Los Angeles musical theater doesn’t get any more exciting, tuneful, or sensationally performed than the 100%-local revival of The Wedding Singer now bringing Colony Theatre audiences to their feet with its blend of music, comedy, unabashed romantic and 1980s nostalgia.

 Fans of the hit 1998 movie on which the 2006 Best Musical Tony nominee is based will recall the story of sweet-hearted wedding singer Robbie Hart (Blake Jenner), who after being dumped at the altar by his trashy rocker chick fiancée Linda (Natalie Holt MacDonald), begins to have feelings for girl-next-door waitress Julia Sullivan (Hannah Sedlacek).

There’s only one hitch.

Julia is engaged to hotshot young business exec Glen Guglia (Michael Deni), news which doesn’t sit well with Robbie, especially once he’s learned that Glen is a chronic philanderer with no plans to give up his cheating ways any time soon.

Supporting characters include Julia’s party-loving cousin Holly (Juliane Godfrey), Robby’s still vigorous grandma Rosie (Kay Cole), and his bandmates, cocky curly mullet-tressed Sammy (Colin Huerta) and gay-as-a-handbag-full-of-rainbows George (Chris Bey).

 Like the smash hit Adam Sandler original, The Wedding Singer (The Musical) takes its 1980s time frame very seriously, from the costumes and hairstyles sported by its characters to the multitude of ‘80s pop references in its Tony-nominated book (by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy) to the musical sounds of the ‘80s replicated in Matthew Sklar’s and Beguelin’s catchy, hook-blessed songs (also Tony-nominated).

 Beguelin’s lyrics range from straightforward (“So when it’s your wedding day and my music starts to play, I can guarantee that love will find you”) to unexpected (as when a sweet and heart-felt “Note From Grandma” ends with the advice that “when you’re sad, remember, that Linda is a skanky whore”) to downright deep (“I know not every marriage lasts when things go bad. I’ve seen the warning signs. I call them ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad’”).

Even better are Sklar’s melodies, many of them as instantly hummable as any you’ve heard in a Broadway show in the past couple of decades. Not only is the New Jersey native a master of the catchy hook; he also writes out-and-out gorgeous bridges and knows exactly when a key change will turn gorgeous to gorgeous-er.

Finally, those who like their songs a bit more on the rough side need not feel left out as Sklar has written some hard-edged rock numbers like “Casualty Of Love” with you in mind.

Despite plenty of small-scale, school, or community theater productions of The Wedding Singer since its big-stage, big-budget regional professional premiere in Long Beach back in 2011, this may well be the first time since then that L.A. audiences have gotten to see it staged not only full-sized but fabulously directed (by Michael Donovan), choreographed (by Michelle Elkin), and performed by as gifted a triple-threat cast as any musical theater lover could wish for.

Leading man Jenner may be best known for his TV star turns in Glee and What/If but he is also a consummate live theater performer, infusing Robbie with leading man looks, awkward charm, powerful pipes, and some mean footwork, and he shares potent, palpable romantic chemistry with captivating newcomer Sedlacek, whose girl-next-door appeal and exquisite vocals are well worth catching now because mark my words, New York will be beckoning.

 Broadway’s Godfrey is sassy, sardonic bff perfection as tell-it-like-it-is Holly, and bandmates don’t get any more colorful or endearing than Huerta’s brash and cuddly Sammy or Bey’s gleefully gay and utterly adorable George.

Local favorite MacDonald burns up the stage in her two scenes as “skanky whore” (Grandma’s words, not mine) Linda, Deni is as handsome as he is hissable as the lying, cheating, big-bucks earning Glen, and it’s almost worth the price of admission for the chance to see A Chorus Line Original Broadway Cast legend Cole prove that she can still sing and dance and act up a storm fifty years later.

Whitney Kathleen Vigil (a sizzler in her bouffant Racquel Welch wigs) and Mike Baker (a SNL-worthy Ronald Reagan impersonator and more) ace their roles as “older” adults.

Last but not least, Elkin not only choreographs production number after production number with precision and panache, she’s got a featured ensemble (dance captain Madison Aisanaye, Christopher Ho, Liv Kaplan, Samantha Lawrence-Mata, Kailyn Leilani, Veronica Carolina Leite, Armand Martin Jr., Honza Pelichovský, Michael Wells, and Stephen Wilson) who’ve got the dance chops to execute them with Broadway-caliber pizzazz.

 Music director Brent Crayon and a live five-piece band (instrumentals and vocals expertly mixed by sound designer Robert Arturo Ramirez) rock the Colony like nobody’s business, helping to make The Wedding Singer sound as good as it looks thanks to Mark Medelson’s stylish, ‘80s evoking, multi-locale set, Jenna Bergstraesser’s nostalgic neon-hued costumes, Leland Stephens’ big-big-haired wigs, John McElveney’s nostalgia-inducing props, and Justin Huen’s electrifying lighting.

Casting is by Donovan and Richie Ferris, both CSA. Lisa Dyson is Rosie standby. Coby Rogers and Morgan Marquez are swings.

Rogers is assistant director. Huen is technical director. Iliana Solorzano is production stage manager and Corey Near Ansari is assistant stage manager. Ken Werther is publicist.

I fell in love with The Wedding Singer at first listening a decade and a half ago, I’ve been head-over-heels ever since, and praise the gods of musical theater, the Colony Theatre revival gets it absolutely right.

Colony Theatre, 555 North Third Street, Burbank. Through June 29. Fridays at 8:00. Saturdays at 2;00 and 8:00. Sundays at 1:00 and 7:00.
www.colonytheatre.org

–Steven Stanley
June 8, 2025
Photos: Ashley Erikson

Visit www.theatreinla.com/nowplayingrs.php for a review roundup of what’s now playing in theaters around Los Angeles.

Tags: Chad Beguelin, Los Angeles Theater Review, Matthew Sklar, The Colony Theatre, Tim Herlihy