It’s Been 20 Years. Is “The Wedding Singer” Ready for Another Spin on Broadway?

by Chris Peterson

A song popped up on my Spotify the other morning. No warning. No reason. Just algorithmic chaos doing what it does best.

“And it’s your wedding daaaaay…”

It’s been 20 years since The Wedding Singer arrived on Broadway, and I have to say, I really liked this show. I saw plenty of flaws in it, but I also thought it was far more charming than its relatively short run suggested.

The musical adaptation of the Adam Sandler and Drew Barrymore movie arrived at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre in 2006, starring Stephen Lynch as Robbie Hart and Laura Benanti as Julia Sullivan. It earned five Tony Award nominations, including Best Musical, but closed before completing a full year.

Since then, the show has become a reliable choice for regional theatres, community companies, colleges, and high schools. The reasons are easy to understand. It has a large ensemble, plenty of featured roles, colorful costumes, and big dance numbers.

Broadway has changed considerably since 2006. Audiences now regularly show up for musicals built around familiar films and recognizable pop culture. Back to the Future, Beetlejuice, Mrs. Doubtfire, Mean Girls, and The Notebook have all found audiences in recent years. The Wedding Singer already has the movie recognition that producers love, along with a stage version that has spent two decades building its own fan base.

A revival would also offer directors and designers plenty of room to rethink the material.

Most importantly, the show is fun. Broadway could use a musical that lets an audience laugh, enjoy a great score, and leave the theatre feeling better than when they entered.