REVIEW: The Wedding Singer at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre (Tuesday, October 3)

A MUSICAL which promised to get audiences up dancing faster than a dad at a wedding failed to hit all the high notes when it arrived in the Black County this week, writes Dan Sharp.

Based on the 1998 Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore romantic comedy of the same name, The Wedding Singer takes the audience back to 1985, where hair and shoulder pads were big and mobile phones were even bigger.

Rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart – performed to near perfection by the shows stand-out star Jon Robyns – is New Jersey's favourite wedding singer, but when his own fiancée dumps him at the altar, a seriously bummed out Robbie makes every wedding as disastrous as his own.

A meeting with waitress Julia – a likeable showing by Cassie Compton – gets Robbie's heart fluttering, but unfortunately, Julia is already engaged to greasy Wall Street banker Glen (Ray Quinn).

Those expecting the 1980s hits from the film may be disappointed by Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin’s forgettable score, but after a very slow and cheesy start, the production does start to find its feet when Robbie’s love life begins to fall apart.

The plot is flimsy and although it does have some amusing sections – mainly due to stage and screen veteran Ruth Madoc stealing every scene she’s in as Robbie's rapping granny and good comic performances from Mark Pearce, Ashley Emerson and Sam Homes – some of the jokes and 80s references fall flat.

Despite its flaws, there is still an enjoyable show in there, mainly thanks to the performers doing the best job they can with what little they are given.

Jon Robyns finally gets the chance to shine in a leading role, while Ray Quinn – who is vastly underused – shows off his top notch acting and dancing skills much more than his underwhelming singing prowess.

The Wedding Singer won’t be the best musical you’ll see this year, but it’s far from the worst – 3 ½ out of 5.

Tickets for the show, which runs at Wolverhampton Grand Theatre until Saturday (October 7), costing between £20 and £42.50, can be bought online at www.grandtheatre.co.uk or by calling the box office on 01902 429212.