The 5th Avenue Theatre Announces The Wedding Singer Holds Seattle World Premiere
Performances: January 31 – February 19, 2006
Opening/Press Night: February 8, 2006 7:30 p.m.
Broadway Opening: April 2006
SEATTLE — The 5th Avenue Theatre is thrilled to announce that the new musical THE WEDDING SINGER will hold its pre-Broadway world premiere in Seattle and join The 5th Avenue's 2005-2006 subscription season. THE WEDDING SINGER replaces BUDDY: THE BUDDY HOLLY STORY. THE WEDDING SINGER is from the producers of HAIRSPRAY, led by Margo Lion, New Line Cinema and The 5th Avenue Theatre. Additional producers include: Douglas Meyer, James D. Stern, Rick Steiner, Jujamcyn Theatres, Roy Furman, and Dr. Lawrence Horowitz. From Seattle, THE WEDDING SINGER will move directly to Broadway and open in April 2006 at a Jujamcyn Theatre. Broadway previews will begin in March 2006. At present, tickets to THE WEDDING SINGER are only available through subscription.
Lead producer Margo Lion says, "I am thrilled to be returning to Seattle with a new Broadway show. Our experience with HAIRSPRAY convinced me that there is no better venue to get it right than The 5th Avenue Theatre. The audience is smart, sophisticated and ready to go on an adventure. The theatre is gorgeous; David Armstrong, Marilyn Sheldon and the entire 5th Avenue staff are everything a producer could wish for to share the journey to the Great White Way."
David Armstrong, producing artistic director of The 5th Avenue Theatre continues, "Our experience with HAIRSPRAY was so successful and rewarding that, even though we had just announced our new season, we knew this was an opportunity we had to seriously consider. We were intrigued just by the idea, but after reading the hilarious script and hearing the terrific new score, Marilynn Sheldon and I were convinced that The 5th Avenue needed to be involved in this exciting project. I am especially proud that this show will be the third show in four years that The 5th Avenue will send to Broadway. Once again our Seattle audience will have the chance to see the original Broadway cast of a major new musical before anyone else in the world."
THE WEDDING SINGER is based upon the New Line Cinema film, which opened in 1998 and has grossed over $120 million worldwide. For this new musical, the music is by Matthew Sklar, book by Tim Herlihy and Chad Beguelin, and lyrics by Chad Beguelin. The story is set in 1985 and rock-star wannabe Robbie Hart is picking up gigs as a wedding singer while he waits for his big break. Gettin' down with his collar up, this crooner is the life of the party. But when his own fiancÈ dumps him, the bitter and broken entertainer becomes a wedding planner's worst nightmare. It's only when he meets a sweet-tempered waitress named Julia that his heart begins to mend. There's just one problem: Julia is engaged to another man. And unless Robbie can pull off the performance of the decade, the girl of his dreams will be gone forever. Paying loving homage to the pop songs of the 1980s, The Wedding Singer features a sparkling new score.
Tim Herlihy wrote the screenplay for the film The Wedding Singer and also made a cameo appearance in the film as a bartender. A former head writer for "Saturday Night Live," he also penned the screenplays for Mr. Deeds, Little Nicky, Big Daddy, The Waterboy, Happy Gilmore and Billy Madison. He was executive producer of the film Anger Management and serves in the same capacity for the upcoming feature The Longest Yard.
Chad Beguelin is a recipient of The Edward Kleban Award for Outstanding Lyric Writing, The Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award, and was selected as one of Variety's "50 Creatives to Watch." Chad wrote the book and lyrics for The Rhythm Club (Helen Hayes Nomination), and Wicked City. He completed a yearlong screenwriting deal with Walt Disney Pictures and has a project in development at Paramount Studios. He is currently writing the stage musical Get Shorty for MGM and Clear Channel Entertainment.
Matthew Sklar is currently writing the musical Get Shorty. Other original works include The Rhythm Club, Wicked City,and several projects for Disney, which are currently running in destinations worldwide. He has worked extensively as a pianist and conductor for many Broadway musicals including Nine, Les Miserables, Titanic, Caroline or Change, Miss Saigon and 42nd Street. Matthew is a recipient of the Gilman & Gonzalez-Falla Musical Theatre Award and the Jonathan Larson Performing Arts Foundation Award.
At present, tickets to THE WEDDING SINGER are only available through subscription. Package prices range from as little as $68 (4 shows, previews) to $354 (6 shows, weekend). For season ticket information, call Ticketmaster at 206-621-PLAY, stop by The 5th Avenue Theatre Box Office at 1308 5th Avenue in downtown Seattle, or visit www.5thavenuetheatre.org.
The 5th Avenue Theatre (Producer). For more than 75 years this beautiful historic theatre has served as Seattle's premiere showplace. The 2005-2006 Season marks the 25th anniversary of The 5th Avenue Theatre Association. In 1989 the non-profit 5th Avenue Theatre Association established its own resident musical theater company and began producing as well as continuing to present top-quality live musical theater for the cultural enrichment of the Northwest community. The 5th Avenue Theatre maintains a subscription audience of 24,000 and an annual attendance of more than 300,000. Under the guidance of Producing Artistic Director David Armstrong and Managing Director Marilynn Sheldon the theatre continues to preserve and revitalize the great musicals of the past, while fostering the development and production of new musical theater works. Significant productions include the world premiere of the Tony Award wining musical Hairspray, as well as acclaimed revivals of Dreamgirls starring Frenchie Davis, A Little Night Music starring Haley Mills and Claire Bloom, Man of La Mancha starring John Cullum, Anything Goes starring Bronson Pinchot and Dee Hoty, Gypsy starring Judy Kaye, and the original productions of Yankee Doodle Dandy, Jekyll &Hyde, Hot Shoe Shuffle and Annie Warbucks. In August 2005, by special arrangement with Stewart F. Lane and Bonnie Comley, The 5th will produce the new musical comedy Princesses. In January 2006, The 5th Avenue Theatre, together with the producers of Hairspray led by Margo Lion and New Line Cinema, will produce the new musical The Wedding Singer. Visit www.5thavenuetheatre.org.
Please contact Jennifer Rice, Public Relations Manager, at 206-625-1418 with questions or to schedule individual interviews. Photos available upon request.
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