Please find details below on The Wedding Singer; the Jersey-rockin' musical production in the 2013/2014 Hart House Theatre Season.

Media Advisory / For Immediate Release: Thursday, December 5, 2013

Hart House Theatre presents
a musical straight from 1980s New Jersey

The Wedding Singer

Toronto, Ontario - Opening January 10, Hart House Theatre is proud to present a hilarious musical comedy based on one of the most popular movies of the 1990s - The Wedding Singer. Directed by Theatre Aquarius' Artistic Associate Luke Brown and featuring a cast of the city's finest emerging talent, this multi Tony Award nominated show is long overdue for a downtown Toronto production.

The Wedding Singer, the musical based on the popular film starring Adam Sandler, is the story of Robbie Hart, a wedding singer whose own luck in love leaves him desolate, blind to the perfect woman standing right in front of him. Chock full of salutes to '80s pop culture, The Wedding Singer transports us to the New Jersey shore to find true love in a sea of tulle, layered cakes and first dances.

Luke Brown heads up the team after recently receiving accolades for his unique staging of S�ance with Nicholas Wallace at Theatre Aquarius. Luke has also been affiliated with Neptune Theatre, the Charlottetown Festival and Talk is Free Theatre and is poised at the beginning of a fruitful directing career. Sitting on the piano bench and leading the charge as Musical Director is the very accomplished, two-time Dora Award Nominee, Anthony Bastianon. Anthony enjoys a variety of work as a musical director, composer, educator and pianist and has over 100 productions under his belt. Creating the sweet moves of the '80s and putting a spin on the first dance is choreographer Amanda Nagy - returing to Hart House Theatre after her stellar work on our 2012 production of Cabaret.

Creating the visual world of Mr. Brown's The Wedding Singer is design team Brandon Kleiman and Dominic Manca. Both of these designers have worked multiple times on our historic stage and bring a wealth of experience with them. Dominic is originally from Alberta, and since moving to Toronto he has worked maily with the French community at both the Th��tre fran�ais de Toronto and TFO. Brandon designs for both the stage and film and is a design assistant at the Stratford Shakespeare Festival. Outside of the festival, he has assisted Designers Michael Gianfrancesco, Sean Mulcahy, Douglas Paraschuk, David Boechler, Julie Fox, and Robert Brill for Toronto, Winnipeg, New York and Los Angeles. Greg Dougherty joins this team as the Video Designer who will be creating the backdrops projected on the screens shown in the preliminary renderings.

Early design rendering by Brandon Kleiman

The Wedding Singer

Music by Matthew Sklar

Lyrics by Chad Beguelin

Book by Chad Beguelin and Tim Herlihy

Directed by Luke Brown

Music Direction by Anthony Bastianon

Choreography by Amanda Nagy

Set and Costume Design by Brandon Kleiman

Lighting Design by Dominic Manca
Video Design by Greg Dougherty

FEATURING

Actor Isaac Bell stars as the protagonist, Robbie Hart: an in-demand wedding singer who spends most of the play mourning his lost love instead of recognizing the dream-girl standing right in front of him. Isaac makes his debut at Hart House Theatre after completing his training in Toronto with the Randolph Academy for the Performing Arts. A musician with a talent in multiple instruments, this tenor stands on the brink of a long and fruitful career in the performing arts.

Playing Julia Sullivan, the waitress with wedding bells jingling in her ears, is fellow Randolph Academy graduate, Ashley Gibson. Ashley returns to the Hart House Theatre stage after charming our audience as Christine in Dirty Rotten Scoundrels. In addition to winning Robbie's heart in The Wedding Singer, Ashley will be collaborating with the folks at Angelwalk Theatre to stage her cabaret show The Life is Sweet Project.

Playing Holly, Julia's sassy best friend and co-worker, is Hart House Theatre newcomer Romina Cortina. Romina joins our production after graduating from Sheridan College's Music Theatre/Performance Program and spending some time in New York City at a Meisner intensive at the prestigious Neighborhood Playhouse. As she works with us, Romina is also in the process of completing her BAA.

Robbie's bandmate and best friend Sammy is played by another Hart House Theatre newcomer, Matt Pilipiak. Matt was born and raised in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan. His training led him to Toronto where he has recently graduated from the George Brown Theatre School. Matt has also trained with Sheridan College and the Banff Centre.

Returning to Hart House Theatre after his critically acclaimed and audience-adored portrayal of Malvolio in Twelfth Night is fan favourite, Scott Farley. Scott graduated from the well-respected acting program at the George Brown Theatre School and is sure to delight with his honest, yet hilarious, performace as Robbie's other bandmate, George.

Find more cast details here and a full production team list here.

Jan. 10-25, 2014

Week 1: Fri. & Sat., 8 pm
Week 2: Wed. - Sat., 8 pm
Week 3: Wed. - Sat., 8 pm & Sat., 2 pm

Post-Show Chats: Sat., Jan. 11 & Thurs., Jan. 16

Pre-Show Chat: Sat., Jan. 25, 1 pm

Tickets & Box Office

Single Ticket Prices
Adults: $28
Seniors: $17
Students: $15
$10 student tickets every Wednesday night
$17 alumni tickets every Thursday night

UofTtix Box Office

416.978.8849

www.uofttix.ca

About Hart House Theatre

Established in 1919, Hart House Theatre is the University of Toronto's Performing Arts Leader. Since its inception, the theatre's unique mix of young professionals, alumni, and students has garnered the theatre a reputation as a cultural destination for not only the community of U of T but also the city of Toronto.

Media Inquiries

Andrea Wasserman
Marketing and Publicity Coordinator
Hart House Theatre

416.978.8381

andrea.wasserman@utoronto.ca

Season Sponsors:

Partners:

Hart House Theatre / University of Toronto
7 Hart House Circle / Toronto, ON

www.harthousetheatre.ca

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