"The Wedding Singer"

I finally got a chance to see The Wedding Singer Friday night, and I'm glad I did!

It's a show that's very funny, loaded with talent and great songs.

The musical tells the story of Robbie Hart, a musician who specializes in performing at weddings (natch) - but his own luck in romance is shaky at best. His band mates are Sammy and George, and you'd be hard pressed to find two funnier sidekicks. Robbie plans to marry Linda, but when she breaks his heart, he is drawn to a waitress named Julia - but there's a problem. She's engaged to be married to an unethical banker named Guglia. So it's complicated - but very funny.

Of course, one of the firm rules of putting on community theatre is: you'll never go wrong casting Ryan Hardiman in the lead. Ryan has a fantastic singing voice, of course, and shines on stage - but he's also very funny in the part (I can't remember Ryan doing much comedy before, but he's a natural). Not many actors could manage a romantic conversation while lying in a dumpster, or melting down at a wedding reception - but Ryan shines every step of the way.

His band is made up of Kenny Bass, who plays the boisterous Sammy perfectly - Kenny is a very good singer and a hoot in his role as wingman and Romeo in his own right (the show is worth seeing just for a look at whatever-it-is that Kenny has on his head - I think it's a wig, but it might be an animal of some kind) - and Shane Gue as the flamboyant George. Shane is so funny in this part that he very nearly steals numerous scenes - in fact, as my pal Amy pointed out, it's a tribute to Shane's skill as an actor that he doesn't steal more scenes - a lesser actor would have stolen shamelessly, but Shane knows just when to scale it back - a very, very funny and talented performance, and he's also a tremendous singer.

The waitress / love interest is played by Michelle Goodson-Burnett, and she has the challenging role of being the "good girl" among a stage full of big characters, but she really shines in the part. Her voice is sweet and her character is very appealing - excellent work!

Her waitress friend (and one of those boisterous characters) is played by Kerri Easter Stambaugh, as she has great fun as the over-the-top, man-crazy Holly - and she has a couple of great songs in there, too.

Playing the "bad guys" in the show are Michael Sidoti as Julie's sleazy fiancee, and Jessica Maier as Linda, Robbie's ex-girlfriend. They're both excellent singers and great performers, delighting in their badness and playing it big every step of the way.

Another scene-stealer is Jennifer Susan Leist, who plays "old" as Robbie's grandmother Rosie. It's not a huge part, but she gets the most out of it and is hilarious.

Throw in a great band, led by my pal Mark Smith, and a fantastic supporting cast, and you have a great show!

I wasn't sure what to expect - I had never seen the musical before, and I've never seen the movie, either - but I had a lot of fun, heard some terrific songs and laughed a heck of a lot. What more could you ask?

Kudos to the entire production team, cast and crew on another outstanding show for Huntington Outdoor Theatre!

You just have three more chances to see the show - next Friday, Saturday and Sunday at Huntington's Ritter Park Amphitheatre. Don't miss it!