May 1, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Cal Poly Arts
TICKET SALES:  805-756-2787

Go Back to the '80s with "The Wedding Singer" -- The Musical

SAN LUIS OBISPO – The multi Tony-nominated Broadway musical comedy, The Wedding Singer, is called “One big party! A good-natured, high-energy musical!” by Newsday.  People magazine calls it “Awesome!  People haven’t had this much fun since Mamma Mia!”

Based on upon the 1998 hit film by the same name that starred Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore, Cal Poly Arts brings THE WEDDING SINGER musical to town for two nights only:  Tuesday and Wednesday, May 27 & 28, 2008 at 8 p.m. at the Performing Arts Center.

It’s the 80’s:  junk bonds, MTV, “Dynasty,” Duran Duran, and leg warmers.   A time when hair was big, collars were up, and greed was good.

Robbie Hart lives in his grandmother’s basement in New Jersey and sings in a wedding band. His dreams of being a singer/songwriter are long gone, replaced now by a burning desire to find the right girl and settle down.

When his fiancée leaves him standing at the altar, Robbie becomes a wedding planner’s worst nightmare, taking out his bitterness on stage until his eye is caught and his head and heart are turned to a new girl who, unfortunately, is already engaged to a big Wall Street broker.

Is there any chance for the mullet-sporting wedding singer to win the day and the girl?

The Wedding Singer has a romantic, funny, and charming book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy, the screenwriter of  The Wedding Singer movie and a former “Saturday Night Live” head writer.

The tuneful, engaging original score is by two of Broadway’s award-winning talents, composer Matthew Sklar and lyricist Chad Beguelin.  The original Broadway direction by Tony Award-winner John Rando is recreated for the tour by Paul Stancato.  The original Broadway choreography by Tony Award-winner Rob Ashford is recreated by Chris Bailey.

With all that talent, it’s no wonder the Wall Street Journal’s theatre critic called The Wedding Singer musical  “A huge hit! An ingenious and amusing musical with a blue-chip pedigree. Crammed full of ‘80s pop-culture references…The show delivers what it promises.”

General public tickets for the performance range from $36 - $48, with student discounts available on all seats and may be purchased at the Performing Arts Ticket Office, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturdays. 

To order by phone, call 805/756-2787; to order by fax: 805/756-6088. 

Order on-line at www.calpolyarts.org.

Sponsored by Drs. Edwin and Janet Hayashi, Ray and Coleen Mattison, Enterprise Rent-A-Car, La Cuesta Inn, and New Times.

For more information on all Cal Poly Arts events, including audio and video samples, please visit www.calpolyarts.org.

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