By: Cole McMillian
A broadway adaptation of one of Adam Sandler’s classic movies, “The Wedding Singer,” made its way to the Potter Hall stage at Missouri Western. Cast and crew practiced for hours on end nearly every day for months leading up to the production to prepare.
The story follows Robbie Hart, played by Matt Ulmer, who is the lead of a wedding band and lives in his grandmother’s basement. Robbie is determined to settle down with the woman he loves, as he has seen so many others do at the weddings he performs at. But, when Robbie’s turn at the altar comes up, his bride-to-be leaves him there.
Robbie’s true love he pursues after his heartbreak, Julia Sullivan, was played by Kelsey Garber, said she prepared for the role with her own form of method acting.
“I generally approach my roles using a psychological method,” Garber said. “I create the backstory and establish the inner workings of my character’s mind, and then once I have a solid grasp of that, the physicality of the character usually comes naturally.”
Julia’s cousin and best friend in the musical, Holly, played by Raven Reed, said her own method for preparation is a little more straightforward for this role.
“I do some breathing exercises or listen to music, but for this show, since she (Holly) is fun and flirty, I just made sure to talk a lot in the dressing room and be my extroverted self,” Reed said.
“The Wedding Singer” has a much more comical and relaxed tone than some previous, more dramatic productions, such as MacBeth, and brings some healthy diversity to the theatre season. Robert Vardiman played Sammy, one of Robbie’s two bandmates, and expressed the fun he and his fellow cast members had with the production.
“The most fun part of the show was getting to do it with some really great friends. The other cast members are so awesome, and some of us have done shows together in the past. it’s so great that we get to do another one together,” Vardiman said.
Garber echoed Vardiman’s sentiments and added that the production also highlighted changes that are occurring within the School of Fine Arts off the stage.
“I really enjoyed working with a lot of wonderful and talented people! We also had a lot of new faces participating in this musical and I just love to see the growth of our theater department,” Garber said.
However, these large productions are not without their difficulties. Preparation for “The Wedding Singer” required nightly practices and the occasional complete rehearsal up until one week prior to finals. The cast and crew who were involved had to prioritize their time properly in order to assure they were dotting all of their “i’s.”
“The most challenging thing as always is the equal balance between work, school, and the show,” Vardiman said. “Finding enough time to do all of them is always a struggle.”
Sometimes understanding and “becoming” your character can be the more challenging undertaking in a production, even more so than balancing a full load in multiple arenas. Reed said at times taking on the role made her empathize with individuals who may be characterized similarly in their real lives.
“Having to play such a raw character who is sexualized and just thought of as a flirtatious blonde was the most challenging part of this production,” Reed said. “It was hard having that each night at rehearsals and learning what it’s like to be viewed in that way.”
Despite the challenges, the cast and crew seem very pleased with the outcome of the production and its reception. The five showings had a good turnout and the crowd enjoyed the final product. Garber said that everyone she spoke with after the show expressed how much they enjoyed it. Vardiman said the positive feedback has been uplifting.
“So far the crowds have been extremely responsive and they’re loving it,” Vardiman said. “I constantly get praise from audience members about the entire cast, and that’s so great because we love it and it’s nice to hear when we do well.”
After such warm receptions, it will be exciting to see what the next theatre season has in store.
