David Venn Enterprises has announced that the Australian professional premiere season of the Broadway musical, The Wedding Singer will take place at Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre from 19 June 2020.
It’s 1985. Hair is huge, collars are up and a wedding singer might just be the coolest guy in the room. Robbie Hart is New Jersey’s number one wedding singer and the life of the party. That is until his own fiancée strands him at the altar.
Bitter and broken, Robbie begins to make every wedding as disastrous as his own until a warm-hearted waitress named Julia intervenes. Only trouble is, Julia’s about to be–you guessed it–married! Can Robbie pull off the performance of the decade and win the girl of his dreams?
By the writer of the original smash-hit movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, The Wedding Singer achieved a Tony Award nomination for Best Musical and has toured internationally to great acclaim. Following sold out performances on Broadway and across the UK, The Wedding Singer’s smashing sing-a-long score does for the ‘80s what Hairspray did for the ‘60s.
“Who doesn’t love the 80s? We’re so excited to bring it back with a bang in this hilarious feel-good musical,” says Producer David Venn. “I can’t wait to see audiences dress in their 80s finest and join the party of the year!”
The Wedding Singer features music by Matthew Sklar (Elf The Musical), lyrics by Chad Beguelin (Aladdin), and a book by Beguelin and Tim Herlihy. A long-time collaborator of Adam Sandler, Tim wrote the classic hit films Happy Gilmore and Billy Maddison, as well as several other Sandler-starring blockbusters in addition to The Wedding Singer. An Australian creative team is still to be announced.
In what might be a first for an Australian musical production, the company is casting a wide net to find their Australian Wedding Singer. Real life wedding singers with a comedic flair are invited to submit for the title role, played by Adam Sandler in the movie. Submission details can be found on www.weddingsingermusical.com.au – with submissions from all regions, including remote areas, encouraged to apply.
The Wedding Singer will play Melbourne’s Athenaeum Theatre from 19 June. Tickets on sale Thursday 5 March 2020. For more information, visit: www.weddingsingermusical.com.au for details.
Image: The Wedding Singer (supplied)