Theatre Review: The Wedding Singer

Image Source: BritishTheatre.com

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Date: May 31 2017
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Based on the 1998 movie, The Wedding Singer is based around Robbie Hart (Jon Robyns), a wedding singer by trade whose own wedding is fast approaching, where he will marry longtime sweetheart Linda (Tara Verloop). However, Linda does not show on the day, leaving a note which does little to make Robbie feel better. His situation is compounded by the engagement between Julia Sullivan (Cassie Compton) and New York hotshot Glen Gulia (Ray Quinn); Julia works as a waitress and is a close friend of Robbie, so much so that Robbie had agreed to sing at her wedding should she and Glen ever tie the knot, but prior to Robbie having his own heart broken.

Therefore, it takes some time and much persuasion from Julia for Robbie to honour his commitment. In the meantime, Robbie assists Julie with wedding preparations, but after some gentle prompting by Julia's friend Holly (Stephanie Clift) to "practice a church kiss", Robbie and Julia lock lips, and it quickly becomes clear that the two have developed feelings for each other. This slowly evolves amidst Robbie learning more about Glenn's lifestyle, which included regularly cheating on his bride-to-be.

In the meantime, Robbie's music career (in a band alongside Sammy, played by Ashley Emerson, and George, played by Samuel Holmes) stumbles as it is clear that his feelings towards Julia, and his romantic feelings having been severely dented by Linda no-showing their wedding. It all comes down to a situation whereby Julia and Glenn jet off to Las Vegas to wed, and only Robbie can potentially put a stop to proceedings and express his true love for Julia, who by this point had communicated HER romantic feelings towards Robbie through Holly.

Obviously, the musical follows the story of the movie for the most part (there are certain changes within the storyline and, of course, with the inclusion of additional songs, but the general plot remains the same). Therefore, anyone who has seen the 1998 film will know what to expect, but even those who don't should have a good time. There are quite a few comical scenes and lines, and the story is easy to follow. The emphasis is purely on humour, even during the more serious or emotional scenes, so it's a light-hearted tale from start to finish.

In particular, Jon Robyns is believable, entertaining and sympathetic as Robbie Hart, and although his career prospects as a wedding singer are never likely to make a massive impact, the audience is always hoping for him to achieve his dreams on a romantic level, especially after being ditched at the altar. Cassie Compton also puts in an excellent performance as the likeable Julia Sullivan, both from an acting and a singing perspective; Jon and Cassie steal the show in a pretty star-studded cast, which includes Ruth Madoc as Rosie and the aforementioned Ray Quinn.

The settings are very good, as are the use of additional props where appropriate, and the lighting is very cleverly used, especially during one scene where the lighting conveys Julia and Glenn's plane taking off to Vegas. On the negative side, the running time of the first half was a little long, coming in at close to 90 minutes, and I expected to see a little more of Ray and Ruth. There was also heavier sexual content than I expected, given that the movie made only occasional risqué references, and the (largely older) audience seemed a little uncomfortable during one particular scene towards the end. But there's a lot more to like than to dislike, and there's quite a few surprises too, such as some amusing celebrity impersonators towards the end.

Summing this show up, then, The Wedding Singer is a lot of fun with a fair number of memorable moments, and a faithful recreation to any fans of the original movie.

Overall Rating: 8/10 - Very Good

Puttin' On The Ritz

Image Source: Puttin' On The Ritz

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Format: Musical
Genre: Musical
Date: October 7 2015
Location: Liverpool Empire Theatre

Back in the early days of cinema, motion pictures were a lot more simplified than they are nowadays. Even the use of audio was considered innovative back then, which perhaps partly explains why Hollywood exploded in the early 20th century when sound was added, and by the 1920s, films became even more popular with the influx of legendary and timeless music scores from Irving Berlin, George Gershwin and Cole Porter. They introduced new songs that had a familiar style to them, they were catchy, the lyrics were logical, and they were generally classic musical tunes and remain so to this very day. It also featured stellar singing and dancing, Fred Astaire being a perfect example of this. If anything, back in the day, the storyline of a movie often played second fiddle to the outstanding vocal skills and the visually superb dance routines.

And that's the formula which has been used for the theatre show which pays tribute to this Golden Age of Hollywood, Puttin' On The Ritz. There is no overriding plotline, or indeed any plotline, for this show. Instead, this puts a greater emphasis on the word "show"; although it takes place in a theatre setting, it is more appropriate to describe Puttin' On The Ritz as an extended tribute show, and it is a very enjoyable one at that. The production provides a variety of musical numbers complete with five-star dance efforts, all based on the song-writing of the aforementioned Berlin, Gershwin and Porter, along with a slightly updated feel to the singing of said tunes and a very contemporary twist to the dance routines.

The singing was varied and covered plenty of well-known tracks for the era, such as Let's Face The Music and Dance, Minnie The Moocher and, of course, Puttin' On The Ritz itself. Both males and females shone in this role, and the tones were at times quiet and dulcet, and at other times loud and high-pitched (some may say too high-pitched on occasions).

Each city being visited by the production includes a special guest singer for some of the more well-known hits, and the Liverpool show was no exception. Ray Quinn of The X-Factor and Dancing On Ice was the big name for the Liverpool Empire leg of the tour, performing such songs as Mack The Knife and Mr. Bo Jangles, with his best rendition of the night coming when performing Portrait Of My Love. Another nice touch in my opinion was the use of short comedy clips from the time, particularly those starring Laurel and Hardy, which were shown during intermission and were a logical and entertaining way to prepare the audience for the second half. The costumes were authentic for the time periods, with frequent changes adding a fresh layer to each performance.

But the highlight of Puttin' On The Ritz came in the form of the extravagant and perfectly-executed dance routines. The main dancers have previously had a wealth of first-class experience on Strictly Come Dancing, and it showed here as Trent Whiddan, teaming with Gordana Frandosek, and Robin Windsor (whose pre-show interview you can read by clicking here), partnering with Anya Garnis, both displayed a large number of superb and flashy dance manoeuvres. Oftentimes, their dances managed to overshadow the singing, which is no mean feat in an environment where the music is generally judged first. Although those with Strictly experience were the stars of the show, it's also worth noting that a crop of lesser-known dancers also delivered on the night, particularly with a simple-yet-visually impressive routine near the end of the show where almost a dozen dancers sat on the edge of the stage and delivered a thigh-slapping and hand-clapping sequence (the Maple Leaf Rag) which, at its climax, had the audience on its feet in applause.

Puttin' On The Ritz is definitely a show which will appeal to the older demographic. Not only will the songs be familiar and the dances be acceptable to that age range, but the emphasis on singing and dancing will not be unusual to people with vivid memories of a bygone era of Hollywood. Puttin' On The Ritz provides a fine night of feel-good entertainment, which should revive fond memories for the older audience and perhaps open eyes to a different (and many would say better) style of music and dance to a newer crowd.

Overall Rating: 7.5/10 - Good

Ray Quinn Joins The Cast Of Judy

Ray Quinn.

Written By: Mark Armstrong

Provided By: Liverpool Empire Theatre

International theatre producer David King is delighted to announce that Ray Quinn is joining the cast of Judy: The Songbook Of Judy Garland.

Ray was runner-up in The X-Factor in 2006. He has since triumphed in Dancing On Ice and Dancing On Ice - All Stars, and has starred in numerous West End musicals including Legally Blonde and Dirty Dancing.

Judy will tour some of the UK’s finest theatres, with the UK premiere of this new musical show at the Edinburgh Playhouse on May 8 2015. Highly-acclaimed choreographer and theatre director Arlene Phillips will be the Creative Director on the production. This will be the only Judy Garland Show in the world authorised by the Judy Garland Estate.

Judy also stars Lorna Luft, Judy Garland’s daughter, together with leading West End musical theatre stars, including Louise Dearman, Rachel Stanley, Darren Bennett and more. Also appearing are Judy’s dancers - The Boyfriends, named after Judy’s original dancers of the same name.

Judy will include never-before-seen film clips and interviews together with irresistible classic hit songs from some of Judy’s hugely popular films such as A Star is Born, Meet Me In St. Louis, Easter Parade and The Wizard of Oz. The set of songs will include I Got Rhythm, The Trolley Song, The Man That Got Away, Get Happy, Zing! Went The Strings Of My Heart, and the song that is synonymous with Judy Garland, Over The Rainbow. Judy is directed by Christopher Manoe.

Lorna Luft is considered to be part of Showbiz Royalty, as the daughter of Judy Garland and the half-sister of Liza Minnelli, and as a highly successful stage, film and TV actress and singer herself. She has appeared in numerous film, TV and stage shows including White Christmas, They’re Playing My Son and Babes In Arms. Lorna appeared on stage regularly with her mother as a young girl and continues to maintain a high-profile concert career.

Louise Dearman is the darling of the West End, and has performed in leading roles in many West End musicals including Wicked (where Louise was the first actress to play both the good witch and the bad witch), Glinda and Elphaba. Louise also starred in Evita, Cats and Guys and Dolls to name just a few.

Darren Bennett has appeared in numerous productions in both the West End and on tour including the current production of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Aladdin, Merrily We Roll Along, Crazy for You, Fiddler on the Roof, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Singin’ In The Rain.

Rachel Stanley has recently finished starring as Betty Haynes in the hugely-successful production of White Christmas at London’s Dominion Theatre, and previously  played the role in Edinburgh, Manchester, Plymouth & Southampton. Rachel has also had lead roles in Annie (New Zealand and UK tour), Crazy for You and Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (UK Tour).

Arlene Phillips (CBE) is one of the UK’s best known choreographers, and also works regularly as a theatre director and is a well-known television personality. Arlene has worked on numerous stage productions (The Wizard Of Oz, Starlight Express, Grease), TV shows (So You Think you can Dance) and films.

Judy: The Songbook Of Judy Garland runs in the Liverpool Empire Theatre from Monday June 8-Wednesday June 10. For ticket information, click here.