See the Wedding Singer on Stage

January 30, 2015

By Aryana Nazem and Aimee Comanici

Staff Writers    

Lights, camera, action! The 2015 Jamesville-DeWitt High School musical stars Miles Chandler as Robbie Hart as “the Wedding Singer.” The musical will happen on Feb. 5, 6, and 7 which is Thursday through Saturday. Tickets cost $12 and are sold online 24/7 until the shows begin at www.jdmusic.ticketleap.com . Tickets will also be sold during all lunch periods starting Jan. 28. Any tickets that are still available will be sold at the door of each performance.

     “The Wedding Singer,” is based on the movie starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore. The play follows a wedding singer named Robbie Hart and his love life. Robbie is engaged to his sweetheart Linda and is very good friends with a waitress named Julia who is engaged to Glen. The problem occurs when Linda leaves Robbie brokenhearted, but the person who lifts his spirits up is Julia. Although Robbie hasn’t realized it yet, he’s in love with Julia and that’s where the relationships get complicated.

    “I love, love, love that now that the dancing process has come to a close we get to add the acting element of it,” said sophomore Kristina Bell explaining the how facial expressions need to be added with the dance moves to tell a story since everyone has mastered the steps. Performers are also excited about the new and challenging dance routine in the play. Sophomore Melissa Gao said that the dances are “complex” but fun because of the fast-paced tempo. Gao and Bell both liked the idea of bouncing ideas off of all the cast to see if they have any tips with the choreography or just becoming better performers.To learn all these difficult parts, rehearsals don’t cut it, so practicing the dances on your own time is a must and the performers definitely take that seriously. Chandler says that he is very “dedicated” to the musical and his hard work will be worth it because the show will be great. Sophomore Eva Dougherty said that the show is already great because being involved in the play and meeting new people is the best part. 

    Everyone involved in the musical has been very busy lately. Most performers in the musical started rehearsals right after Thanksgiving break. The pit  band started practicing the music in December and stage crew begins on Jan. 22. The stage managers, senior Josh Gutmaker and senior Hannah Gibson, have been attending rehearsals since late December to help make sure rehearsals run smoothly and nothing is left out of the show. Now there are rehearsals everyday after school for three  to four hours. 

Last year the musical was “Little Shop of Horror”. That musical required fewer parts and not many big dance and choral songs. One reason this musical was chosen was because it created an opportunity to have a big cast and involve more students. “We wanted a show that was up tempo and funny with lots of guy and girl parts,” said Beth Quackenbush, the chorus teacher and the vocal music director. The musicals of the past few years have involved a small amount of students and the production staff felt they should open it up to more people. This year there are about a total of 120 students and adults involved in making this musical happen.

Come see the “Wedding Singer” sing for you! 

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