There are few times in life you will be faced with neon fishnets, a toilet block on wheels and a whole lot of mullets together on one stage.
Inverness Musical Theatre’s production of The Wedding Singer is one of them.
As soon as the curtain went up, the whole of Eden Court was transported back to the ’80s.
We found ourselves immediately in a wedding scene with brightly coloured bridesmaids dresses and huge puffy sleeves galore, the cast already performing an intricate dance number.
Hair was permed, crimped and sprayed to the high heavens, and questionable wigs were excusable only because of the setting.
What followed was a performance full of energy, delight and, ultimately, of talent.
Leading roles to the for The Wedding Singer at Eden Court
The Wedding Singer musical follows the same storyline as the 1998 rom-com starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore in the leading roles of Robbie Hart and Julia Sullivan.
These are big shoes to fill. Enter Matthias Kremer and Natalie Sutherland.
The former soars in his role as the heartbroken wedding singer, delivering both comedy and raw emotion. We can all relate to him sitting on his bed – in his underwear – singing Somebody Kill Me, though his vocals are that we could only achieve in our imaginations.
The latter is sensational in the role of Julia, playing the girl next door who you can’t help but love. Her vocals are effortless, her comic timing admirable and her smile infectious.
Their chemistry grows throughout the show and you find yourself in the audience rooting for them both as if they are your good friends. When the two come together to duet the likes of If I Told You and Grow Old With You, their harmonies intertwine perfectly.
Not your average choreography from Inverness Musical Theatre
With a large ensemble, choreographing The Wedding Singer couldn’t have been an easy feat, but Alan Banner and Dianne MacAskill did an incredible job.
Even in group numbers, everyone was in sync and there were always a number of things to feast your eyes upon on stage. This wasn’t your average local show with step-clicks and box-steps, this was serious dancing with technique and tricks to spare.
Saturday Night in the City and It’s Your Wedding Day were clear standouts that lit up and filled the whole theatre.
The same goes for the staging, with director Steph Smart making sure every inch of the stage was used and that no one ever blended into the background.
There wasn’t one person in The Wedding Singer who wasn’t showcased and celebrated, and that isn’t something that can be said for all the shows I’ve seen.
Wardrobe manager Dawn Murray made sure everyone more than looked the part, with so many costume changes I had lost count halfway through the first act.
There was everything from Abba costumes to tutus and, of course, wedding dresses. I hate to think just how many suits they had to get their hands on.
The sets rivaled those that can be seen on West End changes, with scenes moving effortlessly from a packed wedding to a pub and from a Wall Street Office to a toilet block.
Stellar performances as The Wedding Singer thrills Eden Court audience
Often at Julia’s side is Ruth Foster in the role of Holly, her bubbly cousin. Ruth had the audience in awe at her dancing abilities, even taking to the pole in Saturday Night in the City. Right in Front of Your Eyes is a vocal treat and shows a more vulnerable side to the character.
Robbie’s band members Sammy, played by Matt Tyrer, and George, played by Zoe Kinnear McIntyre were well-cast onstage chums, with Zoe’s vocals some of the best in the show.
Every story needs a baddie, or in this case a cheating fiance. David Saunders’s portrayal of Glen Guglia is the perfect kind of character you love to hate.
Sian Noble only appears as Linda in two scenes, and yet her performance is one of the most memorable. Her rock-style vocals are different to anything else in the musical, even when in some rather compromising positions, and her characterisation is wonderful.
It would be wrong not to mention Caroline Macpherson as Rosie, Robbie’s oversharing and rapping granny. She had the audience in stitches on multiple occasions, especially when she had a rather choice nickname for her grandson’s ex-fiance.
Standing ovation was well deserved for Inverness Musical Theatre
There were a couple of hiccups like sound issues, lighting delays and a dropped mic pack, but all were expertly handled and forgotten as soon as the next line came.
Slight glimpses of first night nerves that were visible in the first few numbers had thoroughly melted away by the second half, with each number seeming bigger and better than the one before it as the company really found their groove.
It wasn’t surprising that the entire audience was on their feet in a standing ovation as Inverness Musical Theatre took its final bow last night.
The Wedding Singer could have fooled me if it masqueraded as a large-scale professional production, but what really added to the magic was the joy, fun and sense of community you can only find in the best local theatre.
The Wedding Singer is at Eden Court until Saturday April 1. For more information and tickets, visit eden-court.co.uk.
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