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    Theater Review

    '80s nostalgia isn't enough to save this Dallas theater's mess of a musical

    Lindsey Wilson
    Oct 7, 2016 | 3:00 pm

    Nostalgia will only carry you so far. The Wedding Singer, that 1998 rom-com starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, reveled in gel-scrunched hair and Billy Idol references but also had a surprising amount of charm and quirk. The musical, which followed in 2006, tried to recapture both sides and only somewhat succeeded.

     

    Theatre Three's version is more shopworn, hiding behind Mylar streamers and horrendous wigs while desperately moonwalking for applause. It's an oddly cast production, with little chemistry between any of its sweethearts. Although there are some commendable performances, they often come from actors who seem to be existing in a different show altogether.

     

    The heart should be Robbie the wedding singer (Cameron Cobb) and Julia the waitress (Katie Moyes Williams), who meet while working a gig in 1980s New Jersey on the eve of Robbie's wedding. A magic chord plays when they shake hands, but it's just Robbie's bandmate noodling with an instrument. The next day Robbie is left at the altar, and soon after Julia gets engaged to her greed-is-good boyfriend. Yet they can't stop mooning over each other, much as they deny it to family and friends.

     

    While Williams looks sweet as pie and sings with equal sugar, there's nary a hint of humor in her portrayal. Cobb, sweaty from the get-go and consistently out of breath, struggles to make Robbie more than an overgrown man-child. We yearn to see the couple delight in their mutual weirdness, complimenting each other's eccentricities and drawn together despite the temptations that continually get thrown their way. Instead they might as well be, as they joke at one point to a department store saleswoman, brother and sister.

     

    Jacob Lewis is another contender for sibling, as his Glen Guglia is neither smarmy nor swoon-worthy enough to make a real impression. What attracted Julia to him in the first place? It certainly wasn't his singing.

     

    It's Julia's cousin Holly and Robbie's ex-fiance Linda, along with bandmates Sammy and George, who end up stealing the show. Snapping her gum with tough-girl swagger and looking like a slutty Teen Witch, Nikki Cloer is hoot as Holly. She used to date Sammy (Gregory Lush), and can't seem to quite escape his hypnotizing mullet which to Lush's great credit is not his only defining trait.

     

    Samantha Padilla gets two showstopping songs as Linda, first when she's giving Robbie the kiss-off in her Madonna-inspired wedding dress and again when she's attempting to seduce him with hair metal. Both times she's a riot. Alex Heika is glammed up and prettier than anyone onstage as George, but his languid delivery of each punchline shows how painfully off the rest of the production's pacing really is.

     

    An ensemble of seven further demonstrates the varying levels of commitment. While some are developing interesting side characters with each scene, others sit, dead-eyed and blank-faced, letting their wigs do the emoting for them. Even while performing Kelly McCain's often-out-of-control choreography, there's not much going on upstairs.

     

    Bruce R. Coleman is the perpetrator behind those hair pieces, as well as the director leading this motley crew. He might be content enough to ride the '80s nostalgia wave in lieu of a cohesive show, but we shouldn't.

     

    ---

     

     Theatre Three's production of The Wedding Singer runs through October 16.

    The cast of The Wedding Singer.

    Theatre Three presents The Wedding Singer
      
    Photo by Michael McCray, SoloShoe Communications, LLC
    The cast of The Wedding Singer.
    theaterreviews
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    Theater Critic Picks

    From Wilde to 'The Wiz': 8 unmissable July shows in North Texas

    Lindsey Wilson
    Jul 2, 2025 | 10:18 am
    Second Thought Theatre presents Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Photo courtesy of Second Thought Theatre
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    Your instinct during the summer might be to hide out in an air-conditioned theater, and there are plenty of options to do exactly this month. But we would be remiss if we didn't remind you about a North Texas tradition: Shakespeare under the stars. Pack a picnic, bring a blanket, and watch The Bard (and this year Oscar Wilde) at Samuell-Grand Amphitheater with Shakespeare Dallas. Both shows opened in June, but continue through most of July.

    Here are eight shows local shows, listed in order of start date:

    The Importance of Being Earnest
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 18
    This witty romantic comedy by Oscar Wilde, first performed in 1895, tells the story of two men who assume the identities of a fictional man named Ernest. This leads them to each fall in love and encounter an assortment of comical problems along the way.

    Othello
    Shakespeare Dallas, through July 20
    In this Shakespearean tragedy, Othello is at the peak of his powers: not only Venice's greatest general but also husband to the noble and beautiful Desdemona. But he does not know that in passing over his servant Iago for promotion, he has created a deadly but brilliant enemy. This production is set in an alternate-history version of the 1990s in which the Venetian empire is the predominant political, military, and economic power.

    King Kirby
    American Chronicle Theatre Co., July 4-12
    This is the story of Jack "King of Comics" Kirby. The play follows him from the tough Jewish ghetto of Hell’s Kitchen in New York, to the harrowing battlefields of Normandy during WWII, to tense Senate hearings in the 1950s. Watch as he creates some of the most iconic heroes in pop culture: Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, the X-Men, Iron Man, the New Gods, and countless others.

    Your Wife’s Dead Body
    Second Thought Theatre, July 9-26
    Written by Second Though Theatre artistic associate Jenny Ledel in her playwriting premiere, the play takes place in the near future, as Jane takes advantage of a new AI technology that would extend her lifespan ... even if she's not around to see it for herself.

    The Wiz
    Broadway at the Bass, July 15-20
    This all-new production of the groundbreaking, Tony Award-winning musical returns “home” in an all-new pre-Broadway tour, the first one in 40 years. The groundbreaking twist on The Wizard of Oz changed the face of Broadway, from its iconic score packed with soul, gospel, rock, and finger-snapping '70s funk to its stirring tale of Dorothy’s journey to find her place in a contemporary world.

    Noises Off
    Mainstage Irving-Las Colinas, July 18-August 2
    This play-within-a-play captures a touring theater troupe’s production of Nothing On in three stages: dress rehearsal, the opening performance, and a performance towards the end of a debilitating run. Playwright Michael Frayn gives a window into the inner workings of theatre behind-the-scenes, progressing from flubbed lines and missed cues in the dress rehearsal to mounting friction between cast members in the final performance.

    Everybody's Talking About Jamie
    Uptown Players, July 18-August 3
    Inspired by true events, this musical tells the inspiring story of Jamie New, a 16-year-old boy from Sheffield who dreams of becoming a drag queen. His loving mom showers him with endless support but it's not all rainbows for Jamie as his deadbeat dad and some ignorant school kids attempt to rain on his sensational aspirations.

    Shucked
    Broadway at the Bass, July 29-August 3
    This Tony Award-winning musical comedy features a book by Tony Award winner Robert Horn, a score by the Grammy Award-winning songwriting team of Brandy Clark and Shane McAnally, and direction by Tony Award winner Jack O’Brien. The corn-fed, corn-bred American musical is sure to satisfy an appetite for great musical theater.

    broadway at the bassmusicalsnational tourplayssecond thought theatreuptown playersshakespeare under starsshakespeare in the parktheater
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