REVIEW: The Wedding Singer at the Market Tavern in Melton

Cast members of The Wedding Singer at the Market Tavern in Melton

Following the success of last year’s immense ‘Jesus Christ Superstar’, burgeoning Melton director Jak Beesley joined forces with Sky Theatre once more on this feel-good, foot-tapping musical based on the 1998 hit movie.

With Melton Theatre awaiting reopening, producer Suzanne Forrester thought outside the box with magnificent results.

The Market Tavern – so long the bridesmaid of Melton theatrical venues - shone as a meticulously designed faux-wedding venue, with audience members cordially invited to engage in formal dress, finger food, and dancing atop the tables to replicate the decadent atmosphere of the typical wedding reception.

Despite the distractions of air guitars and balloons aplenty, theatre remained at the heart of the action – with a centrepiece thrust stage transforming from dancefloor to restaurant to back-alley over three hours of well-paced, upbeat entertainment.

Discounting the superficial, the real stars were the dedicated, passionate, and immensely talented cast.

From the energetic, catchy sequences of opener ‘It’s your Wedding Day’ to the glam-rock evoking ‘Casualty of Love’ – vibrant choreography from Jess Walker and musical direction from Gareth Wynne was expertly executed.

Performing on a stage infamously affording (literally) no room to hide at the back, everyone from gracious leads to Elvis-impersonating cameos possessed stamina and smiles by the bucketload, hitting every beat perfectly.

Standout performances came from Kurtis Scotland as George, the archetypal, if resistant third member of wedding band ‘Simply Red’, and Kate Felts as the crass and filterless Rosie.

The duo combined with side-splittingly hilarious effect on the rap piece ‘Move that Thang’, Scotland’s sarcastic wit bleeding into Felt’s impeccable timing before a startling acrobatic display from Ellie Hayton and Josh Walker.

Other praise is reserved for Caitlin Lawrence’s gorgeously ornamented vocal and sweet depiction of hopeless romantic Julia, Conor Izzard’s Tony Hadley-esque Robbie, and Jess Hollis’ unhinged Linda – although their exuberance, characterisation and ability was more than matched by the 19-strong cast.

Another solid showing from Sky, and possibly the only time their audience will be up onstage post-production for a song and dance with the cast and crew.

A memorable afterparty befitting of a remarkable production - just don’t expect me to stop singing ‘oh when it’s your wedding day’ anytime soon…