The Wedding Singer doesn’t live up to past performances
Amy Burns and Caitlin Shantz perform on Friday, February 26. Photo by Sara Roudebush.
Last weekend’s opening of “The Wedding Singer” showcased Max Jacobs as Robbie, a wedding singer who is left at the altar. Amy Burns plays Julia who is working as a waitress at the same parties as Robbie. Julia persuades Robbie in order to help him get his mind off of his “almost wedding,” to help her plan her wedding. They start spending all their time together, picking out patterns, flowers, invitations and growing closer everyday. It’s based on the popular Adam Sandler film and definitely had some items meant for a mature audience.
As someone who loved previous school productions like “Beauty and the Beast” and “Charlie Brown,” “The Wedding Singer” was sort of a letdown for me. Personally, I had higher expectations because of how the past plays were so well done. All in all, this was a good show but not without its ups and downs.
One of the show’s strengths was its dance performances; the dance numbers were well choreographed and it was clear that the actors in this large cast were putting forth 100 percent effort in the opening show.
The thing is, it’s just that the comedy wasn’t that funny. Most of the intended jokes did get a chuckle or two out of the audience, but nothing major. The part where the grandma started rapping was intended to be funny but wasn’t the least bit witty.
I noticed a few sound glitches, too, but that was expected because it was opening night. The actors’ mics were also going in and out, which made it hard to hear at a few parts. Surely this is something that will be resolved by the next set of performances.
The set was well done; the convertible and the vibrating bed was a nice touch and was unexpected. That certainly got a laugh out of the audience. The set worked well with the scenes, with only minor changes necessary from one scene to the next.
The music was great. Burns had by far the voice that definitely stood out. Except for the mics going out every few minutes, everyone did a great job singing. Although they all did well, I personally didn’t care for Jacobs’ singing. I wasn’t all that impressed.
There were a few spots of improvisation throughout the performance, but you could barely tell. The cast did a great job memorizing their lines and it’s clear that they spent tons of hours rehearsing. I could tell that the cast put a ton of effort into making this production happen. It lasted about the regular time of a movie, around two hours, so it’s well worth the ticket price.
Opening night was last Friday, and the show will continue until March 6, with two shows this Saturday at 2 and 7 p.m.
By TORI CHAFFIN
March 4, 2010 - 6:40 pm
As a part of the cast, I’d just like to say thanks for reviewing our show and I apoligize it wasn’t up to your standards. However, there are certain things that should be taken into account for your future viewing pleasure. First of all, as his co-lead, I feel like I speak for the cast and student body as a whole, when I say that I am extremely proud of Max and his performances. Did you know that he has never sung in front of an audidience before? When you think that this was his first task EVER as a musical performer, it puts a whole new twist on things! That boy rocked it and I am so very honored to work with someone so dedicated. Thank you, Max. Also,as stated on the WHS website, the show is for mature audinences, and personally many (myself included! You rock, Sean!) audience members found humor in Grandma Rosie and her rap. As a veteran of the theatre, I know from experience that live theatre is a very exciting and difficult thing to do. However, I think the show was a success and we are all looking forward to another fun weekend with (fingers crossed) a full house! You should come again and see how much we’ve improved. :)
March 4, 2010 - 8:16 pm
The jokes wasn’t their fault, if you want to put someone to blame the administration cut A TON. All the really funny parts were cut, even a few scene were removed.
March 5, 2010 - 12:19 am
Cool! Thanks for the honest review!
With regard to the comedy, it’s pretty tough. The majority of the jokes are either 80′s references (Billy Idol, McRibb, “New Coke”) that the younger crowd doesn’t really find funny or are of a more “adult” nature that we had to cut out due the fact it was a school performance. My goodness… some of the lines in the script were hilarious but we weren’t able to include them. Unfortunate, but kind of the nature of the beast.
Anyway, we all had a lot of fun putting it on, we’d love to see ya’ll come out to the show (it really is a great high-energy production) and I appreciate this kind of reporting that honestly takes a look at a school event and doesn’t just sugar-coat it.
Thanks!
-Keaton Boyle- “Glen” in Whitney’s “The Wedding Singer”
March 5, 2010 - 2:39 pm
Dear “Susan,”
For your comment to be published, we must have a first and last name. If you would like to resubmit your comment with a full name, we would be happy to publish your opinion. Sorry for the confusion,
The Whitney Update Staff
March 5, 2010 - 2:40 pm
Dear “chriswthak123@yahoo.com,”
For your comment to be published, we must have a first and last name. If you would like to resubmit your comment with a full name, we would be happy to publish your opinion. Sorry for the confusion,
The Whitney Update Staff
March 5, 2010 - 4:12 pm
This review was written based on the opening night? No production is perfect the opening night when nerves and quirks need to be worked through. The review could’ve been “fair” if it had been based on a performance a little later on when the performers are more comfortabloe with the show in front of an audience.
First show or last show, the cast is a group of fun, dedicated, and often talented students. No production is ever perfect, but they rocked it!
March 15, 2010 - 9:54 am
I was there on the opening night, and a lot of people were laughing. Everyone messes up, but I thought Opening night was awesome!!! You guys rock!!!!:)