THE WEDDING SINGER

Brentwood Operatic Society at the Brentwood Theatre

19.01.11

Another movie, another stage musical. Later this year we've “Ghost” to look forward to, but meanwhile a less iconic rom-com brought enthusiastic crowds to Brentwood Theatre.

The show, like the film, looks back to the 80s, when cell phones and CD players were cutting edge, and embryonic boy bands like these made money by playing at wedding receptions.

As the eponymous Robbie, Tom Eason looked the part in his 80s wig; his attempts at using his art to reflect his life were amusing – struggling to find rhymes for 'awesome' – but unfortunately the heat-and-serve songs penned by one Matthew Sklar with Chad Beguelin were little better: cheesy key-changes in pale pastiches of half-forgotten power ballads and pop anthems. Instead of classics from Wham and Musical Youth.

But Amy Clayton's production compensated for a feeble, formulaic piece with a zippy, brash style, boasting some excellent performances: Ian Southgate as the Wall Street whizz kid [“It's All About The Green”], Lisa Harris as Robbie's liberated Gran, Julie Salter very watchable as she made the most of the mother of the bride, Justin Cartledge as [Boy] George, Carolyn Kirkpatrick as the heartless Linda, and especially Rachel Wood as Holly; she got closest to the wise-cracking wit of the original. Julia, the waitress who dumps the trader and finds her wedding singer, was engagingly done by Sarah Miles – her distant duet with Robbie was a rare highlight.

The choreography was energetic, often witty – the waitresses especially. MD Robert Miles got some great sounds from his hidden band, and the atmosphere was often electric. It was just a pity that the music was so ordinary, the book so banal. Bring on Guys and Dolls, I say …