Steve On Broadway (SOB)

Calling It Quits: The Wedding Singer Set To Close At Year’s End

Calling It Quits: The Wedding Singer Set To Close At Year’s End

After weeks, if not months, of conjecture regarding the future of The Wedding Singer -- the Tony-nominated musical based on the motion picture starring Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore -- the tuner is now set to close on December 31 after its 284th regular performance since opening last April. Its departure from the Great White Way could pave the way, as has been speculated, for the Broadway debut of John Kander and Fred Ebb’s Curtains.

Although its box office has been back up in the 70+ percent range over the past couple weeks, that improvement coupled with star Laura Benanti’s recent return haven’t been enough to help pull the show out of the bottom five shows in overall capacity. Still, The Producers and Rent continue to attract even lower capacities than The Wedding Singer.

Personally, I enjoyed this funny, engaging production and found it to be much more clever and heartwarming than most critics (I mean, did any of them listen to the lyrics???). Could it be that most critics didn’t enjoy the 1980s quite as much as I did?

I look forward to seeing more of Stephen Lynch (who snagged a Tony nod for his first Broadway outing) and Kevin Cahoon (who’s always completely immersed in his diverse roles), as well as hearing more from the underrated songwriting team of Matthew Sklar and Chad Beguelin. Fortunately, the latter duo is already at work on their next project.

For those who can’t make the journey to New York before New Year’s Eve, you’ll still have your opportunity to see The Wedding Singer, which promises to tour nationally starting next year. But if you’re like me and you prefer to see the real McCoy, make tracks now to the Al Hirshfeld Theatre.

This is Steve On Broadway (SOB).

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Related Stories:
Does Holiday Bounce Provide Second Honeymoon for Wedding Singer? (September 5, 2006)
High Fidelity Tunes In To High Capacity Imperial (August 24, 2006)
Which Broadway Musical Will Depart Next? (August 21, 2006)
Benanti's Trial Separation from The Wedding Singer (August 14, 2006)
TheaterMania.com Poll Gives The Wedding Singer Edge Among Tony Production Numbers (June 21, 2006)
The Wedding Singer Pumps Up the Box Office Volume (June 13, 2006)
The Wedding Singer Original Cast Recording Now Available (June 6, 2006)
The Tonys: If I Could Vote...for Best Musical (May 31, 2006)
The Wedding Singer (The SOB Review) - Al Hirschfeld Theatre, New York, NY (May 8, 2006)
Critics Not Completely Engaged by The Wedding Singer (April 28, 2006)
The Wedding Singer's Secret Weapon: Kevin Cahoon? (April 27, 2006)
The Wedding Singer Opens on Broadway Tonight (April 27, 2006)

Labels: Broadway, Closing Notices, Curtains, Film, Musical, The Wedding Singer

posted by Steve On Broadway (SOB) @ Thursday, October 26, 2006