"Wedding Singer" pays homage to 80s style, music

It’s part romantic comedy, part Broadway musical and part MTV marathon, and on July 5 the Bigfork Summer Playhouse’s production of “The Wedding Singer” will open at the Bigfork Center for the Performing Arts.

Based on the hit motion picture by the same name, the show follows the story of Robbie Hart, an unlucky-in-love musician who lives in his grandmother’s basement and sings in a wedding band. His dreams of finding the right girl and settling down are shattered when his fiancée leaves him at the altar.

Enter Julia Sullivan, a waitress at one of the reception halls where Robbie and his band have been booked for the night. It doesn’t take long for sparks to fly, and Robbie is determined to do whatever it takes to win Julia’s heart.

“The play stays very close to the movie, but it goes a step further with a very cool soundtrack,” said director Landon Shaw. “I think we give the characters a little more depth.”

From the brightly colored costumes to the synthesized music, the play definitely plays homage to its decade, Shaw said.

“If you have experienced the 80s, it is just going to hit you on so many levels,” he said. “You will definitely laugh, and maybe even cry at some moments.”

Unlike some movie-based musicals, this show sticks out as one that “really works,” Shaw said.

“Sometimes when you bring a movie production to a musical stage, it can end up being kind of cheesy, but this one isn’t as much,” he said.

The live theatre version preserves a good deal of the film’s dialogue, and the song line-up includes the classic Adam Sandler tunes from the movie version.

“It’s just really cool music,” said music director Laurie Lewis. “It’s a good representation of the style from that time period.”

In addition to favorites from the movie such as “Somebody Kill Me” and “Grow Old With You,” the play includes several large group and ensemble numbers.

“There is a lot of new stuff,” Lewis said. “It’s just a high-energy show.”

That energy translates particularly well in the choreography, Shaw said.

“There is choreography like you wouldn’t believe,” he said. “It’s almost like aerobics.”

Shaw, who is originally from Chicago, is in his second season with the Bigfork Summer Playhouse. Last year, he directed “All Shook Up.”

He said that unlike many of the companies he has worked with in places like Chicago and New York, the Bigfork Summer Playhouse provides an atmosphere of collaboration and support.

“Bigfork has the patent on knowing how to put together an amazing season and an amazing company,” he said. “If given the opportunity, I’d spend the rest of my career here, truly.”