|
by Pamela Rosen
American High School in Fremont is pulling out all the stops
with their high-energy production of The
Wedding Singer, a charming, edgy love letter to the raucous days of the mid
1980s. Based on the Adam Sandler movie of
the same name (and carrying over some of the same songs), the musical brings
from the movie some of the same puerile humor for which Sandler is known, but
it also brings something unexpected—a lot of heart.
Lelan Fernando, left Lance Fernando, center, and Shahil Patel, right,
rock out in The Wedding Singer at American High School
Photo credit:Morgan Grace Gutierrez
The Wedding Singer
tells the story of Robbie Hart (wildly talented junior Lance Fernando), a
wedding singer in a band with his two friends, Sammy and George. Robbie’s band
is making a good living—and Robbie, too, is about to marry his own girlfriend,
Linda (Isabelle Chua, who gives a gritty, eyebrow-raising performance).
Everything quickly falls apart for Robby when Linda leaves him at the
altar. Robby can’t bear to sing at
weddings anymore, but a sweet waitress at the reception hall, Julia, (newcomer
Julia Lyell) reaches out to him in friendship—and finds herself falling for
Robby. But Julia already has a boyfriend
in the form of Wall Street Yuppie Glen Gulia, and wealthy, cellphone-toting
Glen promises all the material comforts the ‘80s produced—and Robby can’t
compete.
Lance Fernando is a likeable Robbie, and his performance is
top-notch. He’s polished, confident, and fearless onstage, and he plays the
acoustic guitar well. If he doesn’t quite reach the comic depths of despair
required to land him, literally, in the dumpster after breaking down at a
wedding performance, that is a quibble. He carries the show quite ably. Lance’s older brother, AHS graduate Lelan
Fernando, has a fine comic timing as Sammy, and Shahil Patel is hilarious as
Boy George wannabe George. As a trio, the audience can’t get enough of
them. As romantic waitress Julia (a role
originated by Drew Barrymore), junior Julia Lyell does a good job, and manages
to hold her own against the considerable combined theatrical power of the
Fernando Brothers and Patel. That’s not an easy thing to do.
Other remarkable performances include Christina Chan as hip
grandma Rosie, who can’t separate public from private information and can cause
the whole audience to squirm in unison. Firebrand Chelsea Torrado makes jaws
drop as Julia’s promiscuous friend Holly, who makes a play for Robbie in the
second act, and Matthew Ho, in his first theatrical experience, is
appropriately evil as aggressive, self-centered villain Glen Guglia.
The entire ensemble is surprisingly strong. The ensemble
works together like a machine, all of them spewing energy, well-developed
characterizations, dancing precision to spectacular choreography and difficult
harmonies. Even in the few points when the show runs out of steam, the
talented, disciplined cast easily overcomes these momentary script defects and
comes back roaring.
Director Troy River was meticulous in his recreation of 1985
for the stage. Starting with a versatile, basic set of black panels
cross-hatched with ‘80s teal and blue squares, the set moves us from a New
Jersey reception hall to Robbie’s basement bedroom (the detail work in the
bedroom is amazing) to various outdoor locations and even to Las Vegas. Every
piece is classic ‘80s, down to the blanket on the bed and the posters on the
walls.
River was also exceptionally brave in allowing this
production to go up unedited for language, drug references, and sexual
content. While many high schools feel
they must clean up anything that might be controversial, River left the script
of The Wedding Singer unaltered.
While it may be jarring to see young teens spouting the F-word or strutting in
skimpy costumes (at least onstage—it’s no worse than anything any of them would
hear or say on a daily basis in real life) leaving it in kept the spirit of the
original, and was necessary. I applaud the choice.
Adam Sandler intended The
Wedding Singer to be a love letter to the decade in which he came of age,
the 1980s, and the stage version retained that giddy style. The star-crossed,
alcohol- and drug-fueled youth portrayed in the show would, today, be the age
of the parents of the kids in this production.
(Perhaps those parents are smirking quietly to themselves.) As such,
many of the ‘80s references to jelly beans, New Coke, “blow,” laughing at the
idea that someone would ever pay $3 for a cup of coffee, and 20-pound cellphone
batteries are completely lost on the young audience.
If you weren’t born yet during the ‘80s, do a little reading
this week and get to American High School in Fremont to see it. If you were
there and remember (even if it’s a little foggy) you’ll have the time of your
life.
The Wedding Singer
continues this weekend at American High School’ s Theatre 70 April 25-27 at
7:00 p.m. Tickets are $12 general admission, $10 students and seniors. Call (510)
796-1776 ext. 57702 for reservations and more information.
