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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Friday, July 10, 2009

'The Wedding Singer' embraces the mullet era


By Ashlee Duenas
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Garett Taketa, left, plays Sammy, Justin-Patrick Hashimoto is George, and Thomas McCurdy, right, plays wedding singer Robbie Hart. Diamond Head Theatre's musical stage version of the Adam Sandler movie embraces the 1980s in its look and in its original score.

BRAD GODA | Diamond Head Theatre

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'THE WEDDING SINGER'

Diamond Head Theatre

Through July 26

8 p.m. Thursdays and Fridays; 3 and 8 p.m. Saturdays; 4 p.m. Sundays

$12-$42

733-0277

www.diamondheadtheatre.com

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Robbie Hart, the Jersey boy wedding reception sensation, has arrived in Honolulu and is looking for love.

You may know him better as "The Wedding Singer," one of Adam Sandler's most memorable roles, complete with a rocking '80s mullet.

It's Diamond Head Theatre's season finale, opening tonight and running through July 26.

A quick reminder of the plot: It follows Robbie's journey to find love after being left at the altar. While he mourns, he continues his job as a wedding singer. Eventually, he finds the love he's looking for in a reception waitress (played in this production by Katie Beth Hicks), but that's just where it starts to get interesting.

If you've seen the movie — and it seems like everyone has — then you get the gist of the production, but this musical has an original score, except for one song, and a few changes have been made to adapt the movie to fit the stage.

"It's different. It's fun," Hicks said. "It's very '80s. It's like being immersed in a culture I've never been in."

Thomas McCurdy,who plays Robbie, also talked about the culture shift.

"We get the chance to rock out and wear some of the coolest vintage clothing on stage,"McCurdy said. "The dance numbers are so high energy, it's like the ensemble is doing a full aerobic workout every time."

Artistic director John Rampage chose "The Wedding Singer" as the final production of the season, with Scott White as the director and choreographer.

"For the summer show, we try to offer something that will appeal to an audience beyond that of regular theater-goers," Rampage said. "We like to do something very light-hearted. Something to attract people who don't usually go to the theater."