and is made possible through the generous contributions of Honorary Producer Kathryn Baker Campbell and Associate Producers Richard Neri & Kurt Schulzman and Universal Care.
Musical Theatre West's 2010-2011 Season Sponsors are the Ackerman Family/Evalyn M. Bauer Foundation and Ken and Dottie Reiner.
For more information on Musical Theatre West's production of THE WEDDING SINGER, please visit www.musical.org.